Burn Pit Registry

From my book: Silent Freedom

My work routine helps me focus on my mission. From my LSA, it is about a half-mile walk. I will never forget the burn pits, as I pass them on the way to work. We inhale a massive amount of smoke from these burn pits in our base; and I am told it is hazardous to our health. Yet it is the only route I can take since we did not have much freedom at the time. I see soldiers throw things like feces, trash, batteries, chemicals, heavy metals, and arsenic into the pits.

Below you will find information from VFW Magazine on how to enroll in the Burn Pit Registry.

ENROLL IN BURN PIT REGISTRY

Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) encourages all Veterans who participated in eligible operations to join the VA’s Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry.

To register, visit www.veteran.mobilehealth.va.gov/AHBurnPitRegistry.

Veterans who have not filed a claim for these conditions or had their medical records and previous VA disability claims reviewed should contact a VA accredited VFW service

officer for free help. To find a nearby VFW service officer, visit www.vfw.org/service-officers.

Veterans of the following operations are eligible to apply:

 Operation Desert Storm

 Operation Desert Shield

 Operation New Dawn

 Operation Iraqi Freedom

 Operation Enduring Freedom

Those eligible are asked to join the registry even if:

 They do not believe they were exposed to specific airborne hazards.

 They are not experiencing symptoms or illnesses believed to be related to exposure.

 They have not filed a VA claim for compensation or applied for VA health care

(VFW Magazine, September 2022).

-Aurea