“Disservice to those of us who served” was more than a saying on a sign this weekend as Olympia veterans gathered to protest Donald Trump. Trump’s actions against Medicare, Medicaid, and the VA ignited a firestorm of outrage across the country. Fear of losing health care and quality of life is just one issue that’s led to protests across the U.S. By aligning the U.S. with Russia and turning the nation’s back on global allies, Trump has also disrespected the veterans he supposedly serves. While the president may continue to do a disservice to those who served, others in the country are fairing just as poorly.
Washington Veterans Denounce Trump in Olympia
Some may be comparing Trump to God, but many veterans in Olympia have a different opinion. Signs condemning Trump, Musk, and DOGE were prominent at the protest. So were those calling for the protection of life-saving social welfare programs like Medicare and Medicaid. Disabled people including many veterans already face tremendous hardship. Gutting the programs they depend upon can only have one outcome.
Given that Trump chose anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist RFK Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, letting people die seems like the entire point. A Reddit post by u/n0tyourk4t about the Olympia veterans and their protest of Trump garnered over 2.9k upvotes and many supportive comments. As one commenter said, “I’m feeling that upside down flag. We are certainly in distress.“
Seeing this always makes me feel better that there are others out there that feel the way I do. I wish I can participate in these events. But I work in a home health setting and it’s 9-5. So I can’t exactly leave my people lol. Keep it up. Yall raise my spirits when I’m having dark days. Thank you.
If nothing else, the Olympia veterans protesting Trump in Washington are sending a crucial message. Support for the president, both among active and retired service members, is far from absolute. With the administration flirting with martial law and other crackdowns, resistance among vets is of particular importance.