Meet Gilbert Ornelas, a disabled veteran who served two tours in Vietnam. He was a “tunnel rat” who ended up suffering from prostate cancer after exposure to Agent Orange.

Ornelas is just one of more than 200 people who gathered at Spreckels Park on Friday, June 6, the 81st anniversary of D-Day, to rally for veterans’ benefits. While some came on foot, others came by bike. Some rolled up in wheelchairs while others used canes and walkers. But they all came for one specific purpose: to protest federal cuts to the VA.

“He depends on the VA for all of his care, and it’s hard to be seen at the VA as it is,” said Carolee Ornelas, Gilbert’s wife. “There are long waits right now, and we are afraid it’s going to be harder.”

The rally was held alongside more than 215 similar protests across the

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