Melbourne, Australia—The following opinion piece is authored by Michael Ramos, a service-connected disabled Marine Corps veteran. Michael is an Illinois UOCAVA voter, resident of Australia, and member of the Democrats Abroad Global Veterans and Military Families (VMF) Caucus. 

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From late April to mid-May 2026, I visited Hawai'i’s island of Oahu along with my family. In this post, I’d like to share a few highlights and other observations from my trip that may be of interest to VMF members.

As a veteran service officer who’s accredited by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), I was required to complete some administrative tasks at a VA Regional Office. The closest VA Regional Office to me, technically, is in the Philippines; however, my family and I instead decided to go to the Regional Office in Hawai'i to knock out both my VA responsibilities and to pursue a few tourist attractions.

While staying at a hotel in Waikiki, I had several medical appointments at the VA hospital in Honolulu. This is a stunning facility, with one side facing a gorgeous Honolulu skyline and the other side offering an incredible view of the mountains. The Honolulu VA has some really terrific medical professionals there, although there are lingering rumors among the veterans that several of the employees will soon be leaving the VA due to the current administration’s continued planned job cuts, thereby leaving several enrolled patients with fear and anxiety in getting their medical needs met with fewer VA resources and under-trained new staff. The VA folks I personally interacted with – the primary care provider, the phlebotomist, the gastroenterologist, the audiologist, the nurse, the front desk staff, and the VA police officers – all showed courtesy and professionalism. As a veteran who utilizes VA’s health services, it pains me to know that some of these heroes are undeservedly on the administration’s chopping block and will no longer be there the next time I visit.

For veterans like me who normally reside abroad, we have only one choice for VA health care: the VA’s Foreign Medical Program (FMP). As most veterans can testify, going through FMP to file a claim is often a painful process. It’s hard enough to simply get service-connected for a disability through the VA to prove an illness or injury that occurred during military service, but the claim process itself as a veteran is a nightmare. FMP only covers service-connected conditions; this is unlike the thousands of VA hospitals and outpatient clinics, which also cover non-service-connected conditions for veterans.

In the photo below, I am standing in front of the sign at the entrance to the Honolulu VA.

I also decided to visit Tripler Army Medical Center. I wanted to donate blood specifically to support the military community, and after half an hour, I was pleased to have successfully supported the Armed Services Blood Program. I have nothing but the highest regard for Tripler’s staff of service members as well.

While walking in downtown Honolulu, I visited a Marine Corps recruiting station. My intention was to pick up some free military stickers and other literature to show my dual-national children, but after the local recruiter learned I was a veteran, I had no choice but to do push-ups and was then asked to speak to a group of teenagers who were hanging around.

Known as “Punchbowl” among the locals, I made it a point to stop by the National Cemetery of the Pacific and pay my respects to those service members and veterans at their final place of rest. Before leaving, I proudly laid a VMF wreath at the grave of Norioki Uchiyama, a World War II veteran who served in the U.S. Army.

I also stopped by the Honolulu Vet Center near Waikiki. For those unfamiliar with Vet Centers, these are VA facilities that provide non-medical counseling services (i.e., bereavement). Unfortunately, they are inaccessible to veterans living abroad, but within the U.S., they are located across the country and are extremely helpful to veterans and their family members on a variety of issues. On this occasion, I inquired about the possibility of remote volunteering, and I had a terrific discussion with the Vet Center’s director about sending cards by mail to veterans who may be going through a rough time.

As I am also a member of The American Legion, I decided to drop in to the Legion’s Post #15 in Honolulu, and met some fellow veterans there who were gearing up for a convention.

And no trip to Oahu is complete without a visit to pay respect to the fallen servicemembers at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial. Seeing the USS Arizona directly beneath you and knowing hundreds of Sailors are still inside this vessel is a powerful reminder of the sacrifices our service members make day in and day out on behalf of our nation. This is a must-see for every American visiting Oahu. For me, having my kids also witness this solemn graveyard is a valuable lesson on veterans that can’t quite be conveyed in a textbook.

This was not my first time being in Hawaii, but it felt good to be back after 25 or so years. In addition, I also visited a local VFW post, the Hawaii Army Museum, and the USS Missouri, where Japan formally surrendered and brought about the end of World War II. And I paid a visit to the office of Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) to discuss with her staff the ongoing issues affecting veterans who reside abroad, and I dropped in at the campaign office of Rep. Ed Case (D-HI), reminding his staff of VoteFromAbroad.org as a key tool in messaging to Hawaii’s abroad/military voters.

There are so many wonderful and educational military/veterans locations to visit in Oahu, and I hope to return one day to see all the things I wasn’t able to on this particular trip. 

The takeaway message I have for fellow VMF members is this: every time you return stateside – whether it be for 2 days or 2 weeks – try to carve out some time to do something related to veterans. Perhaps there’s a veterans museum nearby opening a new exhibit, or maybe there’s a Toys for Tots drive happening, or maybe the local vets organization is holding a pizza fundraiser to cover the cost of adaptive driving equipment for a disabled veteran. Whatever the case, it’s never a bad time to get involved by lending your time to the military/veteran cause. Please don’t hesitate to show some love – send a care package to someone deployed, visit a national cemetery (or ABMC cemetery) – the possibilities are endless.

The VMF Caucus is full of diverse members with patriotic hearts. When you do visit the United States, let us know at [email protected] with a description of what you did as far as military/veteran topics, along with any photos – we’d love to see what you were up to!

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U.S. citizens living abroad, both civilian and military, are highly encouraged to check your voter registration status and request your ballot for any upcoming elections in your home voting state that you are eligible to vote in. 

The Global VMF Caucus has over 1,400 members in dozens of countries and proudly consists of veterans, military family members, Department of Defense civilians, other national security professionals, and strong allies of veterans and military family causes.