Editor, Well, it looks like I have to be the Len Calderone of Hinesville. Recently, Liberty County — to include Hinesville — declared war on garbage, litter, trashy yards, cars in yards, yadda, yadda yadda.
I’m always getting a good chuckle about this “war.” Just the other day, I passed by Maj. Gen. Mike Murray’s front yard and neighborhood. It was nice, clean and well-maintained.
Unfortunately, the soldiers in my Hinesville neighborhood — Sharon, Elaine and Lesa streets —are some filthy, sorry excuses for residents. One lieutenant, who resides in this neighborhood and has multiple soldiers in her two-bedroom house — soldier subletting is common in many Hinesville neighborhoods — complained to me that the citizens of Hinesville don’t appreciate Fort Stewart and the military. This lieutenant and her soldier buddies always park their cars in the yard.
And next door, multiple soldiers live in a two-bedroom house with two tires in the front yard. I did go to a recent city council meeting and suggested a military/code department task force, but Hinesville Councilman Keith Jenkins doesn’t want to be involved in this filth problem, and Mayor Jim Thomas, who resides in a semi-gated community, only came down here to open a usually trash-filled park four to five years ago.
I did meet with the mayor last year. He told me the soldiers reside in a dilapidated neighborhood, but in all fairness, they do a good job of keeping it dilapidated.
Maj. Gen. Murray and Mayor Thomas, maybe you can get these soldiers out of my once-clean, well-maintained neighborhood.
Being retired military, from what I see of your soldiers, I now have a favorite saying: The only active-duty soldier I like is the one who doesn’t live in my neighborhood.
Yes, I will continue to be heard about this filth that Fort Stewart has tossed to Hinesville and my neighborhood until it’s cleaned up long term.

— Joseph B. Stuart
Hinesville