NBC News: Veterans Wait 30 Years on Average for the U.S. to Acknowledge Toxic Exposures (September 18, 2024)

On September 18, 2024September 20, 2024 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, In Their Name, Military Policy, National Guard, Navy, Non Combat Death, Scandals, Stateside Death, Toxic Exposure, USAF, USCG, USMC, VeteransLeave a comment

“Veterans exposed on U.S. soil have had to wait even longer.”

The New York Times Magazine: The Army Thought He Was Faking His Health Issues. Turns Out He Had Chronic Lead Poisoning.

My Toxic Exposure Story:
After Lead Poisoning Symptoms Dismissed by PTSD Diagnosis, It Results in Brain Inflammation, Fatigue, Muscle Weakness, Digestion Issues & Chronic Pain
I Watched My Father Die From a Brutal & Painful Battle with Terminal Bone Cancer… And My Toxic Military Leadership Kicked Me While I Was Down

My Treatment to Prevent Cancer:

Ozone Saunas Help You Detox Lead From the Body #leadpoisoning

Weekly Ozone Sauna to Sweat the Lead Out
Weekly Homeopathic Infusion to Push the Lead Out of the Body
Supersmart – EDTA 1000mg per Day – Calcium Disodium EDTA Supplement | Non-GMO & Gluten Free – 180 Vegetarian Capsules to detox the lead out of the body
BioPure ZeoBind – 100% Natural Mineral Blend of Clinoptilolite and Mordenite Powder That Detoxes and Cleanses The Body to Support Immunity, Gastrointestinal Health, and Microbiome Balance – 200g to detox the lead out of the body
Chelation Therapy (EDTA) infusions (this stopped after 8 infusions because the California Board of Pharmacy banned it from the State of California despite the fact that it’s the only recommended form of treatment by the CDC in the United States)
Replaced all teeth after chronic lead poisoning went untested and untreated for over 20 years and created Burton’s line

This is the Burton’s Line that showed up in 2019 around 15 years after leaving a toxic military base. Jennifer’s lead levels were 12x higher than what’s acceptable in the body. Jennifer experienced long term exposure to lead contaminated water and soil while stop lossed for four years at Joint Base Cape Cod in Massachusetts, also an EPA superfund site still under the supervision of multiple agencies.

Veterans wait 30 years on average for the U.S. to acknowledge toxic exposures, new report says

“Living with symptoms is difficult,” an Army veteran said, “but living without validation and causation of your symptoms is maddening.”

REPORT: Ending the Wait for Toxic-Exposed Veterans

INFOGRAPHICS: A Century of Military Toxic Exposures and Presumptives

According to NBC News:

“…The symptoms emerged one by one throughout the pages: stomach cramps, incessant headaches and extreme exhaustion. By the time [Mark] Jackson made it back to Melbourne, Florida, in April 2004, the former marathoner said he could barely walk up a flight of stairs.”

“Jackson filed for disability compensation for all his ailments but said he only got approved for the thyroid disease. He is among many veterans who say they are waiting for the government to recognize that their illnesses are related to military toxic exposure, advocates say.”

“A report released Wednesday found that sick veterans have waited an average of 31.4 years from when they first made contact with dangerous toxins on duty to when the government acknowledged they were exposed.”

“Most recently, in August 2022, lawmakers passed the PACT Act, which expanded benefits to millions of veterans exposed to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan and other toxic substances. Before then, advocates said it was challenging for veterans to prove their sickness was related to their service in order to receive disability compensation. ‘In both those instances, and for many other military toxic exposures, it took decades for the VA and Congress to finally act,’ Wednesday’s report said. ‘Some died before achieving justice.'”

“Veterans exposed on U.S. soil have had to wait even longer.”

“In one of the largest water contamination cases in U.S. history, up to 1 million people who lived or worked at Camp Lejeune from 1953 to 1987 may have been exposed to a drinking water supply contaminated with chemicals that have been linked to severe health problems, including cancers and birth defects, federal health officials said.”

“The agency [VA] said it is conducting a scientific review to determine whether there is a relationship between toxic exposures and three conditions — acute leukemias, chronic leukemias, and multiple myeloma outside of the head and neck — for service members who deployed to Uzbekistan and other locations.”

New York Times: The Army Thought He Was Faking His Health Issues. Turns Out He Had Chronic Lead Poisoning. (April 3, 2019)

On April 3, 2019September 24, 2024 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Military Policy, National Guard, Navy, Scandals, Toxic Exposure, USAF, USCG, USMC, VeteransLeave a comment

The Army Thought He Was Faking His Health Issues. Turns Out He Had Chronic Lead Poisoning. (New York Times, April 3, 2019)

By Patricia Kime (April 3, 2019)

“…In 2005, Hopkins began experiencing wild swings in blood pressure. And he had other symptoms: crippling nausea, constant dizziness, a skyrocketing heart rate. He was given a diagnosis of common high blood pressure, and for a while he felt better by keeping himself on a high dose of a medication for that condition. He was on deployment in Afghanistan when the nausea returned, with migraine symptoms, abnormal thirst and muddled thinking. Medical tests were inconclusive, leading military doctors and commanders to suspect depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or, worse, “malingering” — the medical term for soldiers who feign sickness to shirk duty.”

“While the number of affected soldiers is small, the diagnosis can be life-changing to these troops, who for years have wrestled with unexplained symptoms that mimic traumatic brain injury or PTSD, including impaired concentration, anger, anxiety and impulsivity, as well as physical manifestations like tremors, high blood pressure, low sperm count and peripheral neuropathy.”

“Lead exposure is a known hazard of military service: The United States armed forces have fired billions of rounds of ammunition containing the toxic material since entering Afghanistan in October 2001. Troops are exposed to the metal while shooting indoors and outside; gathering shell casings; smoking, chewing tobacco or eating on ranges; cleaning their weapons; and living and fighting in polluted environments. But lead monitoring and testing programs at the Defense Department have focused primarily on service members who work on firing ranges and on the civilian staff at ranges, who are regulated by Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines. Defense Department policy requires service members who may be exposed to high levels of airborne lead for 30 or more days a year to get a blood test for lead, with follow-up tests at least annually.”

“After he diagnosed Hopkins and another service member with chronic lead poisoning, Dorrance contacted the office of the surgeon at Special Operations Command, the Environmental Health unit at Fort Bragg and officials at Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Command to request that more troops be tested and the problem be researched. But six years after the issue was first raised, little progress has been made. The Department of Defense, which until last year annually tested blood lead levels in just 1,200 out of almost three million troops and civilian employees, has found very few cases of lead poisoning, leading Army officials to believe that there isn’t a widespread problem.”

“Dorrance and Dr. Mark Hyman, director of the Center for Functional Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, argue that this theory is wrong — and that they have the patients to prove it. Pointing to a growing body of research that suggests that lead in the bones may be more toxic than once thought, they say physicians should be considering lead poisoning as a possible cause for many unexplained symptoms in service members, especially uncontrolled hypertension, fatigue and brain fog. ‘These soldiers are breaking down, and they go to doctor after doctor after doctor, and every single one of them misses what is going on,’ Hyman said. ‘These soldiers aren’t getting the proper care. It’s a huge blind spot.'”

Lead Poisoning Symptoms:

1. Decreased cognitive abilities, especially reduced ability to focus on, learn, and remember new things
2. Fatigue
3. Irritability
4. Abdominal pain or “stomach aches”
5. Headache
6. Constipation
7. Loss of appetite
8. Tingling in the hands or feet

Learn more here: Symptoms of Lead Poisoning

Questionable Practices Continue at Fort Belvior Warrior Transition Battalion: One Delaware Army National Guard Soldier’s Story After Injured in the Line of Duty

On May 13, 2017June 6, 2017 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, In Their Name, Medical, Military Policy, National Guard, PTSD, TBI, Mental Illness, ScandalsLeave a comment

Guest Post Submitted by Jill Lee

I cannot in good conscience remain silent about the treatment of our wounded and injured service members and their families. I am writing this letter on behalf of my husband Sgt. Thomas Lee. He medically retired from the Delaware National Guard’s 153rd MP Company in August 21, 2016. He deployed to Afghanistan January to September 2013. Upon returning from deployment he was sent to the Wounded Transition Battalion (WTB) at Fort Belvoir, VA in October 2013 for neck, back, shoulder, skin and stomach issues. The time frame for service members to spend at the WTB is approximately 12 months; my husband was there for 3 years. When my husband arrived, there were around 300 service members there. Every service member is assigned a nurse case manager who oversees the scheduling of appointments and does weekly check-ins with them. The nurse case manager’s job is to support and facilitate the care of service members; however, often they are misleading and at times lying to get information which is used by the command against the service members. The WTB does not promote an atmosphere of healing but rather one of harassment and punishment, where they provide the bare minimum of care, distribute medications and focus on the symptoms rather than diagnose and treat the actual issues. The WTB along with Fort Belvoir Community Hospital has failed my husband along with countless other service members. Our service members and families sacrifice so much for our country and it is a shame to see how they get treated when they return from combat broken physically and mentally.

My husband and I lived through a nightmare for the past 3 years, he was fortunate enough to survive 2 deployments only to be permanently disabled by a military doctor here in the states. Do you know what it’s like to watch helplessly someone you love whose served their country go from injured to permanently damaged and not to be able to hold any one accountable? My husband came to the WTB with 2 careers, 21 years with the Postal Service and 18 years of military service, he left the WTB unable to return to either career. Below are the events that forever changed our lives.

Continue reading “Questionable Practices Continue at Fort Belvior Warrior Transition Battalion: One Delaware Army National Guard Soldier’s Story After Injured in the Line of Duty” →

MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL

Tag: Headaches

NBC News: Veterans Wait 30 Years on Average for the U.S. to Acknowledge Toxic Exposures (September 18, 2024)

“Veterans exposed on U.S. soil have had to wait even longer.”

New York Times: The Army Thought He Was Faking His Health Issues. Turns Out He Had Chronic Lead Poisoning. (April 3, 2019)

Questionable Practices Continue at Fort Belvior Warrior Transition Battalion: One Delaware Army National Guard Soldier’s Story After Injured in the Line of Duty

“Veterans exposed on U.S. soil have had to wait even longer.”

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