Twenty years ago, after serving overseas in the Global War on Terror, I was honorably discharged from the Marines with a service-connected disability. In the time since, the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) has provided me with stability, opportunity, and community in the form of education, housing, and medical support. The VA provides these critical services to veterans like me in return for faithful service to our nation.

This system is under attack. The current VA Secretary, Doug Collins, is undermining VA healthcare and waging a war of attrition against VA employees. Instead, he wants to funnel taxpayer dollars to the private healthcare industry, which is less efficient, more expensive, and ill-equipped to handle complex challenges faced by veterans. In contrast, the VA medical system has evolved into a comprehensive, integrated health system that Americans can be proud of, and many would wish their own private providers could emulate.

This administration wants to strangle the VA. They want to cut 30,000 VA jobs by the end of the year, slash funds for VA-provided care, and funnel more funds to private industry. To bring this home, imagine if they chopped up our beloved National Historical Parks here and sold them to real estate developers!

If you call yourself American, if you value service, sacrifice, and civic virtue, I implore you, whether you are an islander or *just visiting*, go back home, call your representative and demand they stand up to this administration’s attack on veterans and our beloved VA!

Bryan Bartley

San Juan Island