Marine Cpl. Nicholas James Wrobel passed away due to
respiratory and cardiac failure. He was 24 years old. Air Force Tech. Sgt.
Jessica Sweet died of acute myelogenous leukemia. She was 30 years old and left
behind a husband and three young children. Army Col. David McCracken lost his
life to Glioblastoma Multiforme brain cancer at age 46, leaving behind his wife
and children.
All were exposed to the toxic fumes and chemicals released
by burn pits while deployed.
While over 175,000 veterans have voluntarily registered
their names in the Burn Pit Registry, the Department of Veterans Affairs has
admitted there are 3.7 million service members who may be eligible due to their
exposure to these same toxic burn pits.
As a soldier in the Hawai’i Army National Guard, I deployed
twice to the Middle East. Like everyone else in our camp, I breathed in the
toxins from burn pits every single day. Many service members developed
respiratory illnesses that we commonly called "the crud" — a
persistent hacking cough that never seemed to go away. While deployed, we dealt
with the ever-present residual stench from the burn pit fires.
Burn pits have been used at U.S. military bases across the
Middle East to burn trash, human waste, petroleum, rubber, and other debris,
releasing hazardous smoke into the air. While initially thought of as a
temporary measure until incinerators were installed, many burn pits continued
to operate, with some still in use today.
Make no mistake: Burn pits are the Agent Orange of our
generation of veterans.
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