(Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
I gave my life to this country. At 21, I put on the uniform of the United States Marine Corps, ready to serve and protect a nation I believed in. I sacrificed time, energy, and pieces of myself that I can never get back. When my military service ended, I didn’t stop serving—I transitioned into federal employment, dedicating myself to ensuring that veterans like me got the care and benefits they had earned. My life has been one of duty, of loyalty, of commitment. And yet, for the second time in my career, I have been unceremoniously cast aside, a casualty of administrative downsizing fueled by reckless leadership and misguided policies.
This isn’t the first time this has happened to me. During the previous Trump administration, I was downsized, given a severance, and forced to rebuild. But, true to my work ethic and commitment to service, I clawed my way back into federal employment. I moved from California to Las Vegas with my wife—a fellow veteran and retired public servant—seizing an opportunity to serve at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). My performance was consistently praised; my evaluations were always stellar.
Then came the ominous “Fork in the Road” email.
It was vague, raising more questions than answers. Instead of clear guidance, it offered confusion. The timeline was uncertain. When a judge placed a temporary stay on the program, I thought we might have time for clarity. But just days after the program was shut down, I got a phone call. Not an explanation. Not a meeting. Just a phone call informing me that my career in federal service was over.
I never even saw the termination email. My access to my government computer was cut off before I could read it. No acknowledgment, no confirmation. In the private sector, at the very least, employees must acknowledge a termination notice. But I was expected to accept my fate without even seeing it in writing.
I tried to get answers. I reached out to HR personnel, only to be met with silence or deflection. My direct supervisor confirmed the termination over the phone but provided no further documentation. I was told I could access my electronic personnel file from a public computer—only to find out that wasn’t true. I had been severed not just from my job but also from my ability to obtain proof of my termination.
Who is making these decisions? Who is providing this guidance? Where is the accountability?
This is a government where Trump is once again in power, treating public servants as disposable. Veterans like me, who have given our lives to service, are tossed aside while he fixates on distractions like the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Under Elon Musk’s leadership, DOGE has become a ruthless machine, slashing entire sections of government overnight with no regard for the human cost. These reckless firings have left countless veterans jobless and gutted the very agencies, like the VA, that are meant to support them.
The Department of Veterans Affairs, once a pillar of support for those who served, is now dangerously understaffed due to these sweeping cuts. The people who fought for this country are being abandoned, left without the benefits and services they were promised. Musk and Trump claim these cuts are about efficiency, but what they’ve truly created is chaos—where veterans like me are left scrambling for answers, for support, for dignity.
As an American, I signed up to defend my country, then dedicated myself to public service. And yet, the government I served so diligently has now left me in bureaucratic limbo—unable to even access my personnel file. This isn’t just about my job. This is about an administration prioritizing sweeping cuts over those who have spent decades dedicating their lives to service.
Federal employees—especially veterans who have already sacrificed so much—deserve better than this. The least we should expect is a transparent and dignified process, not a faceless email we never even get to read.
I stood for my country. Now, who will stand for me?