Open Letter to Donald J. Trump, Secretary Nominee Dr. David J. Shulkin, The Veterans Administration
Open Letter Public To Congress - After a failed attempt with congress in the 113th and 114th Congress, we have a third chance to succeed with H.R. 632 The Mark Takai Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act, sponsored by Rep. Meng, Grace [D-NY-6] (Introduced 01/24/2017).
New York Times (Front Page) - Troops Who Cleaned Up Radioactive Islands Can’t Get Medical Care, by Dave Philipps - January 29, 2017.
Support the care for US Military Veterans, 466 known surviving veterans today, losing then monthly with continued government denials and challenges.
Dear Mr. President, Mr. Secretary, Members of Congress, Senator, and others,
There are members of the armed forces who served on the Island of Enewetak Atoll, Marshall Islands in the 1977-80 time frame who are dying at a higher than normal rate with cancer and other life threatening issues due to exposure to the ion-radiation, contaminated debris and other hazards during this duty.
Read some of the personal stories from the veterans who so far are fighting a personal battle, they feel abandoned from the US Government and the VA. They served with distinction, honor and accomplished the mission. Yet, that mission is killing them. Glimmer of Lights to read about our Atomic Veteran Plight, the personal stories of our veterans.
During 1977 – 1980 thousand of U.S. Military Service members were stationed at this remote island location in the joint services project of remediation and clean-up of the Enewetak Atoll islands from the ravage and decimation of the Atomic Testing of the 1940s and 1950s and its effects on the Peoples of the Marshall Islands.
The service members served with honor under the hot sun of the tropics, in minimal safety gear, tee-shirts, and even bare chested worked 12-hours daily scraping, drilling, removing contaminated soil and debris and encasing the debris under a large concrete dome, in a long forgotten crater from a previous bomb test which vaporized the area.
We were all told its safe, and there would be no risk of service, and that the occupational levels of risk were minimal. Fast forward 40 years, out of the 400 known survivors of the Enewetak Atoll, at a minimum of 50% or more are suffering from life threatening illness, health challenges, and facing an uncertain future, and facing death. Today, many are facing increased medical issues, large hospital bills, and unpaid expenses and varying degree of frustration with the Veterans Administration with unequal treatment, failed reviews, and regulations which hinder the veterans access to medical and programs of recovery.
Many veterans are facing lung cancer, bone cancer, skin cancer, obstructive pulmonary disease, tumors, cysts and other deliberating illness which prevent them from working, unable to provide for their family, unable to receive necessary and entitled benefits from the VA due to a miss-guided review of regulations as to being occupational exposed to ion radiation, rather than a presumptive condition due to being an Atomic Veteran, and are facing this long nightmare and tragic medical issues for honorable and humanitarian service at Enewetak Atoll.
Support to date:
The legislation has 12 sponsors (8D, 4R)
Congress is considering two bills H.R. 3870, H.R. 5980 in the House, and S 2791 in the Senate to classify these service members as Atomic Veterans, and level the playing field for this injustice. We are reaching out to you as a group to support these laws, and Co-Sponsor the legislation and press respective congressional committees to take positive action and move the proposed bills to the full House and Full Senate for approval and send to the President to amend the law and protect the veterans of Enewetak Atoll, they have no other way of justice, medical care, and a piece of mind for the limited future they may have.
In addition, the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars have endorsed the bill and are helping us drive it forward preview the current video.
Excellent progress has been made so far (especially in this Congress!) but we need to keep pushing, we are currently trying to gather 100 cosponsors of the bill as that will garner special attention to the bill and will help us to pass it. We are currently at 12 House for H.R. 632. So we have some ways to go but I know that we will get there.
Please stand with us, make medical care and other program available to the veterans who served with honor and gave their all in service at Enewetak Atoll. Thank you for your support, and voting to stand with the veterans of the joint services of the US Army, US Navy, US Air Force, and US Coast Guard. Thank you.
Kindly, On the Behalf of my Enewetak Brothers, living and passed!
Research Materials-
On behalf of the 8,033 service members who served with distinction on "The Rock"
