Coronado Veterans & Supporters Will Take to the Streets to Defend Veterans Benefits

Mal Sandie, a Coronado resident who spent 30 years in active duty as a Navy helicopter pilot, says he’s big fan of the VA, or the Department of Veteran’s Affairs. But Sandie, along with other local veterans, has some big concerns about future cuts proposed by the organization. That’s why he’s helped plan the Coronado Rally for Veterans event on Friday, June 6 — the anniversary of D-Day.

“My big concern is the plan to cut 80,000 jobs at the VA and shut down 10% of hospitals,” said Sandie, who graduated from the Naval Academy in 1990. “I’m very concerned about the VA being gutted, and I’m very worried about our veterans and what’s going to happen to them.”

The Coronado rally is being held in conjunction with the “Unite for Veterans, Unite for America” rally in Washington, D.C. According the organization’s website, the purpose of the rally is to defend veteran and military family member employment in the federal workforce and stop the privatization and weakening of the Department of Veteran’s Affairs. The participants also hope to hold political leaders accountable for policies that harm veterans and their families.

“Veterans and military family members are being fired by the thousands from federal jobs,” says organizers of the D.C. rally. “Our healthcare if being gutted and our benefits are under siege.”

The proposed cuts — which appeared in an internal VA memo and were first leaked to the publication Government Executive — suggests that the VA drastically cut its workforce back to 2019 levels. That’s before millions of veterans became newly eligible for care, according to the publication.

The VA provides healthcare and other services to more than 9 million Americans a year, with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) being the largest integrated health care system in the nation. It provides care at more than 1,300 health care facilities, including 170 medical centers and 1,193 outpatient sites, according to VA.gov.

For veterans like Al Kovach, a former Navy SEAL and Coronado local disabled after suffering a parachute accident, the idea of scaling down the agency is worrisome. He plans to be at the rally to support his fellow veterans.

“I’m totally dependent on the VA hospital for the rest of my life,” said Kovach in a video promoting the rally. “It’s been 35 years and I don’t think I’d be alive without the VA.”

Dr. Howard Somers, a Coronado local who lost his son Daniel to suicide after the Iraq War, will speak at the rally. He says his son participated in more than 400 combat missions and suffered multiple injuries on the front line.

“[Daniel] came home with full-blown Gulf War Syndrome and any psychological issue you can possibly think of,” said Dr. Somers. “Unfortunately, what’s going on now with the reduction in services and the reduction of personnel is affecting every Veteran in this country who is trying to access medical help through. VA.”

But not everyone is worried about the proposed cuts.

Despite the leaked VA documents, VA Secretary Doug Collins has shared in statements that it’s all “fake news” and that his plan does not threaten jobs of caregivers.

He said in a May 6 statement that his goal was to “strategically reduce staff to ensure VA’s budget is mostly going directly to veterans. We will accomplish this without making cuts to health care or benefits to Veterans or VA beneficiaries.”

Drew Smith, a 30-year veteran who lived in base housing in Coronado for 15 years, says he hasn’t seen any of his benefits drop off. If anything, he’s seen improvements.

“As for as the VA’s decision to cut up to 80,000 jobs, I am not concerned about the quality of care or services being cut,” said Smith. “I trust the information being put out by the VA Secretary Doug Collins much more than I read in the media.”

Earlier last month, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order detailing his plans to improve care for veterans. This includes reduced wait times, more services for homeless vets and improved accountability.

But critics say these goals contrast with the direction the VA is actually taking. Many have already raised alarms about the firing of 1,000 probationary employees as well as the cancelation of hundreds of contracts with vendors that supply the VA with critical resources. Finally, there’s the termination of VA researchers, which could interrupt clinical trials that could benefit veterans.

That’s in addition to the proposed cuts of 80,000 VA employees.

Sandie says that the cuts to the VA may not be seen immediately, but will materialize over time. In addition, he says Collins has mentioned a plan to outsource medical care.

“This seems to be a huge step in the direction of turning the VA into a ‘for profit’ system where the goal shifts from patient care, to making money,” said Sandie. “Additionally, Collins plans to use AI to handle medical claims. Who doesn’t like dealing with a robot on the phone?”

John Pottridge, a local disabled vet who served in the army in what he called “the deadliest year of the Vietnam war,” was planning on attending the rally, but he passed away on May 25. Organizers say the event is dedicated to his memory.

“I’m here to say, it’s time for Americans to wake up and look around, and see what’s happening in the way the American veterans are being treated today,” said Pottridge in a video shared to The Coronado Times. “They are being forsaken, they are not being served, they are going without the services that they deserve and that they have paid for, one way or another. And it has to stop. It has to change.”

The rally will be held on Friday, June 6 at 2 pm, beginning at Spreckels Park, with a march along Orange Avenue to Fourth Street.