Perhaps because so few Americans now serve in the military — less than 1 percent of the population — the serious health effects being suffered by veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who were exposed to the open burning of toxic waste have not received the attention they deserve. Recent testimony before the Vermont Senate Government Operations Committee by Wesley Black, a longtime Hartford firefighter who served two tours overseas with the Vermont Army National Guard, gave to the issue a heartbreakingly human face.
As VtDigger reported, Black, 33, told of being exposed to toxic fumes from burn pits near his base and his subsequent diagnosis with stage 4 colon cancer after years of suffering from symptoms the cause of which doctors were not able to pinpoint. “You’re essentially looking at a dead man walking,” Black, the father of a 3-year-old son, told lawmakers. He predicted that “this is going to be a nationwide health crisis in our veterans.”
Indeed, it is shaping up that way. According to The New York Times, tens of thousands of those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan were exposed to fumes from more than 250 burn pits, in which all kind of debris was disposed of by igniting it with jet fuel. The substances disposed of in this way include chemicals, paint, medical and human waste, aluminum cans, munitions and unexploded ordnance, petroleum and lubricants, plastics, rubber, wood and discarded food. Open burning was used because large bases were often established in locations that lacked the infrastructure for proper disposal, according to the Times.
Scores of veterans who have fallen ill and their families are convinced that their illnesses are the result of that exposure, as are some doctors who have treated those ailments. But so far, the Department of Defense has not acknowledged a link between open pit burning and health problems. And the Department of Veterans Affairs says that, “At this time, research does not show evidence of long-term health problems from exposure to burn pits. VA continues to study the health of deployed veterans.” Although it has established a registry for those exposed, the VA has denied all but about 20 percent of the burn-pit-related disability claims filed, citing either the lack of an official diagnosis of the condition or lack of evidence establishing a connection between the condition and military service.
This situation, of course, echoes an earlier tragedy dating from the Vietnam era. “It took decades and decades (until 2007) for the U.S. government to acknowledge that Agent Orange created devastating health effects for soldiers,” U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., told the Times. “We can’t let that happen again.”
It is also alarming that, according to VtDigger, burn pits continue to be used overseas by the military. An aide to Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., told the Vermont hearing that Sanders and other members of Congress who have urged the Pentagon to discontinue the practice have been told essentially that sufficient alternatives are not available. Moreover, the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a ruling granting contractors that operate some of the pits immunity from legal liability.
We do not underestimate the difficulties of disposing of toxic waste in combat zones. But the Defense Department’s technical prowess, as reflected in ever-more sophisticated and expensive 21st century weaponry, surely could be brought to bear to solve a 20th- or even 19th- century problem without endangering the future health of its service members.
In the meantime, Congress should push the Pentagon and Veterans Affairs to compile the necessary data and urgently research the likely link between toxic fumes and the illnesses being suffered by former service members. Once that link is established, the government must do the right thing by those veterans, even if it proves very expensive. “Thank you for your service” cannot be just a catch phrase; it has to be a commitment to properly care for the latest generation of combat veterans.