Remember the burn pit? Well, it may be killing you.
Categories: News
Remember the burn pit? Well, it may be killing you.
Those of us that have spent time in the Middle East remember it well. For some of us it was hundreds of yards away. For others, it was just a few feet from their rooms. The Burn Pit, where we would burn our trash and often even our own bodily waste, is now killing service members years later.
Thousands of U.S. military personnel who served on bases in Iraq and Afghanistan recall the dense black smoke from burn pits where everything from IEDs to human waste was incinerated.
Now many have died, and more are gravely ill. Those battling a grim menu of cancers, as well as their loved ones and advocates, trace their condition to breathing in the toxic fumes they say could be the most recent wars’ version of Agent Orange or Gulf War Illness.
“The clouds of smoke would just hang throughout the base,” Army Sgt. Daniel Diaz, who was stationed at Joint Base Balad, in Iraq’s Sunni Triangle from 2004-2005, told FoxNews.com. “No one ever gave it any thought. You are just so focused on the mission at hand. In my mind, I was just getting ready for the fight.”
Who would have thought? What are you thoughts and concerns? Let us know in the comments section and on our social media pages!
What kind of symptoms are these vets experiencing? I also am a vet and had to burn human waste as well as living less than 50′ away from a burn pit in the COP I stayed in for 12 of the 14 months I was there for. Are there any respiratory symptoms showing up?
FOB Ramadi aka Junction City had one of the largest burn pits I had ever seen. Everything was dumped and burned there. I was there 2005-06 and because of its location, the smoke blew through the FOB every day. When constructing the FOB, no one took into consideration the wind direction….
I feel like there should be more to this.
https://veteran.mobilehealth.va.gov/AHBurnPitRegistry/index.html#page/about
Don’t wait till its too late gents. Register through the open burn pit registry and seek helped and get tested. I started getting symptoms like shortness of breath and wheezing after my 2nd deployment to iraq back in 2007. Just recently I was in the hospital cause I couldn’t catch my breath wheezing sweating and spitting. Doctor diagnosed me with chronic bronchitis and I registered with this program and got more test done and found out I actually have asthma from all that shit we would breathe in. Semper Fi!!
What can we do about this now…The VA is not helping
How do I get my name on the “Burn Pit List” ?
Are you aware that the VA already has a Burn Pit registry? anhone who has been to either Iraq/AFG in the last 15 years (approx) can do it as an active duty member, or as a veteran.
https://veteran.mobilehealth.va.gov/AHBurnPitRegistry/#page/home
Sincerely,
Knowledgeable veteran.