Pictured is the Oscar G. Johnson Veterans Administration Hospital in Iron Mountain. (Courtesy photo)

MARQUETTE — “When I first filed a claim with the VA, it took years to go through because of staffing shortages,” said Tim Keenan, the president of the Northern Michigan Veterans for Peace chapter.

“That changed over the years. It’s a lot faster than what it used to be, but I’m worried that this will slow things down for veterans,” Keenan said, referring to staff cuts at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

In February, the department dismissed 2,400 probationary employees, with additional plans to dismiss more than 70,000 others.

The department will also terminate remote work by April 28.

In 1967, Keenan was drafted into the Army to join thousands of other young men to fight in the Vietnam War as a radio telephone operator.

Despite being 20 at the time, Keenan said he felt like a 15-year-old, emotionally, and had never left home, Grand Rapids.

“As a veteran that has experienced war firsthand, and seeing friends and the enemy die, they all have families. I really hope they just back off on cuts to veterans,” he said.

“It’s so important that our country takes care of us, because we try our best to take care of them,” he said.

Keenan, who now lives in Traverse City, said it took three years before he received benefits for his post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

Over 516,000 veterans live in Michigan, according to the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs 2024 Annual Report.

Some have been so frustrated with the “red tape and bureaucracy” when collecting benefits and didn’t follow through on the process, said Keenan.

“They’re deserving to be compensated.”

“They were wounded, emotionally and physically, and they deserve benefits from the government when they come home,” he said.

One concern is losing access to the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, commonly known as the PACT Act.

The legislation, signed into law in 2022, “expands VA health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange and other toxic substances,” according to the department’s website.

Exposure to Agent Orange can cause diseases including bladder cancer, Parkinson’s, hyperthyroidism and prostate cancers, according to the VA’s public health website.

Burn pits were commonly used in Iraq, Afghanistan and other military operations to discard trash and other waste, exposing veterans to airborne toxins.

“Especially for new veterans coming in that are trying to get into the system, it seems like [staff cuts] will have an impact on people, both mentally and physically,” said Keenan.

After returning from Vietnam, Keenan said he was afraid to tell people that he was a veteran. He said he struggled to be around others, forcing him to drop out of college and run away to Colorado and Florida, immersing himself in drugs and alcohol.

Keenan also cited concern over the impact of staff cuts on mental health resources.

“When you’re involved in a frontline war and seeing your friends get killed, wounded, maimed, it’s really hard to shake,” he said.

“With the help of the VA and therapy, I was able to get way better.”

Before he came back home after traveling, Keenan worked odd jobs in construction and ran a Popsicle truck, which he rigged up to play Led Zeppelin instead of the “annoying music that tried to attract children,” he said.

Eventually, Keenan graduated from Grand Valley State University and began working in corrections and growing a family. He’s now retired.

Mark Spooner, the communications director for the Vietnam Veterans of America Detroit chapter, said it’s too early to know whether health care access and benefits will be damaged by the VA staff cuts.

Drafted into the Vietnam War in 1967, Spooner joined the Marine Corps as a forward observer for 81 mm mortars, which had him going into the field twice every day.

When he came back home to Detroit, Spooner saw how Agent Orange was injuring veterans.

“I have too many friends actually die of Agent Orange-related problems within our own organization,” he said.

“A lot of our Black brothers died early. I mean, 25-30 years old. We had about eight or nine die within a period of time,” he said.

As for whether access to benefits for veterans exposed to toxic chemicals will be affected, Spooner said he doesn’t think anyone will try to block care for them.

He also said he saw how veterans’ claims of being harmed by Agent Orange and PTSD were getting blown off.

Now retired from working in architecture and living in Harrison Township, Spooner said he put the effects of war on his mental health out of mind and didn’t think about it until he joined his former organization, Vietnam Veterans of Michigan.

“On more than one occasion, myself and a couple other guys have saved guys from shooting themselves and committing suicide right in front of us,” he said.

Spooner said, “I didn’t like the idea that they were treated like crap.”