[MILRETVET-INFO] Status of Fort McClellan Health Registry Act
- From: RETVET-INFO@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- To: <RetVet-Info@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2014 15:45:16 -0600
NOTE: After sending a message earlier this morning about toxin exposure at Camp
Lejeune, I was asked about the status of efforts to identify similar toxin
exposures at Fort McClellan, AL. Following is the latest update of efforts to
create a Fort McClellan Health Registry to investigate the post's contamination
with warfare chemicals from 1952-1999 and subsequently diagnose and treat any
affected veterans - Mailing List Mgr
Voices of Ft. McClellan vets silenced daily by DC gridlock
By Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.)
June 09, 2014, 02:00 pm
In the wake of disturbing results from investigations into the Department of
Veterans Affairs and the resignation of Secretary Eric Shinseki, Congress must
recognize and act upon problems forgotten groups of veterans across the nation
suffer every day, many of which don't receive the care or attention they
deserve.
Many of us know veterans and active duty members. They are brothers, mothers,
best friends, the person in the mirror and so many more. When these service
members entered the service, they didn't do so for the benefits promised or some
get rich quick scheme. American veterans signed up and wore the uniform under a
sense of duty and desire to keep our nation safe. These are the last people
members of Congress should break our country's promises with. Yet, that is what
is happening to an unknown number of Americans who served at Fort McClellan in
Alabama for decades.
For years, a growing number of those who served at Fort McClellan in Alabama
have reported crippling health problems. Those suffering report a range of
afflictions including asthma, autoimmune disorders, and fibromyalgia. McClellan
was one of our primary chemical and biological training centers for years, and
many veterans and their families are questioning if their illnesses are service
connected.
We can find the answers to the questions these veterans and their families have
by passing H.R. 411, the Fort McClellan Health Registry Act
<https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr411> , which would establish a
health registry of veterans who were stationed at McClellan. By gathering this
important data, we can begin the process of definitively determining whether
service time at Fort McClellan made our soldiers ill.
I have introduced this legislation each Congress dating back to 2009, when a
constituent who served at McClellan brought this critical issue to my attention.
This is our third attempt at getting the bill passed and today it enjoys the
largest bipartisan support it has ever seen.
We are gaining momentum, but time is running out. I plan to continue working for
the rest of this session of Congress to get this passed, but I need your help.
Call and write your members of Congress, write a letter to your local paper, and
talk to your friends and family about this. This issue has affected veterans who
are now scattered across the nation, and we can combat Congressional inaction on
the Fort McClellan Health Registry Act
<https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr411> by scattering our support
for the bill from coast to coast.
We have to get loud, and we have to make trouble.
NOTE: Contact info for your elected representatives is available at
http://www.usa.gov/Agencies.shtml
Politicians in Washington cannot claim they support the troops while allowing
problems like this to exist unchallenged. We have a solution in front of us. All
we need is a vote. For that to happen, we need Americans - whether they've worn
the uniform or not - to let their representatives in elected office know that
they want action.
If you agree with me and the dozens of bipartisan members of Congress that we
owe it to those that served at Fort McClellan to see if there are patterns of
health issues connected to their service, please join me. Pick up the phone,
tweet, post on Facebook, email or meet with your representative and tell them to
cosponsor H.R. 411.
Simply said, Washington will continue to silence the voices of a currently
innumerable group of veterans and break the promises our nation made to those
brave men and women in uniform every day the Fort McClellan Health Registry Act
<https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr411> is ignored and denied a
simple up-or-down vote on the House floor.
All we are asking for is more information. And a registry will do just that;
provide information to determine whether Fort McClellan may have made veterans
ill. The Fort McClellan Health Registry Act
<https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr411> deserves a simple vote.
Our efforts must start today.
Rep Tonko <https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/paul_tonko/412319> has
served congressional districts from New York's Capital District region since
2009. He sits on the Energy and Commerce Committee.
SOURCE: The Hill at
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/healthcare/208516-voices-of-ft-mcclellan-
vets-silenced-daily-by-dc-gridlock
More related Information:
H.R. 411: Fort McClellan Health Registry Act
(https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr411)
Ft McClellan Toxic Exposure For Veterans | Facebook
(https://www.facebook.com/ftmcclellantoxicexposure)
Additional information about this issue may be found by searching the Internet
for "Fort McClellan Health Registry Act" or "Fort McClellan Health Act"
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