When people talk about veterans, they often speak in broad strokes—service, sacrifice, heroism, country. But the truth is, not every veteran’s experience is treated with the same respect. In Wisconsin and across the nation, minority veterans have worn the uniform, carried the mission, and returned with the same invisible wounds—but are far less likely to be seen, celebrated, or supported.
We hear songs like BigBedd’s “Salute Da Troopz”—an anthem meant to honor those who serve. The beat hits hard, the message is prideful, and the salute is loud. But when the music fades, so does the recognition for many veterans who don’t fit the “default” image of who a veteran is supposed to be.
Minority veterans are not new to the story—just too often written out of it.
In Wisconsin alone:
- Black, Latino, Native, Asian, and immigrant veterans face higher barriers to housing, benefits, and healthcare.
- Women veterans—especially women of color—struggle to be acknowledged as veterans at all.
- LGBTQ+ veterans who served in silence return to systems still catching up to their truth.
- Native veterans serve at some of the highest rates per capita, yet their tribal communities fight hardest for resources.
These veterans don’t need a separate salute—they need an equal one.
“Salute Da Troopz” speaks to pride, loyalty, and the bond of service. But for many minority veterans, the salute feels conditional:
- Respected in uniform. Ignored out of it.
- Thanked for service. Questioned for identity.
- Called to serve. Left to navigate alone after the mission ends.
America will chant “support the troops,” but too often forgets which troops it’s overlooking.
Wisconsin’s Reality
Drive through Milwaukee, Madison, Eau Claire, Wausau, or the tribal lands across the state, and you’ll find veterans whose stories don’t make the posters or the parades. You’ll meet veterans who served in wars abroad and came home to poverty, unemployment, racism, sexism, homophobia, and erasure.
They are not missing. They are dismissed.
I have heard women veterans speak up about dismissive behavior from their very own communities in Northern towns here in Wisconsin. The whole charade of “What brand did your husband serve?!” for every veteran shirt worn or every time we go to sign up with the VFW or American Legion. These stories echo in my mind more than I speak upon it.
I have always had my own experience of being dismissed by my very own LGBTQ community because of misinformation on my identity and the fact I served regardless of DADT, and even within the veteran community itself just based off being part of LGBTQ community.
It’s a double-edged sword when it comes to the friends I gather in life. I still get overlooked based off my image change and growth as an individual over the last 20 years. I am not the same person I was overseas; I can still tell you that today.
That is why humanizing veterans is probably my biggest mission in my life.
We should be allowed to express ourselves without someone going off the handle of our experiences in the military or otherwise. Just like my friend, Simmons, music is also my avenue to express such experience and hope.
I have also experienced pride within the community from a Color Guard through the women veterans in the Native tribes within Wisconsin, so how do we overcome the barriers of being excepted and standing proud regardless of our status within society?
One mission and one event at a time. We have individuals out there that are advocating for all veterans, and not those who meet the status quo of society.
What everyone forgets, part-time or full-time, it shouldn’t matter when duty calls. We all signed that document, put a price on our life, and many of us served in hostile environments at one point or another, no matter our race, creed, orientation, or birthright, American or foreign.
Respect Needs to Be More Than a Melody
Music like “Salute Da Troopz” and “Ever Been II” reminds people to honor those who served—but honoring requires more than a chorus. It means:
- Seeing Black and Brown veterans as fully deserving of benefits and leadership.
- Valuing women veterans without questioning their service.
- Recognizing Native veterans beyond land acknowledgments.
- Supporting LGBTQ+ veterans with dignity, not silence.
- Making room at the table instead of assuming the table is already complete.
To Truly Salute
If society can blast a tribute song through speakers,
it should also listen to the stories of those the song was meant for.
Because the salute should not stop where the stereotype starts.
Minority veterans do not need to “earn” visibility after earning their rank.
They already did the service.
They already paid the price.
They already saluted the flag.
Now it’s time the country—and especially states like Wisconsin—salute them back with more than a holiday. We need to act on the budget cuts that include homeless veteran programs that affect us directly as citizens and veterans. We need support and stability more than ever.
As minority veterans, it is our duty to show up for our communities, because once a soldier, always a soldier. We serve to protect and there is no expiration to that oath with the Constitution, no matter how you were raised or what branch you served.
The fact veterans like Simmons and I are speaking out and standing up through our community work and our art regardless of the current administrations budget cuts locally, state-level, and federal-level are doing says differently when it comes to our courage and leadership within the community. I just hope the individuals are listening to us and we aren’t still standing alone by the time the next essential election is front and center.
What Advocacy Looks Like Beyond the Salute
Honoring minority veterans in Wisconsin means moving from acknowledgment to action. Real advocacy shows up in how we fight for representation, support, and equity. Here are solutions our communities, organizations, and allies can put into practice:
✅ 1. Fund Programs That Serve ALL Veterans
- Protect and expand housing programs like GPD, HUD-VASH, and VORP.
- Ensure funding doesn’t bypass women, LGBTQ+, Indigenous, or BIPOC veterans.
- Demand culturally competent services and diverse staff at VA and nonprofits.
✅ 2. Lift Minority Veteran Voices Into Leadership
- Add veterans of color, women, and LGBTQ+ vets to advisory boards, coalitions, and event panels.
- Collaborate with grassroots veteran leaders already doing the work.
- Stop treating representation like a checkbox — make it structural.
✅ 3. Create Spaces That Reflect Who Actually Served
- Host veteran events that welcome all identities — not just the “traditional” demographic.
- Include minority veteran speakers, artists, and storytellers.
- Honor service beyond the uniform: culture, gender, language, spirituality, and lived experience.
✅ 4. Partner With Community Organizations Already Doing the Work
Advocacy is stronger when it’s collaborative. Work alongside:
- Urban League
- Latino veterans groups
- Tribal veteran services
- LGBTQ+ veteran organizations
- Women veteran networks
- Local shelters and outreach teams
These groups are often underfunded but closest to the gaps.
✅ 5. Educate Legislators and the Public
- Push lawmakers to understand the disparities facing minority veterans.
- Share stories that humanize — not generalize.
- Use platforms, blogs, reels, and music like “Salute Da Troopz” to shift the narrative.
✅ 6. Build Peer Advocacy Networks
- Create circles where veterans can speak without being silenced or second-guessed.
- Encourage mentorship across generations and identities.
- Make support accessible — not performative.
The Work Is Ours — Together
If we can stand next to each other in war, we can stand up for each other at home.
Advocacy is not charity.
It’s accountability.
Minority veterans should not have to keep proving their service to earn care, housing, or respect. The salute must match the sacrifice — in policy, in practice, and in community.
Not all uniforms look the same. Not all sacrifices are treated the same. But every salute should count the same.