ORANGE — Dozens of people convened at Memorial Park over the weekend, and are planning to gather again next Saturday, to protest the federal government’s wide-ranging cuts, perhaps most notably those involving the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

People stood in front of the Massachusetts Peace Statue holding signs with messages that included “Support Our Veterans/Protect Civil Servants,” “Hands Off Our Social Security” and “Money out of Politics.”

Jeffrey Neipp and Alfred Blanchard, the president and vice president of Rolling Thunder Vermont Chapter 1, an organization that advocates for prisoners of war, soldiers missing in action and all veterans, attended to protest the VA cuts.

Neipp, an Army veteran, said he and Blanchard went “because it was part of our mission ... to help our veterans.”

“A lot of us don’t agree with the cutbacks in the Veterans Administration. We’d like to see a plan before they dismantle the system,” Neipp said.

Blanchard said he was surprised by the number of people in attendance and he returned to his Athol home to get two dozen small American flags for the demonstrators.

“It was very peaceful. That’s the way it should be,” Blanchard, himself a disabled U.S. Air Force veteran, said of the demonstration. “That’s why we served — so you have the right to demonstrate and have the right to freedom of speech.”

He noted he receives health care through the VA and he has not yet been personally affected by the cuts, but he can see “the writing on the wall.”

Many people who drove past Memorial Park showed their support for the demonstration, Blanchard said, while others voiced disapproval. He mentioned one man across the street had an American flag with an image of President Donald Trump emblazoned on it.

Neipp and Blanchard intend to participate in another standout on Saturday, March 22, set for 11 a.m. to noon in the same location, and they plan to recruit some fellow Rolling Thunder members.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.