Jon Stewart started this petition

Tell Congress to pass a bipartisan bill so veterans suffering from toxic burn pits will no longer be denied the care and benefits our government owes them for their service.

Dear MoveOn member,

I'm a veteran and 9/11 first responder. I've attended more tragic funerals for members of the 9/11 community who have died from health problems linked to the attacks than you want to hear about. The scope of physical pain and mental anguish these Americans endured is truly impossible to convey. 

My friend Jon Stewart and I fought for health care and compensation for first responders injured on 9/11. Now, we're asking you to support the fight to give health benefits and compensation to the veterans who have been exposed to toxic burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Hundreds of tons of waste produced on military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan were doused with jet and diesel fuels and burned in massive burn pits—as American soldiers lived, worked, and slept next to the toxic fumes. Now that they are home, hundreds of thousands of veterans are sick and dying from lung diseases, cancers, and respiratory illnesses.¹

Sign the petition Jon Stewart and I started to pass the Presumptive Benefits for War Fighters Exposed to Burn Pits and Other Toxins Act of 2020.

The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense must understand that the cost of war does not end when troops come home. We must pass the Presumptive Benefits for War Fighters Exposed to Burn Pits and Other Toxins Act of 2020 and take care of veterans who are suffering from cancers, lung diseases, and respiratory illnesses linked to toxic burn pits.

The U.S. military paid private companies like Halliburton subsidiary KBR billions of dollars from taxpayer funds to burn human waste, aerosols, Styrofoam, medical waste, biohazardous materials, body parts, trucks, and explosives in Iraq and Afghanistan. Then troops got sick and started dying. It's haunting and a reminder that these forever wars have long-lasting consequences.²

And for every soldier returning with horrific health problems, there are untold numbers of service members who continue to be subjected to burn pit sites and toxic smoke to this day. The DoD and VA must acknowledge the reality and gravity of the problems toxic chemicals from burn pits have caused and take immediate action to end the use of the active burn pits once and for all.

In addition, Congress must make health care and compensation available to veterans and service members who are suffering exposure-related health effects. And we must pass legislation that grants surviving families of deceased veterans the benefits they deserve.

Sign our petition to support veterans fighting for health care benefits and compensation.

If we can spend money on training ordinary Americans to go into combat and do extraordinary things keeping us safe 24/7, then we should be able to spend money when they come home missing body parts, have a mental illness, or are poisoned by the toxic aftermath from burn pits. It's infuriating to think that's not common sense, but our government would rather give sweet deals to private defense contractors than prioritize understanding the human cost of war.

I say it's f*cking embarrassing.

Jon Stewart says it's bullsh*t.

Call it what you will, but we need your support now to put human lives ahead of private profits.

Click here to add your name to this petition, and then pass it along to your friends, family, and anyone else you think will care about this issue.

Thank you.

–John Feal

Sources:

1. "Congress Poised to Help Veterans Exposed to 'Burn Pits' Over Decades of War," The New York Times, February 12, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/143559?t=11&akid=273876%2E10220574%2E3KELwk

2. "'They really don't want this out': The biggest Iraq War scandal that nobody's talking about," Salon, February 17, 2016
https://act.moveon.org/go/143560?t=13&akid=273876%2E10220574%2E3KELwk

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