I Am A Veteran and I'm Pissed Off

Me, back in the day as an F4-C Aircraft Maintenance Officer

I am a proud U.S. Air Force Veteran, having taken the oath on September 9th, 1980 at the Medina Annex of Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio Texas. My time in the service set up a great career and a great life. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to serve and for all of the benefits that I have received as a Veteran, from the GI Bill and job opportunities, to the eligibility for healthcare through the US Department of Veterans Affairs. But now, things are changing and I don’t think most people are aware of these changes or what they mean for Veterans like myself.

    On September 11th of this year – the 25th anniversary of 9/11 - the Inspector General for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) released report #26-01046-271, confirming severe staffing shortages at every VA hospital in the country. The following key findings of the report are copied directly from the report summary without any changes:

• In fiscal year (FY) 2026, which runs from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026, VHA officials reported a total of 4,712 severe occupational staffing shortages.
• VHA officials reported that 97 percent of facilities had severe occupational staffing shortages for Medical Officer occupations, and 86 percent of facilities had severe shortages for Nurse occupations.
• Practical Nurse was the most frequently reported clinical severe occupational staffing shortage in FY 2026, the most frequently reported Hybrid Title 38 occupation, and the most frequently reported severe shortage occupation overall, with VHA officials reporting for 59 percent of facilities.
• Police was reported as a shortage by VHA officials for 57 percent of facilities, making it the most frequently reported nonclinical shortage occupation.
• All 139 VHA facilities identified staffing shortages.

    These findings should concern every veteran, veteran family member, and voter. Now please understand, the Inspector General for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is not an outside partisan group trying to score political points. It is the internal watchdog for the Department of Veterans Affairs. The timing of the release of this report appears to have been intentional, to ensure it didn’t get the attention it otherwise would have. The findings in are report are a disgrace and a slap in the face to those who have served.

    Though the VA has had staffing shortages for years, these serious VA staffing shortages come after significant reductions in VA’s workforce and restrictions on federal hiring. Throughout 2025 and 2026, the Trump administration leveraged DOGE to aggressively downsize the federal workforce. VA announced last year it would cut nearly 30,000 employees through attrition, early retirements, deferred resignations and the federal hiring freeze. The administration also adopted a government-wide goal of four employee departures for every new hire. Efforts to improve efficiency should never mean arbitrarily firing the doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers and support personnel who care for our nation’s wounded and disabled veterans.

    Why do I bring this to your attention? Well, we have midterm elections coming up in the US and many candidates are falsely claiming to support Veterans. Those claims are in spite of the fact that they were 100% and very publicly in favor of the DOGE cuts that now make it harder for our nation's Veterans to obtain the medical treatment that they earned and are entitled to.  I’m talking about Veterans with cancer, PTSD and other conditions that require swift and aggressive treatment. 

    In Southwest Virginia, Congressmen Ben Cline and Morgan Griffith claim that they support Veterans, but their public comments and voting record says otherwise. To them, I offer the following expression that I learned in the Air Force - Don’t piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining. 

    If you are a Veteran, or just support Veterans, this should matter to you and should definitely influence who you vote for.  There’s a lot more I could write about how current and proposed policies are chipping away at Veteran’s benefits - that sacred trust between our government and the people who serve in our military.

    Have you or a family member ever served in the military? Do you believe that our current policies have helped or hurt Veterans? Please share your thoughts in the comments. I hope our conversation will be thoughtful, respectful and productive.

    If you try to leave a comment and receive an error message, your browser may be blocking third-party cookies. You can select “Anonymous” in the “Comment as” field and simply include your name or initials if you prefer.

    Thank you for reading—and for walking this road with me. Go vote.

How Do We Find Our Way Back?

John Prine's first album - I've owned this since 1972

Like many people, I spend a lot of time wondering how we got to where we are as a nation. I'm not talking only about politics, but about our culture, our economy, and the way we relate to one another. Constant wars. Cell phone addictions. Growing social divisions. It often feels as though we're all pulling in different directions, and I find myself asking the same question over and over:

How do we find our way back?

    Last night, while talking with a younger friend about philosophy, wisdom, and the things that shape us, I had something of a revelation. It hit me like the beacon of an ocean lighthouse piercing through the fog on a moonless night.

    Almost casually, I mentioned that much of my personal philosophy comes from listening to John Prine.

    That surprised even me.

    Realizing that not everyone had the pleasure of seeing John perform while he was alive—or of spending much time with his music—I started thinking about why his songs became such an anchor in my own life.

    It began in early 1972 when I walked into Moles Den Records in Joliet, Illinois. I spent a good portion of every paycheck there, always hunting for music that commercial radio overlooked. The owner, Denny, knew my tastes well and often steered me toward artists he thought deserved to be heard. That day, he pointed to John Prine's self-titled debut album. More than fifty years later, it's still the only album purchase I can remember that vividly. From the first spin, I knew I was hearing something unlike anything else.

    John's music wasn't polished. His voice was rough and nasal. The production was simple and understated. His guitar playing wasn't flashy, but it was unforgettable. His Travis-style fingerpicking—with the thumb laying down a steady alternating bass while the fingers carried the melody—became instantly recognizable. Like many longtime Prine fans, I can identify most of his songs within the first few notes.

    But it was the lyrics that completely changed me. John wrote about people no one else seemed interested in writing about.

    Lonely old people.

    Veterans struggling with addiction.

    Middle-aged women quietly longing for something more.

    Ordinary people trying to make sense of an increasingly confusing world.

    He even challenged shallow displays of patriotism long before that became a common topic of conversation.

    Those songs helped shape the values I've carried throughout my life.

    "Hello In There" taught me empathy. I honestly believe it influenced my willingness to become a caregiver for aging family members and friends.

    "Sam Stone" remains, in my opinion, one of the saddest songs ever written—and perhaps one of the most honest portraits of what many Vietnam veterans experienced after coming home.

    "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore" challenged the idea that patriotism is something you display rather than something you live. More than fifty years later, it still feels remarkably relevant.

    What amazes me most is that John Prine was only twenty-four years old when he released that first album. Kris Kristofferson summed it up perfectly when he said John was "twenty-four years old and writes like he's two hundred and twenty."

    That brings me to my point. Maybe we'd all be a little better off if we spent less time letting politicians, television personalities, and social media tell us what our values should be, and a little more time listening to artists who remind us what it means to be human. John Prine never told us how to vote. He reminded us how to care and what values really matter when it comes to building a community or nation that truly cares for one another.

    He reminded us to notice the lonely, the forgotten, the broken, and the ordinary people who quietly carry the weight of the world. Those lessons seem just as important today as they were to me in 1972.

    If you've never listened to that first John Prine album, give it an hour of your time. Then share it with a friend.  Who knows? If enough people did that, we might just straighten out this big ol' goofy world. You can listen to the whole album with commentary here.

    I’d genuinely like to hear your thoughts. Are you familiar with John Prine’s music?  If so, how has his music affected your values?  Are there other artists who have affected you in similar ways? Let me know in the comments. The questions are open to everyone.  I hope our exchanges remain thoughtful, respectful, and productive. 

    If you try to comment and receive an error message, your browser may be blocking third-party cookies. You can select “Anonymous” in the “Comment as” field and simply include your name or initials if you prefer.

    Thank you for reading, and for walking this road with me.