A veteran from Minnesota recounted her experience in the armed services and being fired from her position at the VA by DOGE to 5 Democratic Attorneys General during a town hall in Rochester, Minnesota, on Thursday.
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NewsTranscript
00:00All right, my name is Joy Marver. I've been a proud member of this community for many years.
00:07After 9-11 terror attacks, I answered the call to serve the country by enlisting in the Minnesota National Guard.
00:14Applause
00:20Over the next 20 years, I served with pride under multiple administrations, including deployments to Iraq during Iraqi.
00:29Operation Iraqi Freedom during the surge. 22-month deployment with the Red Bulls.
00:36Applause
00:41Again, I was deployed in 2019 during Iran's retaliatory attacks.
00:50I became disabled on my first deployment when I ran over a roadside bomb.
00:58I suffered my first TBI blast-related attack.
01:03On my second deployment, a rocket hit my bunker.
01:09This is a base of a 107-millimeter rocket.
01:15I suffered my second TBI.
01:23These are invisible wounds. Not many people can tell I'm a disabled veteran.
01:35I had a career and a law enforcement degree. I could no longer do that.
01:44I could no longer compete in law enforcement or safety and security.
01:49I recently reached out to the VA for voc rehab.
01:54I had to make career change.
01:58They helped me. They helped me get a new career within their system.
02:02There was a position just right for me.
02:06I was working with veterans again, working logistics.
02:10Logistics was my position in the military, as well as a military police officer.
02:20This is the first time that I felt like I could be understood.
02:25The civilian employers don't understand the invisible wounds.
02:32However, this issue brings me here today.
02:36It threatens the well-being of our entire community.
02:39DOJA's overreach has created an environment of fear, uncertainty, and betrayal.
02:45These threats have mass layoffs and funding cuts caused immense anxiety among employees, including myself.
02:53I had to reach out to my mental health provider to adjust my anxiety medication just to get through the day.
03:01On February 14th, I witnessed a group of hardworking, high-performance colleagues
03:07lose their jobs under the guise of poor performance despite their stellar reviews, achievements.
03:16And then it happened to me.
03:18On February 25th, I arrived to the office as usual, only to find my computer access has been revoked.
03:26No one has warned me. No one gave me a prior discussion, no documentation.
03:32All I was given is a Post-it note.
03:52The Post-it note contained just the HR email address and my supervisor's phone number.
03:58This is due because this came from an external source.
04:03DOJA terminated me.
04:05No one in my chain of command knew I was getting terminated.
04:08No one knew.
04:12It took two weeks to get my termination email sent to me.
04:18It was under poor performance.
04:22I had my review in October.
04:24Exemplary across the board.
04:27I have never had a poor performance in my entire career.
04:35This mishandling of tremendous took toll on my mental health.
04:40As I left the VBA parking lot that morning, the weight of despair felt unbearable.
04:45Stuck in heavy traffic, I found myself at the red light staring at the bridge, contemplating the unthinkable.
04:52It was fleeting, but all the real thought borne out of hopelessness and desperation.
04:59But then, over the tree line, I was planning on taking the truck over the bridge.
05:07But then, over the tree line, I saw the VA Medical Hospital.
05:14I took the choice of going in and admitting myself into the crisis clinic.
05:29Cutting across all lanes of traffic to check myself in, I could barely speak the words, I need help.
05:38Their quick response and understanding of a veteran's thought process saved my life that day.
05:46This is why I'm speaking to you now.
05:50DOJ's overreach isn't a budgetary decision.
05:54It's a chainsaw solution.
05:56Cutting through the heart of our community, it's creating mental health crises,
06:00disabling families, and leaving dedicated employees feeling abandoned and disposable.
06:07We cannot let this continue. Our community deserves better.
06:21We demand fairness, transparency, and humanity in decision-making processes.
06:27Together, we can stand up to this overreach and fight the values and integrity that define us.
06:33Don't fuck with a veteran.