Veterans Find Peace and Purpose Restoring Japanese Garden at VA Campus
On Thursdays, John Follmer trades his role as a veterans affairs adviser for a pair of gardening gloves. An Iraq War veteran and adviser to Los Angeles County on military and veterans affairs, Follmer leads a group of fellow veterans in restoring a long-neglected Japanese garden on the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs campus — a project that has become a sanctuary for those who served.
“We are here in the center of the largest city in the United States, and aside from an occasional helicopter, it’s hard to imagine you’re only a quarter mile away from the 405 freeway,” Follmer told NPR, standing in the dappled sunlight beneath the trees.
A Hidden Gem Restored
The Japanese garden, built in 1968 on the 387-acre West LA VA campus, had fallen into severe disrepair when Follmer discovered it six years ago and began the painstaking work of bringing it back to life. Today, the garden features a chain of koi ponds with large goldfish, newly planted Japanese maple trees, and plans for active beehives. It sits in a grotto on the north side of the campus, offering a serene escape from the bustle of Los Angeles.
Veterans volunteer at the garden every Thursday, with activities ranging from active gardening — pruning, mulching, and clearing — to simply enjoying the tranquil environment. One Air Force veteran spends entire days breaking sticks into mulch, a form of meditation. Others come just to soak in the serenity.
“We always tell the vets, like, ‘You don’t have to come here and work. The simple art of stepping into the garden justifies its purpose,’” Follmer said.
Therapeutic Benefits of Horticulture
The garden’s therapeutic value is backed by research. Studies from the VA Bronx Healthcare System have shown that horticulture therapy can significantly reduce pain, depression, stress, and loneliness — all key suicide risk factors for veterans. The Japanese garden offers a space specifically designed for mindfulness, meditation, and quiet reflection, distinct from the larger 15-acre Veterans Garden on the same campus that focuses on food production and job training.
Follmer’s work with the garden is part of a broader ecosystem of veteran support in Los Angeles. He serves as Adjutant for Disabled American Veterans Chapter 5, the city’s oldest and largest DAV chapter, which sponsors and supports the Japanese garden. He is also a board member of Vets Whole in One, an organization that previously hosted mindfulness meditation events in the garden before they were temporarily paused due to nearby housing construction.
A Campus with a Complex History
The West LA VA campus, donated in 1888 specifically for use by veterans, has a long and complicated history. In 2012, an NPR investigation revealed that the VA was leasing portions of the campus for commercial use — including a film studio, gas station, and private school — while thousands of homeless veterans slept on the streets nearby.
Since then, lawsuits, protests, and government promises have led to housing for more than 1,200 veterans on the campus, with more construction underway. But progress remains years behind schedule. The Trump administration issued an executive order to “supercharge” building on the campus but then failed to fund any new beds in the FY2026 budget request, drawing bipartisan criticism.
Building Community, Not Just Shelter
For Follmer, the garden represents something larger than a peaceful retreat. He sees it as a key part of transforming the VA campus into a true community rather than merely a homeless shelter.
“The vets are a little upset because they get this far up North Campus, and there’s no supermarkets, there’s no coffee shops, there’s nothing,” Follmer said. “And I have to keep telling them, just hold on, something will come, and then it is our job as veterans to make the most of it.”
His vision includes movie showings in the natural amphitheater below the garden and creating spaces that give veterans recovering from addiction meaningful ways to occupy their time. The dream, he says, is to make the campus a place where veterans want to live permanently — not just temporarily while getting back on their feet.
A Testament to Persistence
Follmer’s work on the garden is a lesson in consistency overcoming neglect. “Every single Thursday from sunup to sundown, we’re out here with master gardeners,” he said. “When something was left for 20 years of neglect, now we’re learning what to take back, what to throw away. This is proof that one year of consistency can beat back 20 years of neglect.”
The garden is open to the public on Thursdays from 9 AM to 7 PM, and volunteers are always welcome. For the veterans who tend it, the garden offers not just a place of peace, but a renewed sense of purpose — and proof that even the most neglected spaces can be restored with patience, community, and care.
To learn more about the Japanese Garden at the West LA VA campus, visit DAV Chapter 5’s garden page.