We Fought for This Country. Don't Cut the One Department That Fights for Us.

The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Military.com.

On June 6 -- D-Day -- thousands of veterans will rally on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., united by a shared message: Don't betray those who've borne the battle.

As combat veterans, we know what it means to serve. We also know what it means to come home and fight a different kind of battle, navigating injuries, trauma, transition and bureaucracy. And now, the very institution created to support us, the Department of Veterans Affairs, is under clear and present threat.

Let's be clear: Cutting the VA budget or gutting its workforce is not reform. It's a broken promise. And it's one we won't accept in silence.

That's why we're marching on D-Day, alongside thousands of fellow veterans and supporters. And it's why the iconic American punk band Dropkick Murphys -- longtime champions of working-class veterans -- will join us in saying loud and clear: We fought for this country; now it's time this country fights for us.

The VA is not just another federal agency. It's a lifeline for millions of veterans like me and our families. It provides specialized health care, mental health treatment, housing assistance, job training, suicide prevention programs, and more. These aren't government handouts; they're earned benefits, promised in exchange for our service. They were part of the contract when we swore our lives to defend our great country.

When policymakers propose cutting tens of thousands of staff positions from the VA, they're severing lifelines.

• Cuts to the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) mean delayed claims decisions and longer waits for education and housing benefits.
• Cuts to the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) mean shuttered clinics, longer waits for appointments, overworked doctors and nurses, and fewer mental health professionals when we need them most.

The proposed cuts are a moral crisis dressed up as budgetary policy. It tells veterans that our service ends at the photo op -- that we matter only when it's politically convenient, and we're expendable when it's not.

Every generation of veterans has had to fight for the benefits they were promised. That's the hard truth of our history. But this generation of veterans won't sit back while the VA is dismantled in the name of "efficiency." We won't allow a slow-motion privatization campaign to turn veterans into profit margins for private health systems that lack the training, cultural understanding, or infrastructure to deliver what we need.

The Unite For Veterans Coalition, which helped organize Friday's march in Washington, is calling on Congress and the White House to:

• Sufficiently fund the Department of Veterans Affairs to not just maintain, but expand its capacity to meet growing needs.
• Staff the VA to meet rising demand, especially in mental health, claims processing, and rural care delivery.
• Protect veterans in the federal workforce, who continue to serve their country beyond the battlefield. One-third of all federal workers are veterans.
• Follow the Constitution and uphold the institutions that make our democratically elected constitutional republic work.

We chose June 6 for a reason. It's a date that reminds us of what sacrifice really looks like, and what unity can achieve. On June 6, 1944, American troops stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day to liberate a continent and defend democracy. In 2025, we're returning to Washington in the spirit of our forebears to demand that our democracy not abandon the very people who have defended it.

To lawmakers, we say: Don't wait for another crisis. Don't wait for another news cycle. Act now. Protect the VA. Keep America's promises.

To the American people we say: This isn't a partisan cause. It's a moral obligation. Join us in standing up for those who stood and defended your freedoms.

-- Joe Plenzler is a retired combat-decorated Marine Corps officer, entrepreneur and veteran advocate. He is the co-chair of the communication committee for the Unite For Veterans Coalition and board member with We the Veterans and Military Families.