Petraeus: US has ‘sacred obligation’ to help burn-pit veterans

[Kyle]

EXCLUSIVE – Army Gen. David Petraeus, who was instrumental in guiding U.S. troops during the Iraq War, says that America’s service members should be receiving assistance for the mounting medical issues that they fear have come as a result of being exposed to burn pits while stationed at military bases.

Petraeus, the former commander of U.S. Central Command and Multi-National Force-Iraq, said it’s time for the service members exposed to the dangers of burn pits -- and who say they have been abandoned by the Veterans Affairs Department and Washington – to be provided with proper care.

“It's a sacred obligation,” Petraeus, a retired four-star general, told Fox News during an exclusive interview at his Manhattan office. “And by and large, our country does an extraordinary amount for our veterans and for those who are serving in uniform, and for their families.”



http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/09/0...red-obligation-to-help-burn-pit-veterans.html

 

[GURPS]

Burn Pits ?

 

[kwillia]

Burn Pits ?

Burning waste that results in highly toxic smoke affecting the health of those commanded to man the pits as well as anyone breathing in the toxic fumes/smoke.

 

[officeguy]

Some years back, the DoD had to clean up what amounts to a Superfund site on the Indian Head base. It was the old burn pit and the dirt was contaminated far down into the ground.

Don't care for Petraeus, but the cause is a good one.

 

[PsyOps]

I worked with a guy years ago whose wife worked around these "burn pits". They were actually incinerators. She died from cancer, that her husband blamed on these incinerators. There was a class-action lawsuit (and may still be going on) against the companies (one of them being Halliburton) that built these things. They were built to the standards of Iraq rather than American standards. The people that worked in and around these things complained that dark black soot was spewing out of these things. It got on everything. And they breathed this crap in all day, every day.

 

[black dog]

I worked with a guy years ago whose wife worked around these "burn pits". They were actually incinerators. She died from cancer, that her husband blamed on these incinerators. There was a class-action lawsuit (and may still be going on) against the companies (one of them being Halliburton) that built these things. They were built to the standards of Iraq rather than American standards. The people that worked in and around these things complained that dark black soot was spewing out of these things. It got on everything. And they breathed this crap in all day, every day.

I wonder if they were incinerators like at Ft Detrick, one of my Great Uncle's ran the burners there from sometime after WW 2 up through the early 80's + -. He died of lung cancer but he was in his late 80's. He would talk about the miles of railcars full of mustard along with other bio's and chemicals that they burned up.

 

[stgislander]

From what I read in the American Legion magazine, the majority of these sites didn't have incinerators. They were literally open burn pits.

 

[PsyOps]

I wonder if they were incinerators like at Ft Detrick, one of my Great Uncle's ran the burners there from sometime after WW 2 up through the early 80's + -. He died of lung cancer but he was in his late 80's. He would talk about the miles of railcars full of mustard along with other bio's and chemicals that they burned up.

Not sure. But burn pit makes it sound like they are open pits that they're just throwing trash in. I think these 'burn pits' are enclosed facilities. They have filters and scrubbers to keep the exhaust clean. From what I remember that guy I worked with tell me, they used substandard filters and scrubbers; ones that don't comply with Americans standards.

 

[gemma_rae]

I certainly support medical care for our veterans suffering from these diseases, but why call it the 'Burn Pits Accountability Act'? Weren't there enough burning oil wells set on fire by the Iraqis to call it the 'Burning Oil Well Accountability Act'? Just get behind timely medical care without all the Bull #### and keep your dick in your pants.