Libby Denkmann | Texas Public Radio

Libby Denkmann

Libby Denkmann is KPCC's veterans and military reporter. She focuses on stories about active duty service members, veterans, and their families in Southern California.

Libby joined KPCC in 2016 as a fill-in host for the talk show "Take Two," and she later served as interim host of KPCC's Morning Edition. She is a regular fill-in host for Larry Mantle's AirTalk on KPCC, and her reporting can be heard nationally on APM's Marketplace Morning Report.

Before joining KPCC, Libby was an anchor and a reporter on KFI-AM  in Los Angeles. She began her journalism career in her native Seattle with the CBS News affiliate KIRO Radio. 

Her work was part of the 2015 Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Continuing Coverage of the deadly Oso, Washington landslide. She is a graduate of The University of Washington's Jackson School of International Studies.

As Veterans' Cemeteries Run Out Of Space, The VA Is Providing An Alternative To Burials

By • Oct 22, 2019

For the first time in decades, veterans and local military families have access to a final resting place alongside fellow servicemembers in the city of Los Angeles.

A Fallen Vietnam Veteran Has Returned Home. The Water He Drank Helped Identify His Remains

By • Jun 4, 2019

Raul Guerra was adopted, so his DNA couldn't be matched to blood relatives. Scientists instead turned to an emerging technique that linked his bones to the drinking water in the places he grew up.

LA's Coliseum, Built As A War Memorial, Is Getting A Corporate Sponsor. Some Veterans Are Protesting

By • May 21, 2019
Libby Denkmann / American Homefront

Similiar debates have played out elsewhere, as sports stadiums that were originally built as memorials to veterans take on new corporate names.

To help fund a $300 million makeover of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where the University of Southern California and the NFL's Rams play, USC announced last year it would rename the stadium "The United Airlines Memorial Coliseum."

But not everyone is happy about the name change, which has drawn increasing public attention in recent weeks.

The VA Is Again Expanding Its Private Healthcare Options, But Many Veterans Remain Skeptical

By • May 6, 2019
LIBBY DENKMANN / AMERICAN HOMEFRONT

The VA Mission Act hopes to improve upon the Choice program, which ran over budget and didn't do much to reduce wait times for many veterans.

 

As often as she can, Judi Robinson raises an American flag outside her rambler-style house in Long Beach, Cal. She doesn't keep it up overnight, and she's careful about storage and handling of the national emblem.

"I'm a real stickler for flag etiquette," she said as she unfurled the stars and stripes. "I was a Girl Scout, I was a Marine, and now I'm a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution."

To Help Veterans In Crisis, VA Counselors Are Riding Along With Police

By • Feb 4, 2019

In a first of its kind program, the VA in Long Beach, Cal. is partnering with law enforcement to proactively reach military veterans with mental health issues.

The VA Hopes To Make It Easier For Veterans To Join Cancer Trials

By • Nov 14, 2018

An agency pilot program aims to bypass regulations that can make it hard for veterans to get cutting-edge medical treatment.

Nobody Knows How Many Mexican-Americans Served In Vietnam. A New Play Tells Their Story

By • Oct 30, 2018

"Ring of Red: A Barrio Story" relies on oral histories to tell the rarely heard stories of Mexican-American veterans.

As America's Veterans Grow Older, The VA Faces A Long-Term Care Crisis

By • Sep 12, 2018

The number of veterans in the VA healthcare system who are 70 or older is expected to grow 30 percent in the next eight years.

'Why Him And Not Me?' Songwriting To Mend The Wounds Of War

By • Jun 20, 2018

For her new album, Nashville singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier collaborated with veterans to write songs about war, service, and life after the military.

In L.A., Homeless Vets Now Can Sleep In Their Cars At The VA

By • Jun 6, 2018

In the first program of its kind in the nation, the West Los Angeles VA has opened its campus to veterans who sleep in their cars. Officials say it's a less-than-ideal starting point to help homeless vets.

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