V eterans laughed and teased each other outside the Arizona State Capitol, but the reason for their gathering wasn’t so chipper.

Dozens joined with lawmakers and community advocates to denounce the federal government’s treatment of veterans.

Their main message was loud and clear on the shirts many wore: “Stop Firing Vets.”

“The same government that thanks us on Veterans Day turns its back on us the other 364 days of the year,” said Omar Algeciras, a 20-year Air Force veteran and vice president of the American Federation of Government Workers Local 2391, a union representing federal employees.

At the Nov. 10 rally, Algeciras and others called for the federal government to do more for people who had been willing to sacrifice their lives for their country. They demanded more job support,

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