Meet Gilbert Ornelas, a disabled veteran who served two tours in Vietnam. He was a “tunnel rat” who ended up suffering from prostate cancer after exposure to Agent Orange.
Ornelas is just one of more than 200 people who gathered at Spreckels Park on Friday, June 6, the 81st anniversary of D-Day, to rally for veterans’ benefits. While some came on foot, others came by bike. Some rolled up in wheelchairs while others used canes and walkers. But they all came for one specific purpose: to protest federal cuts to the VA.
“He depends on the VA for all of his care, and it’s hard to be seen at the VA as it is,” said Carolee Ornelas, Gilbert’s wife. “There are long waits right now, and we are afraid it’s going to be harder.”
The rally was held alongside more than 215 similar protests across the country, in conjunction with the “Unite for Veterans, Unite for America” rally in Washington, D.C.
“This isn’t a protest, this is a promise,” said Steve Phillips, a cardiothoracic surgeon and veteran who spoke at the rally. “We veterans will not back down. We have fought before and we will fight again. Not with weapons, but with truth and unity, and the unwavering power of doing what’s right.”
According to a leaked memo, the Department of Veterans Affairs could potentially slash more than 80,000 jobs, or roughly 17% of its employees. The VA currently employees more than 470,000 people. Of those, 371,000 are healthcare workers, according to government research groups.
The VA boasts the largest integrated health care system in the country, serving more than 9.1 million veterans, according to VA.gov. While VA secretary Doug Collins said in a statement that these cuts would not negatively affect veterans’ healthcare, many at the rally aren’t so sure.
“It doesn’t matter whether there are caregivers that are cut, or whether they are support people,” said Ornelas. “It will affect access to services.”
This worries 101-year-old Walt Travis, a Marine Corps veteran who served in World War II. He says he’s been “in and out” of the VA hospital countless times, and that it gives the best care you could hope for.
“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the VA,” he said. “Hopefully we can cut back the cuts. We don’t want them.”
Rita Bush, a local woman attending the protest, said she’s concerned about reduced access to veteran’s mental health supports. She herself works in mental health, and has already seen cuts in her field.
“I’ve seen one too many people who have suffered from PTSD,” said Bush. “A best friend of my husband’s, a Navy SEAL, lost his life to suicide.”
“I want to be able to tell my grandchildren that I didn’t stay silent”
After the gathering at Spreckels Park, the protestors marched down Orange Avenue and gathered at the median at Fourth Street. They waved flags and signs to a cacophony of cheers and honks, all welcome sounds to protestors like Katy Roberson. She said she was inspired to attend the rally after reading the words on a t-shirt.
“It said, ‘I want to be able to tell my grandchildren that I didn’t stay silent,'” said Roberson.
While local Wayne Strickland says he is a vet who wants to support other vets, he’s concerned about the nation’s debt. He says it’s important for the country to live within its means.
“The VA serves a lot of veterans, and I am one of them. And they hire a lot of vets too, at the VA, and you don’t want to see them lose their jobs,” said Strickland. “But we don’t want to see our kids inherit the same debt we’ve had.”
He said it’s important for the agency to cut waste, fraud and abuse. While this might include jobs that are still needed, it’s time to “slim down” a little bit. When asked about the potential cuts to 80,000 jobs, he said that it was a big number.
“Hopefully it won’t be that big,” said Strickland. “That’s proposed cuts. It hasn’t happened yet. And maybe with rallies like this, it won’t happen.”
You voted for this Guy!
Pieces of shit.