‘A slap on the face’: Veterans react to find out that they are dismissed

As an American American Italian first generation, Gabriel D’atanri said he felt it was his duty to serve a country that had provided protection and safety to his family.

At the age of 20, he joined the Marine, where he said he was injured and as a result of being disabled in service. After being on duty three years, he went to college and decided to get a federal job to continue to show his commitment to the United States.

On February 26, 2024, he began work as a product manager for IRS at Hartford, Connecticut, thinking this was the first step in a career for decades in the federal government. However, on February 20, only five more days from the probation that ended and with a 6 -month -old baby to be treated, he said he was unexpectedly fired.

Over the past month, the Trump government, through the Department of Efficiency of the Government of Elon Musk, has fired thousands of federal workers nationally in the past month, in an effort, claiming, to reduce government waste. Among those who lost their jobs were veterans, which formed around 28% of the Federal Workers’ workforce in September 2024, According to federal data. On February 25, Democrats at Said the DPR allocation committee At least 6,000 veterans have been fired throughout the federal government.

A spokesman from the personnel management office, who has pioneered efforts to “reducing strength” throughout the government, said “OPM recognizes the dedication and services of all federal employees, including our veterans, and remains committed to supporting them during this transition.”

“Although labor restructuring can be a difficult process, we work to ensure affected employees have access to available resources and opportunities,” the spokesman added.

In a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer last Thursday, President Donald Trump told reporters that he was aware and tracking the veterans who were fired as a result of doge cutting.

“We take care of our veterans well, so we watch very carefully,” Trump said. “We hope this will be a smaller number, but we have great success in stretching our government.”

On Tuesday, Deputy Secretary of the White House Press Anna Kelly told ABC News, “President Trump consistently defended our brave men and women in uniform – providing important reforms that improve VA health care, decreased veterans and increased business to serve all better families.

On Monday, Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Hva., Sent a letter to the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth asked for priority for veteran work during the reduction of labor.

“Many of these veterans have experienced daily challenges in transition to civilian life, and facing such layoffs only adds to their unresplor burden,” wrote Kiggans, whose district included 196,000 veterans and 180,000 military employees and active DOD.

“As a former reasonable naval and conservative helicopter pilot, I believe we can be responsible for controlling government waste while ensuring that DOD personnel with previous military service remains in a position where they can continue to contribute to our national security,” Kiggans told ABC News on Monday. “We cannot allow the advisors that are needed for the size and scope of the federal government that weakens on Monday. Russia.”

Extension for their services

Veterans often pursue government work after their time in the armed forces, with many who see it as an extension of their services. Will Attig, Executive Director of the Union Veterans Council, said he often encouraged and placed veterans in the path to careers in the Federal Workforce.

“It is very disappointing to me that all the work we do to improve the lives of veterans is being discarded,” he said. “As a veteran advocate who struggles and works to make sure I can go to a veteran who needs and say, ‘This is a job for you, so you can undergo an American dream that you fight for,’ and then come to find out everything I say to them is a lie – I feel like I bet me.”

D’Matri said he was very advanced in the company and that he had a shining middle performance review. He said he was in the middle of a working day when his manager called him to tell him his name was on the list of people to be fired as a result of federal cuts. In about an hour, following his manager’s instructions, he reported to the office, handed over his equipment and escorted out of his office building.

D’Satri said he was sure he had surpassed his role. When he was given a parent leave for three months when his baby was born, he said he only took one month from the worries he would be left behind. He noted that the loss of his job had forced his wife to end the pregnancy leave early and return to full time work.

“I worked tirelessly for the past year. I have never called once. This is only surprising for me because of the feedback that I got from people who worked very well,” he said. “A few years ago, I proved my loyalty. I love this country – we are the backbone of this country. Very painful and sad because I really love this country.”

Attig said he was sure the government had a lot of losses by firing veterans in the Federal workforce.

“They lost someone who was dedicated to this country, someone who at a very young age, they raised their right hand to say, I would give my life to this country. When they entered the civil service after their military service, they raised the same right hand and said they would promise to uphold the constitution,” he said.

“Most importantly, you take someone who is truly careful about their country, someone who uses their federal work as a second service,” he added.

Lyndsay Butts is a defective veteran who served in the Air Force and was an executive assistant at the US Forestry Service in Cedar City, Utah. He was also dismissed when his probation was almost finished – it would end on March 9.

‘It feels like a slap on the face’

“We who are veteran writing blank checks for our lives and say, ‘use me how you can support this country.’ It feels like a slap on the face to not have the opportunity to maintain my job.

“I sacrificed part of my life and I had an eternal luggage from that experience, and you will only get rid of me?” He added. “Dispose of me like trash? The pain.”

Butts said he was worried that the dismissal in his agency would cause a lack of services to the forest and those who enjoyed it. Everything from the toilet to the path will not be cleaned and maintained adequately, the firewood permit will not be sold and the camps may not be open, he said.

“They don’t bring anyone to ask us, ‘What do you need? What do you not need?’ They don’t know how we operate, “he said. “I just want my job to come back. I want my job to come back because my work is needed. I know my job is important.”

Billing to restore veterans that are not possible

To fight the uncertainty of this shooting has caused veterans throughout the country, Rep. Derek Tran, D-Calif., A veteran army, introduced a bill to return the veterans who were fired from the federal government under Trump. The bill, titled The Protect Veterans Jobs Act, will also require a federal institution to submit a report to the congress about the dismissal of veterans and provide clear justification for termination of employment. D’Satri is looking for help from Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., Who is a sponsor of this bill, and he will be Courtney’s special guest in a speech with Trump to the Congress on Tuesday night, Courtney announced.

However, the bill could not be approved in the DPR led by the Republic.

“I have spoken with several Republicans on the other hand aisle. They have shared they think it is a great bill but this is not the right time for them to jump into something like this,” Tran told ABC News. “Maybe because of what happens with administration or fear of retaliation on their side, but that I speculate.”

He said he believes the best way people can help veterans to support the bill.

“Veterans bring extraordinary values ​​and expertise to our federal government and provide important services to families and members of American service,” Tran said. “It is very important that we protect the livelihoods of veterans who have served our country with respect and who continue to do it through the Civil Service. Our veterans always support us, and now is the time for us to move to get their property.”

On Thursday, February 27, Senator Tammy Duckworth, D-IL., A combat veteran who served in the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, held a city hall for veterans who care about federal termination.

“Call it Trump and Musk’s Doge intersect as they are: they are the middle finger for our veterans, and they slapped faces for the sacrifice they have made,” Duckworth said. “Trump and billionaires that Elon Musk did not choose might not know the first thing about sacrifice and service, but our veterans were very confident. We will not be quiet, and I will never stop working to respect the commitments we made to the heroes of our nation.”

Earlier this month, Duckworth said the Department of Veterans Affairs was trying to knit back several employees who worked in the veteran crisis line after he raised concerns with Senator Richard Blunthal, D-Conn.

“Now, after I submitted these cases to VA and talked about them, it seems, fortunately, at least some of these employees will be re -employed,” he added.