He served in the U.S. military for 20 years, only to get fired from Veteran Affairs by email [Video]

After 20 years in the U.S. military, including tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Luke Graziani was proud to serve his country again by working for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

But less than a year after he swore an oath to defend the U.S. constitution as a public servant, Graziani received an email on Feb. 14 informing him that his job had been terminated. 

“I gave 20 years of my life to my country, and in that moment when I saw that termination from my federal job, it really felt like I was just alone,” Graziani told As It Happens host Nil Kӧksal.

“I think a lot of people don’t understand that as a federal service employee, like I was, it’s less of a job and more of a calling.”

Graziani was part of a first wave of 1,000 job cuts at Veterans Affairs (VA), targeting people who have worked there two years or less. Now, …