More from the article...

... Schmidt was stationed on the U.S.S. Shiloh while serving in the Navy and was injured overseas. He said he was terrified when he began learning of the cuts.

"How are we going to get better service with less employees?" he said. "That's what I can't figure out. And nobody can answer that question."

On Feb. 13, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced the dismissal of more than 1,000 employees. That was followed by the dismissal of 1,400 additional employees just 10 days later. ...

The mother of a veteran, she said the federal cuts are personal.

"Our veterans have served and lost lives and given their time, they've been away from their family," Rowan said. "It's a cold day, but how many cold days, how many hot days have our veterans had to stand outside and fought for our freedom? We can come out and support them when some of their services might be in jeopardy."

Michigan has five VA hospitals -- Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Detroit, Iron Mountain and Saginaw -- meaning each one serves more than just the city it is in but works more as a regional hub. Rowan said that shows the importance of having the hospitals, which are already in such demand. ...