As some of you know, I had a letter writing campaign where I was collecting requests to send to the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee (SVAC) asking them to schedule a hearing for veterans who are afflicted with terminal diseases after being exposed to burn pits while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. I collected over 1470 letters, (my goal was 1,000 ;-)and gathered about 300 walking around tailgates before the morning of the OSU-Rutgers game. Many of you wonderful Buckeyes here, mailed signed letters to me so Buckeye Nation has been a huge help!!!
Now I need more!!! Several weeks ago, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown sent a staff member to my house to collect all 1400+ letters so he could submit each and every one of them with a formal request of the SVAC to schedule the hearing that burn pit advocates have been after for almost a decade. Every former request has been turned down so I'm prepared to be disappointed but I am holding out hope. Here's an article the Dispatch ran last week that explains some burn pit legislation that's being proposed. There's a quick quote from me as reporter, Ken Gordon, called to get my thoughts on the bill.
https://www.dispatch.com/news/20190...xic-burn-pits-welcome-new-federal-legislation
The Military Did it Again - The New Agent Orange
Burn pits were used by the military in Iraq and Afghanistan to dispose of waste and were run by defense contractor, Halliburton’s subsidiary, Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR). KBR neglected the terms of their contract regarding EPA regulations and other laws that govern trash disposal. High temperature incinerators were to be installed, but for cost saving measures, they didn’t. Recycling centers were to be established but never were. KBR burned in these huge pits, sometimes the size of a football field, the following: Batteries, plastics, rubber tires, coated electrical wire, wrecked military vehicles, computers, printers, lubricants, metal drums, pesticide containers, paint cans, human remains, animal carcasses, medical waste, styrofoam, asbestos, oils, fuels, lubricants, jet fuel, expired medications, mattresses, ammunitions, chemical weapons, damaged military equipment, treated lumber, aerosol cans, cleaning supplies, and more.
These toxic infernos burned daily on U.S. military bases forcing our troops to live and breathe the toxic air. In turn, tens of thousands of our war heroes have been poisoned. Top military officials knew of these dangers in the early years of the Iraq War from air quality studies done by bio-environmental engineers who warned the Dept. of Defense of the deadly consequences of continuing the practice of utilizing burn pits.
Today thousands of our soldiers are suffering from terminal illnesses or have already died. These illnesses range from rare cancers to rare pulmonary diseases to rare autoimmune diseases to rare skin diseases. My son in law is one of the victims. At age 36 he was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer that his oncologists insists can only be caused by long term toxic exposure. His condition is terminal. The Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration maintain the status that there is no evidence of any connection between the highly concentrated toxins in burn pit emissions and the thousands of war veterans suffering from rare and deadly diseases.
In the past, Congress has denied requests to hold hearings and allow afflicted veterans and civilian doctors and researchers to testify. The government is working hard to keep national health crisis for veterans swept under the rug. Out of roughly 140,000 requests for VA benefits by these veterans, only about 2000 have been approved. However, the VA still denies that the burn pits are the cause and claim Iraq and Afghanistan were already polluted so that has to be the reason. This can’t be true because the British military did install incinerators on their bases and they don’t have large numbers of their service men and women dying from rare diseases right now.
I know of one female soldier whose 2 babies were born with birth defects. Both little ones tested positive for metals in their blood. Yet the VA still denies that mom’s exposure to burn pits isn’t the cause.
Currently, I have been working with Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown’s office, as Sen. Brown is a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC). Sen. Brown has requested SVAC to schedule a hearing where afflicted veterans, civilian doctors and researchers can testify about the horrifying effects of inhaling such potent toxins and how they are being denied healthcare from the VA. Similar requests of congressional veterans’ committees over the years have been denied. Veterans are losing their homes, their marriages, and their lives being bogged down and overwhelmed with medical bills. Next week Sen. Brown’s staff will be meeting with staff of every member of SVAC to discuss scheduling a burn pits hearing. And this is where I need your help.
The chances of this hearing NOT going forward are greater than the chances that it will. I am hoping that an outpouring of phone messages to each member of SVAC will improve those chances. So please if you love a veteran or want to thank a veteran, take a few minutes of your time this week and send SVAC message.
You can call anytime day or night or even on the weekend. Please continue to call through Tuesday of next week. If you can’t manage to call each and every senator, then please do as many as you can and feel free to call them more than once every day or so for the rest of the week. - THANK YOU!!
HERE WE GO!!! I need everyone's help regarding securing a Senate Burn Pits hearing!!!! The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee staff members will be meeting one day next week to discuss whether or not to schedule a hearing for veterans who are burn pits victims. Our war heroes have been denied similar requests in the past. You can help by calling as each or as many of these Senators who make up the committee. Calls can be made 24 hours as they have voice mail and call more than one day if you can until early next week.
If you can't call each one just do as many as you can. Or call a few today, more tomorrow, etc.
Here's a script you can use or modify with your own words but make sure to insist on the hearing for veterans:
"As a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee I expect that you will honor Senator Brown’s burn pits hearing request. Too many of our war heroes are being denied health care, death benefits, specialized testing and treatments by the VA. Please schedule a hearing for afflicted veterans and civilian researchers to testify. Veterans' voices matter and deserve to be heard.
Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Members:
Johnny Isakson - 202-224-3643 - Chairperson
Jerry Moran - 202-224-6521
John Boozman - 202-224-4843
Bill Cassidy - 202-224-5824
Mike Rounds - 202-224-5842
Thom Tillis - 202-224-6342
Dan Sullivan - 202-224-3004
Marsha Blackburn - 202-224-3344
Kevin Cramer - 202-224-2043
John Tester - 202-224-2644 Ranking member
Patty Murray - 202-224-2621
Bernie Sanders - 202-224-5141
Richard Blumenthal - 202-224-2823
Mazie Hirono - 202-224-6361
Joe Manchin - 202-224-3954
Kyrsten Sinema - 202-224-4521
Sherrod Brown is also a member of the committee. He's fighting to get this hearing scheduled so he doesn't need to be called but if you would like to thank him for his efforts his number is:
202-224-2315
Ohioans can call Sen Rob Portman and ask him to urge his colleagues on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee to honor the burn pits hearing request.
614-469-6774
202-224-3353
Now I need more!!! Several weeks ago, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown sent a staff member to my house to collect all 1400+ letters so he could submit each and every one of them with a formal request of the SVAC to schedule the hearing that burn pit advocates have been after for almost a decade. Every former request has been turned down so I'm prepared to be disappointed but I am holding out hope. Here's an article the Dispatch ran last week that explains some burn pit legislation that's being proposed. There's a quick quote from me as reporter, Ken Gordon, called to get my thoughts on the bill.
https://www.dispatch.com/news/20190...xic-burn-pits-welcome-new-federal-legislation
The Military Did it Again - The New Agent Orange
Burn pits were used by the military in Iraq and Afghanistan to dispose of waste and were run by defense contractor, Halliburton’s subsidiary, Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR). KBR neglected the terms of their contract regarding EPA regulations and other laws that govern trash disposal. High temperature incinerators were to be installed, but for cost saving measures, they didn’t. Recycling centers were to be established but never were. KBR burned in these huge pits, sometimes the size of a football field, the following: Batteries, plastics, rubber tires, coated electrical wire, wrecked military vehicles, computers, printers, lubricants, metal drums, pesticide containers, paint cans, human remains, animal carcasses, medical waste, styrofoam, asbestos, oils, fuels, lubricants, jet fuel, expired medications, mattresses, ammunitions, chemical weapons, damaged military equipment, treated lumber, aerosol cans, cleaning supplies, and more.
These toxic infernos burned daily on U.S. military bases forcing our troops to live and breathe the toxic air. In turn, tens of thousands of our war heroes have been poisoned. Top military officials knew of these dangers in the early years of the Iraq War from air quality studies done by bio-environmental engineers who warned the Dept. of Defense of the deadly consequences of continuing the practice of utilizing burn pits.
Today thousands of our soldiers are suffering from terminal illnesses or have already died. These illnesses range from rare cancers to rare pulmonary diseases to rare autoimmune diseases to rare skin diseases. My son in law is one of the victims. At age 36 he was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer that his oncologists insists can only be caused by long term toxic exposure. His condition is terminal. The Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration maintain the status that there is no evidence of any connection between the highly concentrated toxins in burn pit emissions and the thousands of war veterans suffering from rare and deadly diseases.
In the past, Congress has denied requests to hold hearings and allow afflicted veterans and civilian doctors and researchers to testify. The government is working hard to keep national health crisis for veterans swept under the rug. Out of roughly 140,000 requests for VA benefits by these veterans, only about 2000 have been approved. However, the VA still denies that the burn pits are the cause and claim Iraq and Afghanistan were already polluted so that has to be the reason. This can’t be true because the British military did install incinerators on their bases and they don’t have large numbers of their service men and women dying from rare diseases right now.
I know of one female soldier whose 2 babies were born with birth defects. Both little ones tested positive for metals in their blood. Yet the VA still denies that mom’s exposure to burn pits isn’t the cause.
Currently, I have been working with Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown’s office, as Sen. Brown is a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC). Sen. Brown has requested SVAC to schedule a hearing where afflicted veterans, civilian doctors and researchers can testify about the horrifying effects of inhaling such potent toxins and how they are being denied healthcare from the VA. Similar requests of congressional veterans’ committees over the years have been denied. Veterans are losing their homes, their marriages, and their lives being bogged down and overwhelmed with medical bills. Next week Sen. Brown’s staff will be meeting with staff of every member of SVAC to discuss scheduling a burn pits hearing. And this is where I need your help.
The chances of this hearing NOT going forward are greater than the chances that it will. I am hoping that an outpouring of phone messages to each member of SVAC will improve those chances. So please if you love a veteran or want to thank a veteran, take a few minutes of your time this week and send SVAC message.
You can call anytime day or night or even on the weekend. Please continue to call through Tuesday of next week. If you can’t manage to call each and every senator, then please do as many as you can and feel free to call them more than once every day or so for the rest of the week. - THANK YOU!!
HERE WE GO!!! I need everyone's help regarding securing a Senate Burn Pits hearing!!!! The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee staff members will be meeting one day next week to discuss whether or not to schedule a hearing for veterans who are burn pits victims. Our war heroes have been denied similar requests in the past. You can help by calling as each or as many of these Senators who make up the committee. Calls can be made 24 hours as they have voice mail and call more than one day if you can until early next week.
If you can't call each one just do as many as you can. Or call a few today, more tomorrow, etc.
Here's a script you can use or modify with your own words but make sure to insist on the hearing for veterans:
"As a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee I expect that you will honor Senator Brown’s burn pits hearing request. Too many of our war heroes are being denied health care, death benefits, specialized testing and treatments by the VA. Please schedule a hearing for afflicted veterans and civilian researchers to testify. Veterans' voices matter and deserve to be heard.
Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Members:
Johnny Isakson - 202-224-3643 - Chairperson
Jerry Moran - 202-224-6521
John Boozman - 202-224-4843
Bill Cassidy - 202-224-5824
Mike Rounds - 202-224-5842
Thom Tillis - 202-224-6342
Dan Sullivan - 202-224-3004
Marsha Blackburn - 202-224-3344
Kevin Cramer - 202-224-2043
John Tester - 202-224-2644 Ranking member
Patty Murray - 202-224-2621
Bernie Sanders - 202-224-5141
Richard Blumenthal - 202-224-2823
Mazie Hirono - 202-224-6361
Joe Manchin - 202-224-3954
Kyrsten Sinema - 202-224-4521
Sherrod Brown is also a member of the committee. He's fighting to get this hearing scheduled so he doesn't need to be called but if you would like to thank him for his efforts his number is:
202-224-2315
Ohioans can call Sen Rob Portman and ask him to urge his colleagues on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee to honor the burn pits hearing request.
614-469-6774
202-224-3353
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