Amid all the chaos, confusion and anguish surrounding the first two months of the Trump/Musk administration, there is one issue that all Americans can agree on. All true Americans respect our veterans for their service that has truly made America great.

Now, the Trump/Musk team is cutting 82,000 workers from the Veterans Affairs Department. Let me repeat, 82,000 workers will be fired from the VA. Already the cuts of essential providers are being made.

Last week, I went to my doctor for a checkup. She told me of a new patient who came in the previous day who had to switch doctors because he could not even get through to the VA because of the layoffs. What, in the world, are we doing to the very people whose service has kept America a free and prosperous nation? According to the Trump/Musk team, they are thrown out of the VA health care system to fend for themselves or receive no health care at all.

Who is making these decisions? Is it Trump, is it Musk, or is it Doug Collins, the newly named secretary of Veterans Affairs? Neither Trump nor Musk have ever served a day in service to their countries. Trump, you recall, had such severe bone spurs in his heels that he could not serve during the Vietnam War era. Musk is from South Africa and avoided serving in the South African military by obtaining a Canadian passport through his mother, a Canadian citizen.

Collins did serve two years as a Navy chaplain before becoming a lawyer and politician. These are the men making the decision to cut essential services to our veterans.

Apparently, the U.S. Congress has nothing to say about the drastic cuts that are making life miserable for millions of true American heroes. Only we, the American people, can speak up with one loud voice, “Respect Our veterans.” This is one of those few times in American history when “We the People” must take a stand.

Please join your fellow Americans in standouts around the country to support the men and women who truly made America great. I will be at the Orange Town Park every Saturday from 11 a.m. to noon on South Main Street. I ask you to join us or to show up in your own towns to insist that this great nation respect those veterans who served their country.

Mike Magee lives in Orange. He has taught U.S. history and civics for the past 35 years.