Thread by @RedTRaccoon

On March 24th, 2006, I began my mission at Balad Airbase in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. For the next 15 months, I would serve my country proudly. One enemy prove to be the greatest risk to my future; a silent enemy in the form of toxic burn pits.

This is my story.

At Joint Base Balad, government contractors (KBR and/or its subcontractors) burned aerosols, paints, plastics, Styrofoam, rubber, metals, building materials, machinery, military vehicles, batteries, polyvinyl, solvents, tires, asbestos insulation, chemicals, and body parts.

I smelt, saw, felt, and breathed toxic fumes and hazardous smoke day and night. It was as if walking through a dense, acrid fog. The burn pit produced a smoke plume thick enough to limit visibility and produce ashes or particulates from the fire throughout the base.

At night, the burn pit emanated such a glow that it lit up the sky. These constant clouds of smoke drifting from the pit negatively affected both the performance and effectiveness of personnel stationed at Balad.

I first experienced injuries or illnesses (I now attribute these to the burn pit) while I was deployed. I began to suffer bronchitis, headaches, multiple respiratory infections, skin infections, and sleep apnea.

Since then, I have experienced a significant and persistent cough, fluctuations in weight, shortness of breath, sinus cavity cysts, and nodules in my left lung.

For 10 years, with the help of my law firm, Motley Rice, LLC, I have fought to hold KBR responsible for the reckless management of waste disposal on military bases, which resulted in several deaths and countless maladies.

That fight ended in January 2019, when the U.S. Supreme Court rejected our appeal to hold private government contractors responsible for their use of open-air burn pits.

Now, my recourse is to appeal to the House of Representatives and Senate to pass legislation helping veterans and government contractors get funding for research, treatment, and compensation for damages caused by the use of open air burn pits.

President Biden discussed veterans exposed to burn pits during the #SOTU

He mentioned legislation, it's the Honoring Our Pact Act.

@RepMarkTakano explains it.

We can't wait, we need to pass this!

#BurnPits

On a positive note...

President Biden just announced the Secretary of VA plans to propose a rule that will add presumptive service connection for several rare respiratory cancers for certain veterans. These cancers under consideration include...

•Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)- larynx/trachea
•Adenocarcinoma- trachea
•Salivary gland-type tumors- trachea
•Adenosquamous carcinoma- lung
•Large cell carcinoma-lung
•Salivary gland-type tumors- lung •Sarcomatoid carcinoma- lung
•Typical & atypical carcinoid- lung