LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – As communities across Michigan honor those who served this Veterans Day, several Upper Peninsula veterans gathered with congressional candidate Callie Barr last week to share their perspectives on military service, unity, and the ongoing challenges veterans face.
Barr, whose husband is a Marine Corps veteran, opened the discussion by reflecting on the diversity of those who serve. “Our veterans come from every corner of this country,” she said, noting that service members “reflect all of us,” regardless of background or belief.
Among those joining Barr were retired Navy Chaplain Dr. Rev. Jeffrey Rhodes, retired Navy Commander Paul Creditwell, and former Marine Corps Sergeant and longtime educator Jim Page. Each spoke about their experiences in the military and concerns about how recent federal disruptions have affected veterans’ access to essential benefits and care.
Rhodes, who served 23 years as a Navy chaplain, said his mission was to help every service member work together, regardless of faith or background. “The diversity was celebrated, and it’s something that made the unit strong,” he said.
Creditwell, a retired Navy commander with nine overseas deployments, echoed that message, describing diversity as “our strength, not our weakness.” He also raised concerns about the impact of the federal government shutdown on veterans’ health care, saying that a VA hospital near his home had begun suspending all but urgent and emergency services.
Page, who served six years in the Marine Corps before teaching for nearly three decades, said some veterans are struggling to get medical support and hearing aids due to interruptions in federal programs. “We need them back up and running,” he said. “We cannot cut the Veterans Administration down and expect our servicemen and women to thrive.”
Barr added that roughly 40,000 veterans in Michigan currently rely on SNAP food assistance, benefits that have been delayed by the ongoing shutdown. “Many veterans are proud of their service and sometimes hesitant to ask for help,” she said, adding that “when those benefits stop, it creates real hardship.”
As Veterans Day approached, the discussion ended on a shared message: that unity, empathy, and reliable support for service members are essential to honoring the nation’s veterans year-round.
