If you haven’t watched “The Real Reason Trump Wants to Rename Veterans Day”, you need to. Big Sarge took the trash out, and it's my turn to amplify the same disgust and anger towards the current administration.
If you look behind the surface, this latest stunt is hardly surprising. Let’s talk about Project 2025, the so-called “policy blueprint” being pushed by Trump’s advisors and the Heritage Foundation. They’re not just talking about changing a holiday’s name-they’re coming for everything veterans have earned. Their plan would gut the VA by slashing staff, shutting down clinics, and forcing more of us into the private healthcare system. Anyone who’s tried to get specialized care outside the VA knows how that ends: longer waits, higher costs, and doctors who don’t understand what we’ve been through. The idea that VA hospitals should be run like DoD clinics is laughable-our needs are complex, and these people either don’t get it or don’t care.
That's only the tip of the iceberg. Project 2025 would make it even harder to qualify for disability benefits, and they’re talking about stripping away concurrent eligibility for disability and retirement. For a lot of us, that’s not just an inconvenience-it’s the difference between getting by and falling through the cracks. And let’s be clear: these are benefits we earned, not handouts.
Look at who’s steering this ship. Pete Hegseth, Trump’s Secretary of Defense, is a perfect example of the hypocrisy at the top. The guy raked in millions from Fox News-$4.6 million in salary in 2023, plus nearly a million in paid speeches (Business Insider, Washington Monthly). Meanwhile, a veteran with a 50% VA disability rating gets just over $1,100 a month, about $13,224 a year (VA Compensation Rates). Hegseth has the nerve to say he could “be rated for 50 percent right now if I wanted to be,” but doesn’t bother, as if accepting benefits is some kind of moral failing. Easy to act high and mighty when you’ll never have to worry about paying your bills with VA money. He’s also pushed for more privatization of VA care, which has never worked for those of us who actually need it.
And now, as if gutting veterans’ benefits and disrespecting Veterans Day weren’t enough, Trump is pushing for a massive military parade in Washington, D.C.-timed, not so coincidentally, for his own birthday. Let’s be clear: this isn’t about honoring the Army’s 250th anniversary. It’s about ego and spectacle, and it comes with a jaw-dropping price tag. The last time Trump floated this idea, the cost estimate hit $92 million and the plan was scrapped; with inflation, this year’s parade could run as high as $117 million, and even the most conservative current estimates put it in the tens of millions. That’s money that could actually help veterans-funding medical care, housing, or job programs-instead of paying for tanks to tear up D.C. streets and fireworks for a presidential photo op.
The hypocrisy is staggering. Trump and his allies love to talk about “saving money” and making government “leaner,” slashing funding for education, public broadcasting, and even essential services for veterans. Yet, when it comes to throwing himself a Soviet-style parade, suddenly the federal checkbook is wide open. City officials are already worried about the damage heavy military vehicles will do to roads-damage that taxpayers will have to fix. Meanwhile, Army units are being told to divert millions from their own budgets to cover parade costs, which could even impact training and readiness.
If this administration truly cared about fiscal responsibility or veterans, it wouldn’t be blowing tens of millions on a vanity parade. It would be investing those resources where they’re actually needed. Trump’s parade isn’t just unnecessary-it’s a slap in the face to every veteran who’s been told there’s “no money” for their care or benefits. The next time you hear about budget cuts or “tough choices,” remember: the money is there, just not for us.
And now Trump wants to rename Veterans Day? That’s just the latest slap in the face. It’s not just about the name-it’s about erasing the meaning of the day and the sacrifices behind it. The people making these decisions have no idea what it’s like to depend on the VA or to fight for every benefit you’ve earned. They’re insulated, privileged, and completely out of touch.
I’m done with the incoherent gestures coming from an administration that has long since abandoned any pretense of actually giving a shit about those of us who served. Veterans’ Day is about honoring real service and sacrifice, not rewriting history or gutting the benefits we rely on. Project 2025 is a direct attack on veterans, plain and simple. If you care about veterans, it’s time to stand up and fight back-because the people in charge clearly won’t.
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