“In America, the richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world’s poorest children to sickness and death. They’re taking sadistic pleasure in the pain that they inflict on loyal American workers.”
The week entering Memorial Day started with a little ruckus between the current Commander in Chief and the musician Bruce Springsteen. Seems like the commander got a kind of annoyed with Springsteen and has been trolling him all week creating demeaning fake videos—it’s not like the President of the United States has a country to run or anything like that.
Springsteen kind of started it with a speech at a concert in Manchester, England.
He took a seat at the edge of the stage and said: “In America, the richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world’s poorest children to sickness and death. This is happening now. In my country, they’re taking sadistic pleasure in the pain that they inflict on loyal American workers, through rolling back historic civil rights legislation that led to a more just and plural society, through abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom…They’re removing residents off American streets and, without due process of law, are deporting them to foreign detention centers and prisons.”
Now the President is calling for an investigation into Springsteen for his support for the Kamala Harris campaign.
It’s important to note here that Trump appropriated the Springsteen anthem “Born In the USA” for a thunderous campaign theme even though the lyrics are not at all triumphant and actually have not a thing to do with a Commander In Chief who never stepped near the military due to reported bone spurs in his heels.
“Born In The USA” is told in the voice of a Vietnam vet who goes off to war and comes home to little government and societal support.
“Born In The USA” is told in the voice of a Vietnam vet who goes off to war after growing up hard in the USA and comes home to little government and societal support.
Trump was happy to blast a song about a Vietnam vet lost in society at his rallies without having a clue about the meaning of the lyrics.
You’ve heard about this all week. We’re here to talk about Memorial Day and veterans and support for them. Which is under attack by the Trump Administration.
Miltary.com, a publication that’s as pro-veteran as it gets, laid it out in a piece earlier this month—the plan crafted by Elon Musk’s Department Of Government Efficiency is to cut more than 83,000 VA employees by August, the Veterans Administration, which provides health care and other critical support for millions of military veterans.
Many vets say that the VA needs reform to improve accessibility and care, but many also doubt the re-vamping plan will facilitate that. The fear is that it will increase wait times for services, delay claims processing and overall create chaos.
NPR reports that a recent poll by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America shows more than 4 out of 5 veterans (81%) are concerned that recent federal cuts could impact veteran benefits and health care. (a peek at the poll also shows an overall lack of confidence in the current Administration.)
Veterans for Peace chapter in Tucson, AZ held a protest outside the VA facility to protest DOGE cutting 83,000 VA employees.
The Veterans for Peace chapter in Tucson, AZ held a May 2nd protest outside the VA facility there to oppose the proposed deep staffing cuts as too large. “Those are the people we need right now to answer phones, talk to veterans, talk to us about our appointments, just somebody to talk to,” veteran and organizer Alex Maldonado said.
Treatment for PTSD—Post Traumatic Stress Disorder- is also potentially on the chopping block. The US Department of Veterans Affairs puts the numbers (taken from veterans who are still alive) at 29% among veterans of the Iraq war; 21% of vets from Operation Desert Storm. Among vets from the American war in Viet Nam, as the Vietnamese refer to it, the numbers are at 10%–but as we said, that stats include only those who are still here—it’s an older generation and many are no longer here to be counted.
PTSD has been linked to homelessness and suicide among veterans.
All this deeply affects raza communities–Latino/Latinas make up 17% of active duty members now. A study from Cal State Los Angeles shows that Latinos made up around 10% of the troops in Vietnam.
Memorial Day is touted as a holiday weekend but for many of the families who’s loved ones went off to Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam and got killed or severely damaged, mentally or physically—or both—it’s not just about barbecues.
Trump plans to throw himself a birthday military parade that includes tanks.
Veterans who have served and know the cost of service have organized into anti-war organizations that support the rights and care of veterans but also pay attention to reckless policies. Viet Nam Veterans Against the War was founded in the mid-1960s and still is active today, recently taking a position against U.S. policy in Palestine.
Which gets back to the man with the title Commander In Chief and his government’s attack on services and support for veterans.
Instead, he’s planning to throw himself a birthday military parade that includes tanks, helicopters, howitzer cannons and 7,500 troop set to march past his viewing stand on June 14th. which is Flag Day. Estimates say it cost could be as high as $45 million. It of course begins with a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington Cemetery by the man who denied called veterans there “suckers” and “losers.”in spite of eyewitnesses.
From “suckers and losers” to defunding the Veteran’s Administration: your President at work on Memorial Day!
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Copyright 2025 by Bobbi Murray. Veterans for Peace logo used under Fair Use proviso of the copyright law. All other images are in the public domain.