My father served in Vietnam. Through him, I met men who were exposed to defoliants, and were fighting against cancers and other problems. I have many friends who served in the First Gulf War.  A lot of them had odd illnesses that were lumped under the rubric “Gulf War Disease”.

Veterans from both of those conflicts had to work for years, sometimes decades, to have their maladies recognized as being real, much less service related.  Administrations from both parties, along with a military establishment more worried about bad publicity and dwindling budgets than rewarding those who served, stonewalled them.  I’ve watched strong, proud men cry out in pain and frustration as they try to deal with the issues caused by living and working in a contaminated environment.

Now, the New York Times is reporting that a new generation of fighters is getting the same treatment:

The New York Times found 17 American service members and seven Iraqi police officers who were exposed to nerve or mustard agents after 2003. American officials said that the actual tally of exposed troops was slightly higher, but that the government’s official count was classified.

Servicemembers, from EOD technicians to just the poor, unlucky men and women who stumbled across the infernal things, are dealing with the aftermath of exposure to chemical weapons.  This isn’t residue, nor is it a trace amount.  This is people, as part of their job, accidentally picking up a leaking artillery shell and getting bathed in the stuff.  At least two were hit with sarin, and are still dealing with the damage that caused.

A lot is being said about how this either justifies the 2003 invasion of Iraq because the weapons were there or how it proves it was unjustified because the weapons were years old.

I don’t care about that.

What I care about is that right now, as we sit here, there are at least dozens of men and women out there who have had the fact that they were even exposed to chemical weapons branded a state secret.  It appears that most of them did not receive the care they needed when they were hurt, and now they are fighting to get the care that they still need.

This has to stop.  I do not want another generation of veterans to go without because it’s inconvenient or embarrassing.  The Department of Defense and the VA need to do an exhaustive search for people who were injured by these poisons and make sure that they are OK.  If they’re not, they need to get all the support that the most powerful nation in the world can give.

We sent them there.  They did their job.  It’s time we paid up.

I originally posted this in 2010.  It’s appropriate for today, which would have been my 25th anniversary in the Army.

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I came up with these shortly after I left the military.  I was thinking recently about how much I’ve changed since I joined up, and since I left the Army.  But these still hold true for me.  Enjoy.

• Even when you rest, scan the horizon.
• You only truly appreciate sunrise if you’ve endured the cold night.
• It only takes a few grains of carbon to turn a sophisticated weapon system into a club.
• It doesn’t matter how good the truck looks if it breaks down constantly.
• You are never given a promotion or award that matters. You earn the ones that count.
• No job operates independently. The Intel weenie doesn’t directly engage the enemy, but the infantryman can’t be utilized effectively if he doesn’t know where the enemy is.
• A march is only long if you haven’t done it before.
• Sometimes it’s a blast, sometimes it’s just a paycheck. If you can’t remember the last time it was a blast, get another job.
• It doesn’t matter how heavy a load you carry at the beginning of the march.
• Any moron can shoot. It takes skill to hit.
• If you’re not willing to maintain and fix it, you don’t get to drive it.
• Take pleasure from the small things. They may be all you get.
• Leadership is more than giving orders.
• Sometimes you have to be at the bottom of a well to see the light.
• Genetics doesn’t make a family.
• Say hello as if you haven’t seen them in years.
• Say good-bye as if you’ll never see them again.
• Cherish the ones that are there, honor the ones that came before, and train the ones that are new.

When someone wants to protest the government, whether we agree with them or not, this we’ll defend.

When a citizen wants to vote, no matter for whom or what, this we’ll defend.

When a mother wants to buy a gun to protect her children, this we’ll defend.

When someone wants to worship, or chooses not to, this we’ll defend.

When someone wants to write, or sing, or draw, or paint, or dance, whether it be for the joy of it or to send a message to the rest of us, this we’ll defend.

When our people want to live in peace, in security, in freedom, this we’ll defend.

Today is the 239th anniversary of the establishment of the United States Army.   It’s been made up of larger than life heroes and ordinary folk.  Our ranks have included Douglas MacArthur, Andrew Jackson, Audie Murphy, and Nathan Hale.  They have also included the quiet men and women who go to do their duty and then come back to build up that which they have defended.  Our places have names like Valley Forge, Omaha Beach, Pusan, Ia Drang, and Antietam.  They also have names like Grafenwohr, Camp Red Cloud, Hood, Riley, Carson, and Lewis, and all the other cold, hot, dusty, wet, and whatever-else they-can-throw-at-us places around the world where quiet professionals train and prepare.

To my brothers and sisters around the world, I’ll be raising a toast tonight.  If you can, please join me.

Rakkasan

Garryowen

Climb To Glory

Iron Soldiers!

Toujours Pret

Always Out Front

This We’ll Defend

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, March 3, 1863, has awarded in the name of Congress the Medal of Honor to Specialist Kyle J. White, United States Army.

Specialist Kyle J. White distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a radio telephone operator with Company C, 2nd Battalion Airborne, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade during combat operations against an armed enemy in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan on November 9, 2007.

On that day, Specialist White and his comrades were returning to Bella Outpost from a shura with Aranas village elders.  As the soldiers traversed a narrow path surrounded by mountainous, rocky terrain, they were ambushed by enemy forces from elevated positions.  Pinned against a steep mountain face, Specialist White and his fellow soldiers were completely exposed to enemy fire.  Specialist White returned fire and was briefly knocked unconscious when a rocket-propelled grenade impacted near him.

When he regained consciousness, another round impacted near him, embedding small pieces of shrapnel in his face.  Shaking off his wounds, Specialist White noticed one of his comrades lying wounded nearby.  Without hesitation, Specialist White exposed himself to enemy fire in order to reach the soldier and provide medical aid.

After applying a tourniquet, Specialist White moved to an injured Marine, providing aid and comfort until the Marine succumbed to his wounds.  Specialist White then returned to the soldier and discovered that he had been wounded again.  Applying his own belt as an additional tourniquet, Specialist White was able to stem the flow of blood and save the soldier’s life.

Noticing that his and the other soldiers’ radios were inoperative, Specialist White exposed himself to enemy fire yet again in order to secure a radio from a deceased comrade.  He then provided information and updates to friendly forces, allowing precision airstrikes to stifle the enemy’s attack and ultimately permitting medical evacuation aircraft to rescue him, his fellow soldiers, Marines, and Afghan army soldiers.

Specialist Kyle J. White.  Extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Company C, 2nd Battalion Airborne, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, and the United States Army.