The PACT Act (Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics) was named in honor of Heath Robinson, a central Ohio veteran who deployed to Kosovo and Iraq with the Ohio National Guard and subsequently died in 2020 from cancer after exposure to burn pits during his military service in Iraq.
The legislation will expand Department of Veterans’ Affairs health care and disability benefits for veterans exposed to toxic chemicals, such as Agent Orange, as well as toxic exposures resulting from burn pit smoke inhalation.
During a roundtable held Wednesday at the Huber Heights VFW Memorial Post 3283, Lewis Kiper, a veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard, discussed his service in Saudi Arabia in the early 1990s during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
“I’d never seen sunshine in Saudi Arabia. The sky was covered with smoke from the oil well and we were breathing that in,” said Kiper, who is junior vice commander of Post 3283. “It was just part of the duty there. We had to do what we were called to do.”
Kiper said he and his fellow guardsmen were also exposed to burn pits throughout their time in the Saudi Arabian desert. This included a daily “toilet burning process” to dispose of human waste, as well as fires to discard equipment.
“When we were told that we were leaving the desert, we basically started a bonfire and burned everything that they told us we couldn’t take back,” he said, noting that the large fire burned things like tires, computers, medical waste, foam mattresses, and sleeping bags.
Brown said Wednesday the PACT Act includes full VA coverage for treatment of 23 illnesses and conditions determined to be related to these toxic exposures. This includes multiple types of cancer and chronic respiratory diseases.
“Some members of Congress think (this) costs too much. My answer to that is, you never thought it cost too much to send people to war; you only think it costs too much when you take care of the men and women who fought the wars on our behalf,” he said.
Kim Frisco with the Montgomery County Veterans Service Commission said during Wednesday’s event that it’s critical to get the word out about this expansion of coverage.
“Please always remember, our service to help veterans is at no cost to the veterans or the dependents. We are veterans helping veterans,” Frisco said. “Our goal is to get them all the benefits they have earned due to their military service.”
About the Author