LACK OF RECOGNITION DOESN'T DIMINISH THEIR FEATS; WHEELCHAIR VETERANS BRING HOME THE GOLD.

Byline: Dennis McCarthy 

They returned to town last week with little fanfare or attention. What a shame.

There should have been a parade waiting for them - a red carpet stretching all the way through the San Fernando Valley, right up to the front steps of the Sepulveda Veterans Administration Medical Center.

There should have been a full military band playing the Olympic Games theme song, and the mayor standing there with the keys to the city.

But aside from a few friends and relatives welcoming them home, there was no one. Our loss.

Last month I wrote a column about some local wheelchair vets from the Sepulveda VA training hard to represent the Valley at the National Veterans Wheelchair Games in San Diego earlier this month.

I wrote about them wanting to bring home some medals, and let us all feel a little of the pride that comes with winning and overcoming big odds.

Well, they did. Big time. Our guys brought home 18 medals in all - 10 of them gold.

``I've been wearing my medal since I got home,'' said Larry Foster, who won a gold in the air-rifle competition. ``I even sleep with it.''

It's that kind of pride and excitement that makes these games so special for these men, fighting to reclaim a physical identity from a wheelchair.

``Getting the medal is great, but it's the competition and camaraderie you feel with all the guys on your team that's really wonderful,'' says Foster, a graphic artist.

``Some of these guys never left their homes. These games have brought them out. This one was my first, but it won't be my last.''

One of the biggest winners on the Valley team was 31-year-old Joey Hamilton, who won five medals. He won golds in the 200-meter, 400-meter and 1,500-meter wheelchair racing events, a silver in the 800 meters and a bronze in the 5K road race.

Incredibly, all the events but the 5K road race were held on one day. Hamilton got a 25-minute rest between races.

``I was definitely spent,'' he said Thursday. ``There's definitely tough competition in these games; everybody wants to beat the next guy.

``But it's the camaraderie that's really great - everybody hanging out. It's a good feeling. For a lot of guys, this is their summer vacation.''

Also winning medals at the wheelchair games were John Catuna of Simi Valley with golds in air rifle and archery; Jack Schaefer of San Fernando, bringing home a bronze in weightlifting; and Scott Zemer of Van Nuys with a silver in archery and a bronze in air rifle.

Also, Cliff Wilson from Tehachapi with four medals - a gold in weightlifting and bronzes in javelin, discus and the shot put - and Pat Kilmartin with three golds in nine-ball billiards, electric wheelchair slalom and electric wheelchair motor route.

Ladies and gentlemen, our 1997 Wheelchair Olympics medalists. Way to go, guys.

If you're tired of reading only negative stories about the LAPD, here's one to balance the books, courtesy of Susan Blumenfeld of Tarzana.

``One recent evening, my three children, ages 4, 6 and 8, and I had the misfortune of being victims of a drunk driver,'' she writes. ``When I called 911, I did not know that the person who hit us was a violent drunk man, but he was.

``As the officers tried to get information from us for their report, they were repeatedly interrupted by this recalcitrant drunk at the other end of the street.

``Each time the officers came back to us to finish getting information, their tone was calm, voices were low and faces were sympathetic. Eventually, the drunk kicked out the window of the officers' car. He was a serious threat to them.

``Two days later, I received my copy of the police report,'' Susan said. ``It came with a cover letter that I would like to share with all of L.A.''Here it is, written to the Blumenfeld family by LAPD Officers Laura Valdovinos and Laura Gerritsen:

``We would like to take the time to let you know that we both are very glad that your children were not harmed in any way by this traffic collision. We are truly sorry that this had to happen to your family, and just wanted to say thank you for your patience and cooperation, and your very cooperative children who despite being scared still managed to smile.

``We can't tell you what it meant to us to see the whole family go home together with only minor injuries. We usually do not write to the families involved in auto accidents, but we just wanted to tell you how thankful we were that this drunk driver did not bring tragedy to an innocent family. We hope that you all recover from your injuries quickly.

``P.S. - Tell Caroline we hope she is feeling better and back to gymnastics soon.''

Susan said Thursday that Caroline already is, and the rest of the family's doing fine.

If this is just part of what community policing is all about, give us more of it.

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Photo: Larry Foster, an athlete from the Sepulveda VA Medical Center, shows off the gold medal he won last week at the National Veterans Wheelchair Games in San Diego.

Michael Owen Baker/Daily News