Political Quotes

“I rise to discuss helping our servicemembers exposed to toxic burn pits. Let me tell you about U.S. Army SFC Heath Robinson. He was a strong, healthy, fit combat medic who served tours in Kosovo and Iraq. When he returned home, however, he began experiencing fatigue. He started bleeding from his ears and nose and completely lost his voice. After consulting multiple doctors, he and his wife were sitting in the exam room waiting for test results when the doctor came in with tears in his eyes. He explained that Sergeant Robinson had an extremely rare form of stage IV lung cancer and exclaimed: What have you been exposed to? Sergeant Robinson thought back to his tour in Iraq. He remembered seeing and smelling smoke from pits the size of football fields at his base near Baghdad. While serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and beyond, millions of U.S. troops have lived and worked near burn pits. They are basically burning trash heaps that the military has used for decades to dispose of everything from human waste to trash and electronics and jet fuel, and they spew forth many of the same dangerous toxins that were at Ground Zero after 9/11. The VA estimates that 3.5 million servicemembers were exposed to burn pits around the world, many of them veterans who are now suffering from permanent injuries and illnesses ranging from chronic bronchitis to cancer. But when these veterans seek treatments, they face an often unsurmountable burden of proof.…”