Politics

Dropkick Murphys frontman Ken Casey just returned from a visit to Ukraine to deliver ambulances and connect with Ukrainian veterans.

Dropkick Murphys performed in Washington D.C. Friday as military veterans rallied to condemn cuts to the Department of Veteran Affairs and federal employment.

The Unite for Veterans event at the National Mall brought together veterans and allies “to defend the benefits, jobs, and dignity that every generation of veterans has earned through sacrifice,” according to its website.

The Trump administration has signaled plans to eliminate about 83,000 employees, a downsize of about 15%. Internal memos obtained by ProPublica revealed that over 1,000 veterans were impacted by other federal cuts that disrupted treatment for cancer trials.

“We’ve really seen an urgency and a fear in the veterans community,” said Will Attig, the executive director of the Union Veterans Council, in a Wednesday meeting in advance of the rally. “They’re worried about the benefits that we fought for throughout our generations.”

Attig said the march at the Mall would send a message to Congress that they will defend their benefits and “make our voices heard.”

Ken Casey, frontman and the last original member of Dropkick Murphys — the Boston-based Irish rockers known for standing up for various causes over their almost 30 years as a band — said he knows many veterans are fans of his music and has felt a “real connection” with the community because they are “putting their money where their mouth is.”

“Music sometimes is a good way to kick the front door open,” Casey said in the meeting. “We’ll show up and support in any way we can.”

Dropkick Murphys have made news headlines in recent months after Casey called out the Trump administration at recent shows. Casey recently went to Ukraine to deliver ambulances and connect with Ukrainian veterans, according to a press release.

While in the capital Kyiv, Casey collaborated with Ukraine-based band O’Hamsters to record a version of Dropkick Murphys’s newest single “Who’ll Stand With Us?” entirely in Ukrainian.

“I support the Ukrainians because I think they’re brave people and they’re fighting a fight that could be on our front door someday,” Casey said.

Casey performed the new song — with lyrics that include “Who’ll stand with us?/Because this treatment is a crime” — for the first time at the veteran’s event, and it resonated with the crowd, Military.com reported. The track is a part of their upcoming album “For The People,” out on July 4.

“We have always stood with the vets, and the vets have always stood with the Dropkick Murphys,” Casey told the crowd at Friday’s rally, according to Military.com. “When sh— ain’t right, we’re going to speak up. That’s what it’s all about and guess what? Sh— ain’t right!”

Kris Goldsmith, an Iraq combat veteran, said in the meeting he struggled with mental health episodes and relied on the care provided by the VA to help him. He said he worries if veteran care is pushed to the private sector, benefits will continue to be cut.

“If we see this changing nationwide, we are going to see a body count,” Goldsmith said.

Dropkick Murphys will appear at Seisiún, an Irish music festival and cultural gathering, at Suffolk Downs in Boston on Sept. 6.

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