Dr Kate Hendricks Thomas passed away on April 5 2022 at the age of 42 and 4 years after her diagnosis. This video was recorded May 16 2021 and published June 21 2021. Burn Pits 360 and other groups have advocated for the Dr Kate Hendricks Thomas Service Act S.2102 to help Veterans who were exposed to burn pits during their deployment
They're doing that thing where they make excuses why they cant cover you until you die that insurance companies do but they understand that they're only able to get away with it on one person Or maybe they can just do this and veterans are forgotten
its hurry up and dying before the claim as my gpa nam vet said if that goddamn va truly gave a shit i wouldve got my money from agent orange in the early 90s. took until 2011. They want and are waiting for you to die so they don't have to pay you out.
@@busimagen and thus it can be under funded without saying they are under funding the military. The issues stem way farther than just underfunding to some branches having bad doctors, not having enough doctors, some only have nurses and having to share doctors between that one and another one, the amount of people who need help makes it seem like hiring more staff would be a need but it isn't done, etc. with management of HR issues. The main reason given? Not enough money to go around and bad local management. IE push the blame to another person instead of taking the fault as the person above them.
There is no way - 0% chance that the U.S. military didn't know that burn pits were going to harm anyone who went near them. If you burn plastic like PVC it releases poison gasses. The military are experts in chemical weapons. This is high school chemistry.
@@ZeldaZelda-RichesToRags They are just a slaves of the corp. Get real and then you may be clever enough, not to go to another country to kill for the name of there money.
Agree 110%. It takes either a very twisted or amazingly ignorant mind to think you can toss an almost infinite mix of random objects in a pile, set it on fire, have people inhale the fumes, and there not be a problem.
I told guys to always stand downwind and wear their promasks at all times, then again I also showed up on Christmas day and was the only guy wearing his k-pot and IBA vest. "Why are you wearing your ballistic vest?" "It's Christmas" "And?" "We're in an Islamic country." "So?" "We're going to be attacked." "Who told you?" "Alright... did the FOB get attacked last Christmas?" "Yes but..." "And the Christmas before that?" "Sure but.." *INDIRECT FIRE INCOMING, TAKE COVER!* Everyone: "Are you a spy?!"
"I was absolutely ready to die for my country when I joined the Marine Corps. I just didn't think it would be like this." Her entire family serves the nation for generations and when she develops a terminal illness directly from that service she is denied any help and basically told to fuck off and die. That's absolutely outrageous.
It blows my mind that with our insanely high military budget in the US we can't take care of all our veterans. Taking care of current & former military personnel should absolutely be prioritized over huge profits for paramilitary corporations. Sometimes I feel like a chunk of US citizens are selfish & heartless.
The way we treat our soldiers is the biggest "virtue signal" in the US. We throw them parades, we have holidays for them, we even thank them for their service when we see them out in public, but god forbid they need some help 15 minutes after the war is over. It's disgraceful.
The biggest enemy to the veterans is the deranged paradigm involving law enforcement. Just because I didn't obey your order you don't have a reason to believe I've committed a crime.
@@bakarangerpinku This comment is essentially "I missed the last 5 years of recycling movements in the united states." Yeah dude, maybe in 2016, but nowadays we are reusing plastics for things like Vanilla flavoring, Grape Flavoring, Ink production, brick production, Solar panel production, etc. Etc. Etc. I could literally go on and on with what we do with different plastics now. Major pollution centers are the places with the highest industrialization, 100 companies make up more than 75% of the global pollution, and more than half of that pollution is from coal and wood fired plants.
@Hum4n_4ft3r?4LL i took 600mg daily for a week and then 800mg and 1g one day, then never touched it again. I got shingles shortly after (could be coincidence) but other than that.. Lucky to be fine. It's really not worth it.
watching this video 2 days after Kate passed away… absolutely tragic. may she rest in peace and i hope her family can heal. i wish no one had to suffer this fate.
It's amazing how fast her health turned this video was recorded back in may 2021. She looked pretty decent in this video but Hardly 11 months later she died. I was hoping she'd be able to live much longer.
@@justthatoneguy2515 That's what Cancer can do. It can be persistent. In her case. The cancer didn't know how to give up and just die. Since Cancer is your own cells becoming corrupted, that's why its deadly around stage 3 to 4 as Thats when its basically everywhere in your body.
Wow, what a horrific nightmare for your whole family…😔 I’m so, so sorry you had to lose your nephew in such a nasty way. I’m sending you lots of hugs and prayers from Texas 🤗♥️🙏🏼💗✝️🤠
Guys, is no-one talking about how he got interview footage of her? This is the second video where he got the person affected to explain their side, and at that in stellar format. Emu is going places!
The worst part is watching most of the video hoping that she is one of the amazing survival cases, and this is on the other side when she’s better and almost done with recovery. No. No. It’s not. This is a family having to grieve before their loved one before she has even passed. And her worrying about when it would be the best time for her to die… All she’s thinking about is how to protect her son from the pain she knows he will experience.
I guess they forgot the all-important rule: absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. A lack of proof that something is harmful is not a substitute for proof that it isn't.
I'll bet you good money that the batteries they were throwing into those fires had labels on them _specifically_ warning against burning them. Probably even mentioned the toxicity too.
For the majority of my life I had been fit. Running, lifting heavy weights. In 2018 I found I flipped between not being able to breathe and getting very little oxygen. I spent the better part of 2 years before I found out from an allergist that I demanded the VA let me see (outside of the VA after the 2 years of arguing with them) my lungs weren't working. I had been only one lung working at any capacity. The way she described it was "so you've basically been breathing as if someone was trying to suffocate you with a pillow...". Or to drink a gallon of water through one of those red coffee straws. I was exposed to burns pit. Gas attacks. Burning oil fields. I was tip of the spear USMC. 0341 specifically but 03-everythng by trade. I underwent 2 nose surgeries thinking the problem was in the nose. Turbine reduction. At the time I had 2 ER visits that the VA tried to saddle me with that totaled upwards of 60k. I fought the VA and rhe hospitals for over a year. I'm now having to live needing to take 3 inhalers. I've lost nearly 50 pounds. I don't exercise. I can't. I get dizzy lifting 10 pounds even 5 times. Compound that with PTSD, anxiety, depression and nerve damage I sustained in my feet during deployments... And at this point all I can do is exist. I wasn't just around burn pits. I actively worked them when not on a mission. Stirring and mixing honeypots (barrels filled strictly with human waste, which you would pour JP8, if memory serves, onto. Light on fir then mix with a metal rod. Repeat until its all ash to dump into the burn pit). This was...2003. My second deployment I was so busy either out on patrol, missions or QRFs that I didn't do any burn pits. Trade it in for IEDs, rpk/rpg/AK fire, and all sorts of other engagements. The VA spends more time and money arguing with veterans. Fighting against them. Running them in circles and bogging them down with paper and platitudes in hopes they lose their spirit. Their fight and desire to keep living. So if you are a veteran. Do not stop fighting. If you do not fight for yourself when dealing with the VA they will not fight for you. Yes, some doctors might be nice people. Clerks and whoever else but at the end of the day they are paid by the VA and have only their best interests in mind. Don't handwave your issues away. Catch it early and demand,fight, to get the treatment you deserve.
You deserve it for invading another country. Imagine how good the world would be if people like you stopped agreeing to do the bidding of evil tyrants? Personal responsibility.
shit dude. i’m sorry. i don’t even know what to say but i feel like i just have to say something. i appreciate you so much. and it’s despicable how you’ve been treated.
It sucks that the military is as cold as it is when it comes to care for its veterans. It's all about the money for the politicians and the big guys up top. What a badass lady, though. I love to see ladies like her. Great video!
I did 10 years I got 6 medical problems in return that I gave up on va, I use my private insurance, VA is worthless, if I knew the way I would have been treated this way I never would have joined, Dummy me I believed now I'm paying for it,
What did you expect, they are cold to the lives of people by default, those who you are combating are still people, they aren't monsters. the only thing you can do as a civilian is being against military conflicts, keep to the economical ones. It means, what you do to others, comes to bit yourself back. That's why I refused to serve, I don't want to be expendable pawn in conflicts I didn't even wanted part in. Good thing in my country I could come up with an excuse, let me serve the country in my own way by creating things, not destroying people.
@@MaurerMeister00 Yep. Go out there and be all that you can be, so you can come home (if you’re lucky) with PTSD, few job prospects and a whole host of medical issues the government is going to continually deny are a result of your time in the Middle East.
We spend hundreds of billions on the military every year. The cost of taking care of KT and other victims would be a pittance in comparison. Yet, the U.S. Government is so insistent on fighting such health claims. Why not just confess that the military screwed up and that the affected veterans will be provided for? Don't hassle them, just pay their medical bills ASAP if their claims are reasonable. At the very least, wouldn't that be better PR?
I guess there's still enough young and naive (or desperate) people out there willing to join the military so it's not necessary to "waste" money on good PR yet
You don't have to care about PR when you're the government. Especially if you're in an unelected position. There are so many similar stories from the military that have gone on for decades. They just don't care.
Of that hundred of billions we spend on the military just over a third of it goes to military benefits (Based on 2019 congressional reports). You clearly do not know what you are talking about and had you done a cursory google search would have realized that in comparison the US doesn't actually in fact spend more on weapon systems then it does on the well being of its own soldiers.
It's honestly mainly for weapons and throwing out goods such as electronics to justify the high levels of spending, they don't care about the people who are giving their lives, they just want bodies that can be trained to kill other humans and will spread their political messages. This is coming from the son of a large catholic military family btw, it's gross to see how my folks and others have been abanonded by the country that supposedly loves them.
It’s shameful how countries don’t look after their veterans. My cousin was blown up by a landmine in Afghanistan when in the Australian Defence Force. He has the body of a old man but is only 33. Receiving help is like trying to get blood out of stone. And we have universal healthcare. But veterans require specialised help, and lifelong too. He lives in pain every day, and as a physician it makes me so bitterly angry.
My heart goes out to your cousin and I agree. Countries are quick to hype up military service but will turn their back to help those who survive and serve. It makes me upset because many of these individuals suffer needlessly
Universal healthcare is the problem IMO. The VA in the US is universal too. When I was doing charity work for WW2 and Korea vets it took 3+ hours on the phone just to get them to listen. It's just like he said in the vid, private HC will bleed you dry but at least they help right away, or you can wait 6+ months to get a good price. Pick your poison.
What was he doing in Afghanistan ? Helping bombing innocents with the name of “fighting terr….” Just look what America did recently they have stolen Afghanys money leaving them starving Try to know what your country actually do
I am not a veteran, but this is so infuriating that not just the U.S., but other advanced Western nations throw away those who serve the greater good as if they are the very waste they burned. Politicians, LEARN THE LESSON DAMNIT!!
6 years of active duty was all I was willing to give. The carelessness and oftentimes neglect from leadership and military doctors is rampant. This video is so important. Thank you
A friend of mine was a Marine who served in Desert Storm. He got stuck downwind from some of the burning oil rigs when his unit was denied permission to move to a clearer area. He ended up having damage to his lungs, and his sinuses basically burned out. He ended up living the rest of his life with constant nasal drip and a loss of about 80% of his sense of smell. Then when he was 38 he got a case of the flu and thanks to the damage done in Iraq and Kuwait it developed into pneumonia, which caused him to develop blood clots in his lungs, which ultimately killed him.
Thank you for your service. I am grateful for ChubbyEmu and celebrities like Jon Stewart bringing attention to this horror. We spend so much on defense, why... oh why can't we spend some of that money on those people who suffered to serve.
I did 8. I came from a military family too. My dad got agent orange, he believed my breast cancer was military related, I was diagnosed at age 32 with stage 3.
Christ, deployed for a pointless war, and lied to about the risks of what they were doing, and then for all of that sacrifice the soldiers have to deal with the VA system? Just awful.
Agreed. Fucking disgusting. Not a fan of these wars pushed by media and "intelligence" agencies...but everytime I see a vet in need it hurts my heart. These are not numbers on a sheet of paper. They're human beings who volunteered to stand at the front line of a dangerous position. They should be given the treatment they earned for making that choice.
@@AxionSmurf it's the same "free healthcare" claim the politicians make. Ya it's "free" ...but you'll get a prescription for Tylenol and water...and told to come back in 6 months if things get worse.
@@michaeloxlong the US is more than capable of adopting a healthcare system that resembles the developed world. We’re the only country this rich and this far behind
When we think about “supporting our troops” this is the the type of thing that we SHOULD be thinking about. Remember, they have no civil rights to avoid hazardous waste when on duty.
This is the number one reason I wouldn’t join the military, other than my chronic foot injury. I have a cousin who had an older friend who was in a unit which handled some kind of radioactive material. Every single person in that unit died one by one of Hodgkin’s lymphoma until it killed his friend lastly. My cousin never forgave Uncle Sam for that.
@Yummy Spaghetti Noodles Lack of training, leadership, or faulty equipment could be the case. It doesn’t take much time to give people radiation poisoning when things fail
A veteran, Wes Black, passed away in November 2021 from stage 4 colon cancer directly related to the Burn Pits. He tried to sue for misdiagnoses. The way the U.S has treated veterans associated with burn pits is extremely distressing.
My wife was diagnosed with cancer 18 months ago when our son was 9. That’s all I thought about was how I was going to raise my son without his mom. My wife is an exceptionally great mom who fulfills needs in his life that I cannot replicate. She connects with him in different ways than I do and I’ve come to appreciate the different roles that we each provide to him. I was devastated thinking about losing her. Thankfully she’s now in remission and things look good for now but I still think about the changes in his life should the cancer return. So yeah, that part of the video hit me hard.
@@TimDwg It sounds like you really love your wife ❤ I bet you hold your family together a lot more than you realize! It must have been so scary not knowing what would happen to you if her treatment didn't work. I'm proud of you both for staying strong for that baby! Whatever the future holds, know that you're capable of overcoming it. You guys have this thing beat 100%
@@DigitalResurrection not like you just said what she said but worded different in order to relieve the responsibility America has to handle and recognize what it did.
The VA specializes in making vets wait in the hopes they'll die before being treated. The VA in Dallas was just refurbished. Giant waiting room. They call your name and you go UPSTAIRS to another waiting room. From that little pod, you are called to yet another waiting room... I am not exaggerating.
The VA in Philly was similar when I went there with my dad when I was little. Wait to sign in. Wait to be told what floor to go to. Wait to sign in on that floor. Get signed in and wait for a nurse. Then you wait to talk to the doctors assistant. Then you wait to actually talk to a doctor. Then they make you wait to leave too!
That is awful. I went to college outside of Killeen. My roommate was a Type 1diabetic on Tricare, I have insurance but I am chronically ill and partially disabled. So I have to fight a lot because I am on a lot of medicine they don’t want to pay for. If I wasn’t fighting with insurance she was fighting with Tricare .
Please tell me that this is some bad joke, or that something is being done about this, as a foreigner it is shocking how badly the us treats its veterans.
@@andreaslind6338 I wish it was. I now live outside of Dallas, and most of my medical team is in Fort Worth and I actually have one doctor in Dallas so in the same area of the original poster. As a civilian on private insurance I can schedule my yearly MRI for my post brain surgery check up over the phone once I have my doctors Ok and with no wait, but the VA makes you jump through many hoops.
I lost my wife to cancer in 2020. The way to prepare your children for this tragedy is for the surviving spouse to understand the children's grief. It will take hours of listening and understanding the best you can. They need to know that you are always there to help. Everything else is put on hold until your children can process the loss.
That sounds unbearably stressful. I’m so sorry for the loss of your wife. It sounds like you’re a great dad, but please remember to take care of yourself too, and to ask for help when you need it. 🤗💗
Great dad and very wise. But as mentioned already, take care of yourself. Worked 25 yrs in a Hospital and learned when a spouse passes the person most at risk to follow is not an elderly parent or young child, its the "healthy" spouse. Your kids need their dad. You can better assure this by caring for yourself, physically and also mentally.
There is no right or wrong way. Losing a partner young, is the most brutal torture. I hope you heal gradually and maybe find a new partner to enjoy life with.
The good thing to that is she knows, the fact she has an idea of when she may pass away means she can prepare for it, she can prepare her family and most importantly, her son. At least if she does pass, he will know why and will understand why as will other people, instead of her just passing and them finding out later why. I bet it is terrifying knowing your time is coming to and end rather fast at a young age, but at least she can be happy that she knows when, that her family and friends also know and they are all always there for her. It does make me feel really bad for her and everyone else in this situation though.
@@LilithsCosmicLounge Yeah but that's not the same thing as the drinking thing isn't related to being an adult (being mature) but more to the fact that the earlier you drink, the more chances you have to become an alcoholic.
I think the thought process of the steroid infused, dip infested decision makers on the battlefield is that whoever thinks just a lil smoke can cause adverse health problems, is a pu$*y. The decision makers in Washington simply don't care and/or these issues don't rank high on the threat matrix.
RIP Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas, my condolences to the family. Thank you for sharing your story and raising awareness to the atrocious actions by the military and the VA.
"I was absolutely willing to die for my country when I joined the Marine corps- I just didn't think it would be like this." A very sad statement on multiple levels, especially since the Iraq War was utterly pointless and started based on blatant lies and patriotic propaganda for profiteering purposes. I wish her and her family the best...
@@johnnybagofdoughnuts4193 Exactly what part is he wrong about? The blatant lies part? That's true. The profiteering? That's true. The pointless part, I assume? So what was the point?
"Here, this is evidence that shows this specific aggressive cancer I have is service connected. I also had several oncologists write a NEXUS letter to prove this and they have cited studies that have been conducted on burn pits. I have no family history of cancer and I would have never had cancer had it not been for the burn pits I was exposed to while deployed." the VA: denied lol sorry champ you should have reenlisted :)
@@avacadolanche5025this is true i got knee injury caused by ruking and i put a claim they are trying to say i had it before and getting me on fraudulent enlistment so yes they don't care
Remember, the VA budget was cut every year I served, from 1982 through the first year and a half of our GWOT. Hence, they ration sparse tax dollars and it's now purely reflexive actions from the privations of those decades. So, put the blame on Congress and the taxpayers, who whined about their tax rates, to hell with the veterans. Whenever you hear how "The troops are #1", realize that it's the third digit being raised. Around a decade before the GWOT began, I had a clinical rotation through a VA hospital. Most of my time was spent on the oncology ward, with every patient being on the DNR board. Some were so ill that they required a flotation bed to prevent pressure ulcers, but had to be authorized by a board, as there wasn't enough money to get the number of those specialized beds for all of the patients that needed them.
They want to talk about how they "support the troops", but here they go denying her claim twice even though her illness is very clearly service related. The military budget is three-quarters of a trillion dollars, they could easily set aside some of that for her treatment
The Veterans Administration is a separate entity from the Dept of Defense. I don't think they get as much money. But its still pretty shitty they denied her disability claim, or that they would make her wait for medical care.
They'd rather spend over $1 trillion on a failed F35 project then give health benefits to ex soldiers....or even every citizen for that matter. But hey keep voting for people who are bought and paid for by military contractors.
It is absolutely amazing to me that we have known for decades that breathing in smoke from plastic is bad for us, and yet somehow the military thought that this would have no ill effect on the soldiers. Disgraceful that they would not accept her claim and disgraceful that the military only acts to right wrongs when they get called out on it.
Im sure they knew. They made sure not to have specific evidence so they could have plausible deniability and not have to shell out for better protection or waste disposal methods
And look how the military has treated her, rejecting her appeal twice even though they are now fully aware that it was their mistake that will kill her.
@@AtlasReburdened 80% of braindead young people are demanding that no one gets denied or go bankrupt over needing medical treatment and that clearly isn't what the VA is doing. If braindead young people had it their way it would be a complete non-issue. How about going to literally any other wealthy country and looking into how their healthcare system isn't so fundamentally broken that people die because they can't afford enough medication yet still costs more per capita.
@@bigbigbigbigbigman No, people die there just because the government decides that they're not worth the expense. At least here you have the option to take on debt and not be forced to take your child off life support. Probably why hundreds of thousands of people fly to the US for medical treatment each year, but don't let me scratch your rose colored glasses.
The worst part about this? All the local residents who also breathed in the smoke, get cancer, but don't have the same access to treatment and have probably died, due to no action of their own and having no option out.
@@beny988 yes it's all the Americans fault. Cause we all know the terrorists would never maim their own citizens with ied's. All those pictures of children with limbs blown off must just be a coincidence.
My ex-wife was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. After years of treatment, the doctors gave her a final assessment of 3-5 years of mortality. She passed within a couple of months rather suddenly. Cancer is a mean disease.
My uncle also had pancreatic cancer but was diagnosed at stage 4; by then it had spread to his liver. He didn't last more than a year. It's a horrific disease. My condolences.
This is why I wasn't allowed in my house that caught fire even after the fire was out... It makes me wonder what the incidence rate of these aggressive cancers are in fire fighters?
I mean, look at the fight John Stewart (of The Daily Show with John Stewart) has been aggressively fighting for firefighters and other first responders just from 9/11. They’ve been dying in droves for the past two decades. Firefighters on a greater scale are already known to have a higher incidence of cancers, and that’s with filters on filters on filters to help mitigate the risk.
Chicago Fire TV Show actually had a special episode focusing on this. As a chef who stands over flames all day, after seeing the special, I began cleaning off my face neck and arms everyday immediately after clocking out. Even before my shower at home.
It's high. A death from cancer is considered a death in the line of duty. One of my friends got an aggressive brain cancer that made itself evident the day after his retirement.
The fact that they refuse to pay for her treatment is aggravating, but it's not the worst by far. They could have told her and other veterans about the cancer risk as soon as they found out. Her cancer could potentially have been found and removed before it spread for the breast where it first started to grow.
You have to be such a chump to be surprised by a government not caring for its soldiers, especially after their service. Do you think militaries exist to provide healthcare? What is wrong with your perception of the world? Soldiers suffer. Soldiers get wounded. Soldiers die. That's what they exist to do. If you don't like that - and you shouldn't - stfu about "caring for the troops" and demand that soldiers stop being created.
Go back and reread the denial letter. They refer to her as "Mr. Thomas". The VA didnt even care enough to double check if this person with stage IV breast cancer was male or female before auto rejecting them
Seems nobody is bothering to mention, but I sincerly respect the amount of effort that emu has put into this video. This is a big step up to the already great production-quality of this channel and I appreciate that a lot from a channel that is free to watch! Thank you!
Agreed. But let’s not tell him so he doesn’t get a contract with discovery channel in the future and his videos disappear behind a paywall. As another prolific UA-camr did...
Talking about telling her son's teachers broke my heart. This shouldn't have happened and shame on our military for not owning up to it and taking care of all of her treatment.
I too am really anxious about potentially being exposed to toxic fumes many times a day for an entire year. I mean, what if I don't notice? There are many of these videos that are kind of scary, like the 5 day old noodles one, but for this one it's caused by a system willing to cut corners at their peoples' expense.
@@schnoonglaandiageckeler187 and when has a soldier on the ground always been regarded as "rich men in suites?" ? on average its typically lower educated or class individuals who see a honor of a role of going in the army/military. but little do they know killing fucking people or fighting on someone else's land for a cause not needed takes a toll on anyone. BRRRRRRRRT am i right? brrrrrt on the houses of women and children, BRRRRRRT on a minivan that was carrying a family with children inside. i wish i could source the video. then we wonder why this hatred for America or western nations becomes more valid and extreme. sorry i went off track, sometimes normal people dont like hearing the truth.
@@Dockhead you’re not too perceptive are you? You completely missed his point 😂. You should have thought deeper into it. You were too shortsighted. I would agree though the US military loves to Linder but wants to complain when they receive a taste of their own medicine
Imagine the extent of damage they did to those poor Iraqi people living near by. Hats off to her for being extremely strong while narrating the ordeal.
I cannot believe that I had to go this far , to read a commenter who thinks about the primary victims in this, the innocent poor people who’s land are polluted for centuries to come. They will not only suffer now from the direct effects of the US’ carelessness , but generations of innocent kids will be born with all sort of defects, illnesses, cancers. Water is contaminated all around and will be for an extremely long time, people won’t be able to feed their families because the ground is completely polluted and depleted. So no clean water to drink, no food to grow. Another win for the US I guess, since their goal was to control the region, they will control the region all right now that they have the certainty that the population will fall like flies and nobody will be here to defend their own.
@@Those.who.stay.silent.consent That is primarily because of the notion that US and it's allies have every right to wreak havoc on the other part of the world to stay relevant and declare supremacy. Had it been a so-called "blonde and blue eyed region" there would have been hue and cry in the media like for Ukraine. Such a twisted world where masses are made to believe western countries are developed, civilized and modern while they actually still struggle to think beyond skin color.
That is definitely something. This wouldnt have been allowed in the US. I have a feeling that just because these burn pits weren't strictly banned in Iraq, the US govt just didn't give a damn about the soldiers or the people in the surrounding area. And just think, the locals probably have no clue. It's an unimaginably bad situation of enormous proportions...
Apparently the rates of cancer near US military bases is extremely high. According to Iraqis, it's common knowledge there that the US military was dumping all kinds of toxic chemicals right outside the bases.
I spent much of the 90’s camping and knew NOT to put batteries or tires or other shit (let alone rocket fuel) in the fire, so I’m calling BS that the Federal Government didn’t know how dangerous it was. But I fully believe the Military motto is “Lie and Deny” so surprise, surprise. I wish KT all the best. My brother has stage 4 Prostate Cancer, so I know how rough the fight is.
Burning jet fuel is fine, planes do it all the time, but if it isn't done stoichiometrically (proper air/fuel ratio) you get carbon monoxide and even more importantly soot, which is unburned hydrocarbons, which can also include benzene depending on the refinement process. Don't breath smoke or exhaust, a little won't kill you, but a lot or a little for a long time probably will.
@@destinysagdolls6854 I think it was their sister's friend who died but still, may they rest peacefully and i hope their sister recovers from this tragic loss
I lost my uncle to suicide 6 years ago. He was a Desert Storm veteran and was also exposed to these burn pits. He was an avid runner and in the few years leading up to his death, he started having mysterious asthma-like episodes that put him in the hospital and almost killed him on more than one occasion. His mental health was greatly affected because he couldn't run anymore, which was one of his biggest joys in life. He took his own life on January 8th, 2016.
I am sorry for his situation, and I can't even fathom how he must have felt to make it bad enough to take his own life. I sincerely hope you and your family have found some degree of peace in the years that have passed.
The president of the US signed burn pit legislation into law today and expanding veteran health care. It's really sad Dr Kate Hendricks Thomas didn't live to see this day, but I hope more people who suffered like her could be saved.
@@gamingneticyt7307 and? Like they have jet fuel, batteries and tons of plastic in a developing country. This doesn't excuse anyone from responsibility.
Just learned she had passed away and remembered learning about this here. We need to have the Dr Kate Hendricks Thomas Service Act S.2102 passed to care for those who were exposed and poisoned by the irresponsibility of higher ups who would never take the same risks.
As a Desert Storm/Shield US Marine Corps Veteran, we brought this issue to the forefront. We also had burn pits everywhere, plus we were in the Oil fires when Saddam set Kuwaits oil fields on fire. We were also given an experimental anti-nerve agent (Pyridostigmine). Almost all of us developed what is now called Gulf War Illness (chronic and multi-symptomatic disorder)(Previously Gulf War Syndrome) and most of us are now experiencing issues related to nerve damage, but we are still denied Service Connection for our medical problems.
it's a disgrace to our country that you are treated this way. but all we can do is say we're sorry. none of us can do a god damn thing to help you. can you tell us how we can help you?
But hey, the local football game is doing their local "support the troops" day at the stadium and the first 50,000 get a camo towel with the team logo on it! Cool, right? It's all such pandering bullshit. I wish our government would actually help folks like you rather than glorifying the troops in order to garner more recruits.
I am in basically the same situation with the VA and my cancer. I was diagnosed in 07 and have had my cancer reoccurring every 3 years. It is insane that the VA is so damn difficult.
@AntonioDavid-qu3zq it still has a long way to go but it is better than it used to be. I also should have pointed out that I got out of the military in 01. So I have to prove that the military caused my cancer which I do not doubt it once I got my in service medical records and my 5 year physical paperwork has toxic exposure on it. Kidney cancer demographics is 65+ men with a history of smoking, obesity, and hypertension which didn't apply to a 32 year old healthy, active female who didn't smoke.
As a kid in the 90s, I was taught never to put plastics or other certain waste materials on a fire because it was toxic. But the American military didn't know this less than 20 years ago? Absolutely mental.
I also think theres a difference in our emotional response between the usual "this guy did something exceptionally stupid and suffered the consequences" and "these guys were basically killed by an organisation that was meant to protect and take care of them"
@@Pyrohawk I was just about to say that. Most videos present peculiar cases caused by either lack of thinking ahead or an unfortunate incident. And most of although put the person through a lot of pain, do end well. This one goes differently. It started with not much of an issue at all, through a hidden but manageable problem, to a sentence she can delay at best. But the worst part is, this story hasn't ended yet. It's still ongoing as we speak. And we all know too well what that ending is.
Looks like burn pits are this generation’s Agent Orange. Very sad story, even worse that there are probably hundreds if not thousands looking at the same prognosis.
I was just thinking the same thing. Devastating that nothing was learned from the way sufferers were treated then, that the powers that be should go the same route now. Am I surprised? No... just sad. And terribly disappointed.
Makes you wonder why suicide is the largest killer of soldiers when they were burning heavy metals. I’m sure battle related ptsd is part of it, but mad hatters disease is known to increase suicide risk. Air lead is a real bane in hot dry climates because it recirculates and people keep breathing in lead
He has nothing to be proud of. She was an idiot that thought jogging around a jet fuel burn pit was a good idea, and she did it in a country she had no business being in in the first place. She died from a cancer she earned helping make a few extra billions for the people that already have everything. She was an idiot, and her son is without a mother because of her own bad decision making.
"There's no evidence" as a way to ignore common sense and avoid responsibly. Thanks for showing up KT's case. I hope justice is done and burn pits are prohibited.
I'm sure they still exist at the smaller outposts but I the last time I personally saw a burn pit was 2014 at FOB Shank, and that was only because they were shutting down and I guess needed something faster than the incinerators. An incinerator was installed pretty early after Al Asad (re)opened. Prior to that there were just huge piles of trash. Fortunately, I guess the military recognized burning is probably more expensive than incineration in the long run...
The same way that Matt Hancock said the other week that there was no evidence that not having appropriate PPE lead to NHS staff dying from COVID 19. While this is technically correct as it's basically impossible to pinpoint the moment where someone picked up the virus, it's pretty obvious that working with infected patients day in day out while not wearing the right PPE is going to lead to you catching it.
Many, many thanks to KT for telling her story. We humans don’t really understand statistics and other abstracts very well, but personal stories stick. May this story stick in all the important places.
@@thehandliesthandle If people of conscience just leave military service to the warmongers, we end up with endless wars. I have some SJW and BLM friends who have become cops in order to change the culture of policing from within.
@@BlackCeII the difference is you need cops. you don't need troops in the middle east (obviously you need troops in general) but im not a big fan of invading into iraq, setting up torture camps, murdering them, drone striking them, i mean its a bit much to do that to multiple places within the middle east. i believe more in defensive military force and oppose actual invasions but i could be wrong
@@thehandliesthandle most US service members are not a big fan of any of those things either. But history shows us the time and again, if you are not in a position to defend yourself as a nation, stronger bully will come along. I think most veterans feel the last necessary war was fighting the Nazis.
@@BlackCeII the problem with that is that the USA has vastly more military strength then iraq. they arent a threat in reality. not to say they couldnt one day become one
I almost lost my mom to breast cancer when I was 5. She reminds me often that she fought to live so she could raise me and my older brothers. I am so thankful to still have her. She is missing her right breast, and reconstruction wasn't possible because of tissue damage. But she is here and has always been there for me. I am lucky to have her. Everyone should tell their mothers they love them. Things happen to people... sometimes more suddenly than cancer. Like two years ago, my brother fell and was killed in a climbing accident. Nothing is permanent, especially people. Tell people you love them, because one day you won't be able to...
US military: please die for us. If you get sick we'll help you Soldier: Help I'm sick as a result of serving you, you got me right? US military: New phone who dis?
@@AlphaCarinae And the military isn't ran by the corporations and their govt puppets, either, right? lul. Same Masters, different dept, no one in either cares.
human instincts tell us that inhaling ash and black particulates is probably not a good idea, yet the US military bypasses this logic and says "there's not enough evidence to support this claim". The amount of unconcern for their soldiers and even the civilians of the country in which they're inhabiting is infuriating.
Its not just regular ash, this shit is crazy complex unnatural chemicals breaking down. Doesnt take a PhD to see that inhaling burning trash is not good
The US quite literally does that with everything. Ever care to look at some of the additives in your foods that are approved here but banned in the EU?
That's the part that really gets me. Like word? Supposedly they didn't stop to think that burning textiles, rubber, plastics, and chemicals in a pit filled with jet fuel wouldnt have negative effects when people breathed it in. Absolute negligent dickheads.
Dr. Kate was my cousin. Hendricks are fighters. Proud to have served myself and understand the fight for justice all too well. So proud of her legacy and never keeping her pain secret to the world. IGY6 ❤ means no man or woman is ever left behind. Never. RIP KATE. Your story and fight has allowed us female veterans to now have 3D mammograms. I am proud to know you were a true Hendricks. We fight for justice. You will never be forgotten. I will tell your story and boast of your bravery. Semper Fi.
Dude you're not kidding. I'm deaf in one ear with tinnitus (chronic) in the other from ear pro coming dislodged multiple times/not working during heavy machinery movement and firefights (2003-2007). VA offered to pay for one of those old ass granddad hearing aids from the 80s. Nothing else.
I can't imagine how she feels. She will never see her son graduate high school, never see him go off to college, never see him get married, and never see her son have children of his own. Those are things you want to see for your child. And she never will thanks to the military. Her son will have to go through grief that no child should have to. I can only hope she can find a treatment that can give her more years on Earth to be with her family longer.
And worse? She wont really be able to prepare him for what will happen. Because, you just can't. The news hits like a truck, seeing her weaken and slowly die more visibly will hit like a truck And her inevitable death will also, hit like a truck.
@Longbow657 That's the nasty thing with terminal cancer. The person can look decently healthy for quite some time. Until the chemo treatments stop being effective and palliative care takes over. Even then they could look "decently healthy" right up until the body begins shutting down.
@@elvingearmasterirma7241 Nothing can ever prepare anyone for the loss of a loved one. Anyone who says otherwise has never had to personally experience that pain. They may learn in time, though I wouldn't wish it on even my worst enemy. I'm not sure which is more painful: learning that they've died; or catching yourself wishing for them to die so they can finally be at peace. And I've experienced these emotional gut-punches firsthand.
I am a female veteran that was exposed to these burn pits in 2011. No one told me about this Brest cancer thing until I watched this video. My health has been poor since deployment. It's hard to get anyone to care about my case at the VA.
My husband is a veteran and I feel like ranting bc this video broke my heart and filled me with rage. The US Military will call you a hero in a speech and put on a nice shiny parade in your honor, but you are a tool to be used and discarded. There's a reason they recruit in economically disadvantaged communities and lure young people in with promises of sign-up bonuses, "traveling the world", and a "free" education. They need cannon fodder to keep the military industrial complex rolling and the money flowing into the right pockets. I am not at all surprised the VA denied KT's claim. Here's how a VA claim usually goes: Contact VA. They tell you to provide Forms A and B. You call another dept to get the forms. Well Dept 1 requires Forms X and Y from Dept 2. Call Dept 2. Wait a month. Call them back. Wait another month. Get the forms X and Y. Send them to Dept 1. Wait a month. Get the forms A and B. Send them to the VA. Wait a month. Call the VA. Oops they lost your paperwork. Go back to step one and repeat. They rely on you giving up and walking away. They do NOT want to take care of our veterans. Period.
I went through the VFW. They are trained to deal with all the VA BS and get your claim in. But even then, I was only approved on stuff that was already in my record. Anything "new" was denied.
@@johntousseau9380 First off, thank you for your service. 🙏 Same issue here. Anything that develops after you separate is usually denied, no matter how obviously related to service it may be. It's infuriating.
In 2010 I lost a beloved coworker to brain cancer. He found out 3 weeks prior to his death he had cancer. A sorority sister's husband died of heart cancer. Both of them served in the military overseas and were poisoned by burn pits. Thank you for bringing attention to this issue as a prominent toxicologist. It is shameful that our Department of Defense continues to deny former servicemembers benefits they need when they are desperately sick. Only through advocacy like this will they get them. I encourage anyone watching these videos to write to your representatives on their websites and let them know just how much you care about this issue. I do.
@@mere2508 My point exactly. He couldn't have died without the poison of the burn pits. He was even traveling to Houston for treatment. They have the best cancer center in the world. I cooked meals for them. So sad.
Thank you for covering this. I too experienced these pits in the same place in her pics. They were no joke. We all knew we were breathing literal death but there was nothing we could do about it. Service before self, after all, and worrying about something that may kill us in 10 years or so was the least of our worries. Hopefully future leaders (primarily those in DC) take a little more consideration for issues such as these in future conflicts … or at least ensure adequate treatment for troops when issues arise later in life
This is outrageous thata thing that is as easily prevented as just bury the trash underground the desert instead of burning it takes away lives. The command knew it. They just didn't care.
imagine going to fight a war, and becoming terminally ill for burning rubbish. That's messed up, whoever's idea that was to dispose of rubbish that way should be held responsible.
@@murry001 imagine your fighting a war that is meaningful. burning waste with jet fuel is a lazy and cheap approach to not having to deal with the aftermath of something your already doing (invading and running in a country that isn't yours)
Speaking of wigs for cancer patients: My aunt got a free wig donated to her or something, she didn't buy it I can't remember where exactly it came from. It was long and blonde. Before losing it, she had always had very short dark hair. My last time seeing her before she passed, we were celebrating the new year (2020). She felt good for the time being, and she wanted to throw one last party, she loved hosting holiday events for everyone. She was a show-woman, and loved to make everyone laugh. Lots of us didn't know she had this wig because she prefers to wear big pretty hats. I remember lots of the family in the kitchen hanging out when she told us to wait there and left the room. She came back with the long blonde wig on, which was kinda funny, but what made the whole family laugh was when she started laughing. She couldn't stop telling us how rediculous it looked on her. It wasn't her best joke, it was just a wig, but Her laugh was so contagious she had the whole room cracking up. Love you Aunt Regina. I'm sorry I didn't spend more time with you when I had the chance. I regret it often.
Yay, burn pits, the gift that just keeps giving! I lived in the middle of three fairly large ones for a year while deployed. I got home and was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, and then Addison's disease shortly after, and then a lil bit of cancer. No worries though, the VA totally has my back...
My heart broke when she was describing how she has to prep her son's teacher every school year. My dad died when I was 14 and my teachers ended up being some of my biggest supports. I sort of feel her reasoning when she talked about, "maybe it's better if she died when he was 10 rather than 13 because of teen rebellion".... some of my last conversations with my dad were stupid teenage bickering. It's different because we didn't know he was that close to death (had emphysema but didn't need an O2 tank yet, had a heart attack at 50 but he was 64 with no known cardiac problems since then) but I would've done anything in retrospect to have been a better daughter in his last few years.
I lost my grandpa due to a hospital born illness from a procedure he didn't need for a disease that wasn't serious. My whole life I had tried so hard to never disappoint him, but just the year he died id done something stupid and made him mad for the first time ever. I know he still loved me with all his heart in the end, but my stupidity doesn't make me feel any better.
Just yesterday i heard a psychology lecture about the issue that sharing the same traumatic expiriences makes you less "empathic" towards the other person because your own memories and feelings get triggered immediately so you are completely thrown back into your own head as soon as you hear of such expiriences. There is a lot of truth in that i guess. Sorry for your loss
"I was absolutely willing to die for my country when I joined the Marine corp, I just didn't think it would be like this" Breaks my heart into a million pieces. RIP ♥️
yes it is honourable to want to die for your country, but rather at your own country's border and not somewhere in the desert of iraq. no one has served their country there in any way. this is the biggest bluff in the history of the us military, and their allies
I was at Balad Air Base (also known as LSA Anaconda to the army cats out there) from late 2004 till summer 2005. In the winter the smoke from the burn pits just hung out low over the base and gave everyone nasty sore throat and the worst cold symptoms any of us had ever had. I used to run half marathons up till 2011.. in 2013 I was diagnosed with asthma and costocondritis. VA says it’s not related to burn pit exposure.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! ...For the video and the info about donating to post deployment healthcare treatment. As a veteran, myself, I can tell you that unsafe practices like this are not the exception, but the rule. No one asks questions because we are heavily indoctrinated to not question authority, which was my primary reason for leaving the military. I got a bad reputation and I made enemies because I tried to uphold all ranks to the law, no matter what - especially when lives were at stake/potential injuries could occur!! Sadly, that will get you labeled a rat, and they will make your life hell 😔
We have similar personalities, I give no shits about ranks or anything else but I base everything off skill & merit. I would never join the military because: I don't want to fight the rich banker's wars & also because they could never make me obey. I'm glad you've realized the truth and left the prison of indoctrination that is the military. Thank you for your time there though, I do know many join initially thinking it's a noble cause.
@@SirChocula You sound just like me!! I love it 🙃 Thank you! I'm so grateful to know decent people still exist. And I truly believe in what you said about fighting "the rich man's wars". It's so true. I failed to realize the actual motive for our occupation overseas (in the middle east) until I had already been in service for about a year. I nearly lost all faith in humanity. But like I said, so very glad to hear your two cents!! Peace and blessings to you!
I served in Iraq in 2003, I have been sick and in pain since… I’ve seems so many doctors for the chronic pain, got so many different pain pills, but still zero relief. I can barley walk now. I live off of 2300$ dollars from the VA. I am still not at 100 percent I was a police officer after the army but had to stop after 5 years. The pain was to bad, I hope it gets better. It’s hard now to make a good living for me and my wife of 28 years.. I feel like a failure… what else can I do! I refuse to be a criminal to make money, I can work! So I just hope life will get better!!! They say I have PTSD!!! True! I believe life will get better, some how bills will get paid! Money will come in!!! The pain will go away! I must be insane, doing the same thing over and over expecting different results…. Be cool everyone! Life will get better
In the name of Jesus I pray for your strength, peace, and relief from your mental, physical, and financial difficulties. I pray that you feel God walking with you through this
The worst part is the government knows what they did!!! And even if they don’t admit it Just fucken help these sick heroes and there families!!!!!!!!!!
I lost my mom to a brain tumor when I was still in college 4 years ago. There's no way you can prepare someone for that kind of loss. I'm still depressed about it to this day, the pain doesn't really go away at all. What's worse is you begin to worry about various other things, "what if I lose another loved one?" I'll occasionally have dreams of my mom being alive or dreams where I'm acknowledging that my mom is dead but I'm talking to my mom and catching up with her then I wake up and reality just punches me in the gut.
Hey man, I get that. I also find it really hard to deal with the thought that I'll likely have to see my parents die, my dad's kinda killing himself with obesity right now. Can't imagine what you had to go through. I genuinely wish you the best, take good care. It'll probably never get easy, but I hope it gets just a little easier for you.
I lost a very close loved one too, at age 22. Not from cancer but still. It was sudden and unexpected, I don't know if it would be better or worse if I had known it was coming. On one hand, I could've savored our last moments together more, but on the other hand, it must be so scary and depressing. Anyway, I feel you 100% on how the pain never goes away or really gets any better, eventually you run out of tears to cry constantly and stop thinking about them all the time non-stop, but when you do think about them the pain is just as bad. And I feel you so hard on the dreams too. I get them too, exactly like you described, and while it's amazing to even get that dream time with them, gut punch is the perfect way to describe how it feels when you wake up. Complete utter gut punch.
Stories like this make me even more sick to my stomach about all the grooming and conditioning there is surrounding military service. It's like the government spoke with noble enough words to convince mothers to send their babies off to die in the name of rich old people
@@RameshKumar-mv3jd The Rothschild Bankers. Everyone should watch the documentary: "Europa the Last Battle". Also, a good article on a webpage called EntityArt: "Usury- the Root Cause of all Problems on the Planet"
Oh im sure their healthcare makes the VA look amazing. Most will probably not know until its untreatable, i doubt our country advised any groups that the sand blew over too. What was wrong with just having a god damn landfill. Was there no room for that?
They wouldnt care if it was their own country. Ever heard of the veterans from the 50s nuclear tests? Those soldiers were used like guinea pigs and died off like flies. Its things like this, why the US is a shithole, really.
@@PingkPanther Not speaking to the treatment afterwards, but the actual experiments were, if I’m thinking of the correct ones, were about tactical nukes. The idea was to nuke a defensive position, then send in soldiers. At this point, it was known that radiation could cause radiation sickness and poisoning, which can kill you. However, it was thought that maybe you could send in soldiers a bit after the nuke went off to take the position and advance. This would, in theory, reduce the number of casualties as conventional arms don’t destroy fortresses as well as a nuke does, and attacking an entrenched enemy was when you suffered the highest casualties. They thought the worst that could happen was some radiation poisoning, which they took precautions to avoid… but as we know now, radiation poisoning isn’t the only danger of radiation. So the experiments made sense really… now I don’t know wtf they did later, so they could’ve been awful to the veterans.
Thank you Dr. Bernard for advocating for us! Me and my buddies lived on a FOB in Afghanistan with burn pits. I've been to the burn pit and seen that nearly EVERYTHING was burned there. I was deployed as a physician, even all our medical waste was burned there. The pit burned daily and somedays the smoke was thicker than others. I never really had visible smoke near my living quarters, but what you can't see doesn't necessarily mean it's not there. I hope many of us dodge the bullet, but at the moment, we're all biding our time....
Who okayed this though? How could they have thought this was a safe and decent thing to do? Even if they genuinely didn’t consider the health risks, they had to have at least known of the environmental havoc this would cause?! I just don’t understand smh.
What about the afghans? You went to their country uninvited and built and used a burn pit. I have never seen a burn pit in the US. You will have access to the best medical intervention if anything happens & the ability to say goodbye to loved ones. They will just die and any dependents too. While I do respect what you did, and I feel sympathy towards your circumstance and pray nothing happens to you, i find it disheartening that no one is thinking of the other side of the coin or what is currently being done to clean up the site.
@@HyperVectra Welcome to modern racism; we don't hear the stories of the colored soldiers, and there will be zero support or even thoughts given for the brown victims in Afghanistan and Iraq. Just like Iraq, many parts of Afghanistan also get dust storms which will spread those toxins for decades to come. There was no reason the US couldn't have maintained a base in Afghanistan, just as they do throughout Europe and some other Asian countries. Afghanistan and Xinjiang (Where Uighurs live) which border each other are among the most strategic locations in the world because together they connect Russia, China, and Iran to each other. Maintaining a base there would seriously dampen any cooperation between the 3 biggest enemies of the US. Now Iran can drive drones straight to Russia to use against Ukraine. Russia can drive weapons, tanks, and nuclear scientists straight to Iran. Iran can export fuel straight to China. China can take modern technology straight to Iran. And the Taliban can collect the tolls for that.
@@HyperVectra I couldn't agree with you more. But as history usually repeats itself, unfortunately often our country puts the needs of other countries as an afterthought, when convenience only benefits us. I can't imagine what kinda water run off through the rivers and surrounding ground infiltration of toxic chemicals are being infused into the local area. It IS a shame.
This absolutely broke my heart. I hope she appeals with the VA once again and gets the compensation and treatment she deserves. God bless her and her family ❤️
Dr Kate Hendricks Thomas passed away on April 5 2022 at the age of 42 and 4 years after her diagnosis. This video was recorded May 16 2021 and published June 21 2021. Burn Pits 360 and other groups have advocated for the Dr Kate Hendricks Thomas Service Act S.2102 to help Veterans who were exposed to burn pits during their deployment
hey
hi
sup
Hello
Hi!! I love your videos
Doctor: your cancer will kill you in 5-6 years
Military: we’ll get back to you in 5-6 years
More like we will get back to you in 6 years and a month.
They're doing that thing where they make excuses why they cant cover you until you die that insurance companies do but they understand that they're only able to get away with it on one person
Or maybe they can just do this and veterans are forgotten
or never 💀
its hurry up and dying before the claim as my gpa nam vet said if that goddamn va truly gave a shit i wouldve got my money from agent orange in the early 90s. took until 2011. They want and are waiting for you to die so they don't have to pay you out.
@@busimagen and thus it can be under funded without saying they are under funding the military. The issues stem way farther than just underfunding to some branches having bad doctors, not having enough doctors, some only have nurses and having to share doctors between that one and another one, the amount of people who need help makes it seem like hiring more staff would be a need but it isn't done, etc. with management of HR issues. The main reason given? Not enough money to go around and bad local management. IE push the blame to another person instead of taking the fault as the person above them.
There is no way - 0% chance that the U.S. military didn't know that burn pits were going to harm anyone who went near them. If you burn plastic like PVC it releases poison gasses. The military are experts in chemical weapons. This is high school chemistry.
High school? I learned that breathing in smoke is bad when i was 5.
You know they would never do this on US soil, but if it's on foreign land they're okay with it.
Shame on US for how horrible we treat those who served our country. For shame for SHAME!
@@ZeldaZelda-RichesToRags They are just a slaves of the corp. Get real and then you may be clever enough, not to go to another country to kill for the name of there money.
Things like this are why I'm now glad that I washed out of ROTC. Exposure to burn pits isn't worth the scholarship they gave me.
I don't believe for a second that NOBODY at least had a gut feeling that incinerating batteries and shit with jet fuel was extremely harmful
Agree 110%. It takes either a very twisted or amazingly ignorant mind to think you can toss an almost infinite mix of random objects in a pile, set it on fire, have people inhale the fumes, and there not be a problem.
We did. You can’t do anything else with it, and if you refuse you get fucked up. Then they make u burn barrels of shit with jet fuel.
I told guys to always stand downwind and wear their promasks at all times, then again I also showed up on Christmas day and was the only guy wearing his k-pot and IBA vest. "Why are you wearing your ballistic vest?" "It's Christmas"
"And?"
"We're in an Islamic country."
"So?"
"We're going to be attacked."
"Who told you?"
"Alright... did the FOB get attacked last Christmas?"
"Yes but..."
"And the Christmas before that?"
"Sure but.." *INDIRECT FIRE INCOMING, TAKE COVER!*
Everyone: "Are you a spy?!"
@@cdc194 It's Christmas and all I got was this lousy piece of shrapnel in my chest.
Good soldiers follow orders.
"I was absolutely ready to die for my country when I joined the Marine Corps. I just didn't think it would be like this." Her entire family serves the nation for generations and when she develops a terminal illness directly from that service she is denied any help and basically told to fuck off and die. That's absolutely outrageous.
It's shameful 😠
that's America BAYBE! WE'RE SO FREE
It blows my mind that with our insanely high military budget in the US we can't take care of all our veterans. Taking care of current & former military personnel should absolutely be prioritized over huge profits for paramilitary corporations. Sometimes I feel like a chunk of US citizens are selfish & heartless.
@@starrywizdom is the elected officials who screw us over for their own gain
@@starrywizdom That chunk being the government and big business. Almost all average Americans feel respect for the troops
The way we treat our soldiers is the biggest "virtue signal" in the US. We throw them parades, we have holidays for them, we even thank them for their service when we see them out in public, but god forbid they need some help 15 minutes after the war is over. It's disgraceful.
The biggest enemy to the veterans is the deranged paradigm involving law enforcement. Just because I didn't obey your order you don't have a reason to believe I've committed a crime.
The holidays and parades aren't for them. They are to keep the people positive toward military service.
@@downrightmike to the government it is, to the people and most veterans it’s to celebrate their service.
@@bakarangerpinku This comment is essentially "I missed the last 5 years of recycling movements in the united states."
Yeah dude, maybe in 2016, but nowadays we are reusing plastics for things like Vanilla flavoring, Grape Flavoring, Ink production, brick production, Solar panel production, etc. Etc. Etc.
I could literally go on and on with what we do with different plastics now.
Major pollution centers are the places with the highest industrialization, 100 companies make up more than 75% of the global pollution, and more than half of that pollution is from coal and wood fired plants.
@@joshweickum the strange way cops act towards vets makes me believe it's a deep rooted jealousy or envy.
"Presenting to her primary care doctor." Now there's a switch.
Also the first time of the victim had spoken up
@@gerryakbar nah a few video's back some dude that took weight loss meds also spoke up, and basically said don't do what I did.
Feeling great - that's a switch
I was shook
@Hum4n_4ft3r?4LL i took 600mg daily for a week and then 800mg and 1g one day, then never touched it again.
I got shingles shortly after (could be coincidence) but other than that.. Lucky to be fine.
It's really not worth it.
This video has an even more devastating tone now. Absolutely tragic.
Rest in peace, Kate. All I can hope for is your family's well-being.
watching this video 2 days after Kate passed away… absolutely tragic. may she rest in peace and i hope her family can heal. i wish no one had to suffer this fate.
It's amazing how fast her health turned this video was recorded back in may 2021. She looked pretty decent in this video but Hardly 11 months later she died.
I was hoping she'd be able to live much longer.
@@justthatoneguy2515 That's what Cancer can do. It can be persistent. In her case. The cancer didn't know how to give up and just die. Since Cancer is your own cells becoming corrupted, that's why its deadly around stage 3 to 4 as Thats when its basically everywhere in your body.
Fasting, interval fasting, there are ways to starve the cancer cells. It's called water fasting!
Karma
My nephew was Navy and exposed to the burnpits. He took his own life after learning he had stage 4 stomach cancer. The government didn't care.
I’m sure there’re thousands of cases like this, it’s the matter whether the veterans raise this issue up enough to be heard
Wow, what a horrific nightmare for your whole family…😔 I’m so, so sorry you had to lose your nephew in such a nasty way. I’m sending you lots of hugs and prayers from Texas 🤗♥️🙏🏼💗✝️🤠
Government isn't a person. It is an institution. It has no feelings.
So sorry for ur loss
@@floydlooney6837 The Church is an institution. Has no feelings?
Guys, is no-one talking about how he got interview footage of her? This is the second video where he got the person affected to explain their side, and at that in stellar format. Emu is going places!
The Dinitrophenol (DNP) weight loss video also had the victim plus an interview on his second channel.
Yup, not an actor on this one. Really hits home harder.
The worst part is watching most of the video hoping that she is one of the amazing survival cases, and this is on the other side when she’s better and almost done with recovery.
No. No. It’s not. This is a family having to grieve before their loved one before she has even passed. And her worrying about when it would be the best time for her to die… All she’s thinking about is how to protect her son from the pain she knows he will experience.
He also has an interview with the cancer survivor (from Canada) on his other channel.
Eh not really. I mean... this lady going to die anyway. If I was going to die I'd be talking shit too. No point in censoring yourself at that stage.
I guess they forgot the all-important rule: absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. A lack of proof that something is harmful is not a substitute for proof that it isn't.
they just obviously didn't care for their soldiers lives
We already know for ages that if you burn literally everything in a fire, many toxic fumes will come out.
@@tardvandecluntproductions1278 yeah like how could they not go Hmm maybe burning random shit and having everyone breathe that isn't exactly healthy
It's only been known since the 1890s that combustion by-products contain carcinogens - it's the whole reason smoking causes cancer.
I'll bet you good money that the batteries they were throwing into those fires had labels on them _specifically_ warning against burning them. Probably even mentioned the toxicity too.
For the majority of my life I had been fit. Running, lifting heavy weights.
In 2018 I found I flipped between not being able to breathe and getting very little oxygen.
I spent the better part of 2 years before I found out from an allergist that I demanded the VA let me see (outside of the VA after the 2 years of arguing with them) my lungs weren't working.
I had been only one lung working at any capacity.
The way she described it was "so you've basically been breathing as if someone was trying to suffocate you with a pillow...".
Or to drink a gallon of water through one of those red coffee straws.
I was exposed to burns pit.
Gas attacks.
Burning oil fields.
I was tip of the spear USMC.
0341 specifically but 03-everythng by trade.
I underwent 2 nose surgeries thinking the problem was in the nose.
Turbine reduction.
At the time I had 2 ER visits that the VA tried to saddle me with that totaled upwards of 60k.
I fought the VA and rhe hospitals for over a year.
I'm now having to live needing to take 3 inhalers. I've lost nearly 50 pounds.
I don't exercise. I can't. I get dizzy lifting 10 pounds even 5 times.
Compound that with PTSD, anxiety, depression and nerve damage I sustained in my feet during deployments...
And at this point all I can do is exist.
I wasn't just around burn pits. I actively worked them when not on a mission.
Stirring and mixing honeypots (barrels filled strictly with human waste, which you would pour JP8, if memory serves, onto. Light on fir then mix with a metal rod. Repeat until its all ash to dump into the burn pit).
This was...2003. My second deployment I was so busy either out on patrol, missions or QRFs that I didn't do any burn pits.
Trade it in for IEDs, rpk/rpg/AK fire, and all sorts of other engagements.
The VA spends more time and money arguing with veterans. Fighting against them.
Running them in circles and bogging them down with paper and platitudes in hopes they lose their spirit.
Their fight and desire to keep living.
So if you are a veteran.
Do not stop fighting.
If you do not fight for yourself when dealing with the VA they will not fight for you.
Yes, some doctors might be nice people. Clerks and whoever else but at the end of the day they are paid by the VA and have only their best interests in mind.
Don't handwave your issues away. Catch it early and demand,fight, to get the treatment you deserve.
You deserve it for invading another country. Imagine how good the world would be if people like you stopped agreeing to do the bidding of evil tyrants? Personal responsibility.
Yawn
shit dude. i’m sorry. i don’t even know what to say but i feel like i just have to say something. i appreciate you so much. and it’s despicable how you’ve been treated.
@@clementinebriar1898dude?
@@clementinebriar1898the fuck bro
It sucks that the military is as cold as it is when it comes to care for its veterans. It's all about the money for the politicians and the big guys up top. What a badass lady, though. I love to see ladies like her. Great video!
We can blame Congress and one particular political party that consistently blocks relief for our veterans for that.
Shit, my uncle lost a leg in Vietnam due to a landmine and that was denied for like 15 years as non service related.
I did 10 years I got 6 medical problems in return that I gave up on va, I use my private insurance, VA is worthless, if I knew the way I would have been treated this way I never would have joined, Dummy me I believed now I'm paying for it,
What did you expect, they are cold to the lives of people by default, those who you are combating are still people, they aren't monsters. the only thing you can do as a civilian is being against military conflicts, keep to the economical ones.
It means, what you do to others, comes to bit yourself back.
That's why I refused to serve, I don't want to be expendable pawn in conflicts I didn't even wanted part in. Good thing in my country I could come up with an excuse, let me serve the country in my own way by creating things, not destroying people.
@@MaurerMeister00 Yep. Go out there and be all that you can be, so you can come home (if you’re lucky) with PTSD, few job prospects and a whole host of medical issues the government is going to continually deny are a result of your time in the Middle East.
We spend hundreds of billions on the military every year. The cost of taking care of KT and other victims would be a pittance in comparison. Yet, the U.S. Government is so insistent on fighting such health claims. Why not just confess that the military screwed up and that the affected veterans will be provided for? Don't hassle them, just pay their medical bills ASAP if their claims are reasonable. At the very least, wouldn't that be better PR?
Trillions
I guess there's still enough young and naive (or desperate) people out there willing to join the military so it's not necessary to "waste" money on good PR yet
You don't have to care about PR when you're the government. Especially if you're in an unelected position.
There are so many similar stories from the military that have gone on for decades. They just don't care.
Of that hundred of billions we spend on the military just over a third of it goes to military benefits (Based on 2019 congressional reports).
You clearly do not know what you are talking about and had you done a cursory google search would have realized that in comparison the US doesn't actually in fact spend more on weapon systems then it does on the well being of its own soldiers.
It's honestly mainly for weapons and throwing out goods such as electronics to justify the high levels of spending, they don't care about the people who are giving their lives, they just want bodies that can be trained to kill other humans and will spread their political messages. This is coming from the son of a large catholic military family btw, it's gross to see how my folks and others have been abanonded by the country that supposedly loves them.
“I was absolutely willing to die for my country when I joined the marine corps, I just didn’t think it would be like this” had me in tears ngl
same wow what a note to end on, that poor woman and her family
Same. My heart aches for her :(
Yeah that hit me hard 😢
Me too... so sad
That's heartbreaking
It’s shameful how countries don’t look after their veterans. My cousin was blown up by a landmine in Afghanistan when in the Australian Defence Force. He has the body of a old man but is only 33. Receiving help is like trying to get blood out of stone. And we have universal healthcare. But veterans require specialised help, and lifelong too. He lives in pain every day, and as a physician it makes me so bitterly angry.
My heart goes out to your cousin and I agree. Countries are quick to hype up military service but will turn their back to help those who survive and serve. It makes me upset because many of these individuals suffer needlessly
My cousin lost both his legs in Afghanistan. It’s very sad.
Universal healthcare is the problem IMO. The VA in the US is universal too. When I was doing charity work for WW2 and Korea vets it took 3+ hours on the phone just to get them to listen. It's just like he said in the vid, private HC will bleed you dry but at least they help right away, or you can wait 6+ months to get a good price. Pick your poison.
What was he doing in Afghanistan ? Helping bombing innocents with the name of “fighting terr….” Just look what America did recently they have stolen Afghanys money leaving them starving
Try to know what your country actually do
I am not a veteran, but this is so infuriating that not just the U.S., but other advanced Western nations throw away those who serve the greater good as if they are the very waste they burned. Politicians, LEARN THE LESSON DAMNIT!!
6 years of active duty was all I was willing to give. The carelessness and oftentimes neglect from leadership and military doctors is rampant. This video is so important. Thank you
They only care about getting their ribbons. Whatever the mess left behind is the next guy's problem.
A friend of mine was a Marine who served in Desert Storm. He got stuck downwind from some of the burning oil rigs when his unit was denied permission to move to a clearer area. He ended up having damage to his lungs, and his sinuses basically burned out. He ended up living the rest of his life with constant nasal drip and a loss of about 80% of his sense of smell. Then when he was 38 he got a case of the flu and thanks to the damage done in Iraq and Kuwait it developed into pneumonia, which caused him to develop blood clots in his lungs, which ultimately killed him.
Thank you for your service. I am grateful for ChubbyEmu and celebrities like Jon Stewart bringing attention to this horror. We spend so much on defense, why... oh why can't we spend some of that money on those people who suffered to serve.
Yeah I agree the military sucks
I did 8. I came from a military family too. My dad got agent orange, he believed my breast cancer was military related, I was diagnosed at age 32 with stage 3.
Christ, deployed for a pointless war, and lied to about the risks of what they were doing, and then for all of that sacrifice the soldiers have to deal with the VA system? Just awful.
Agreed. Fucking disgusting. Not a fan of these wars pushed by media and "intelligence" agencies...but everytime I see a vet in need it hurts my heart.
These are not numbers on a sheet of paper. They're human beings who volunteered to stand at the front line of a dangerous position. They should be given the treatment they earned for making that choice.
Yeah the recruiters won't tell you that the government won't care if you end up back home with cancer or in a wheelchair
@@AxionSmurf it's the same "free healthcare" claim the politicians make. Ya it's "free" ...but you'll get a prescription for Tylenol and water...and told to come back in 6 months if things get worse.
@@michaeloxlong the US is more than capable of adopting a healthcare system that resembles the developed world. We’re the only country this rich and this far behind
@@michaeloxlong the tortured and killed people, what special treatment do they deserve for such awful crimes?
When we think about “supporting our troops” this is the the type of thing that we SHOULD be thinking about. Remember, they have no civil rights to avoid hazardous waste when on duty.
Exactly, you don't have to support any war cause, just those who were sacrificed and suffered for it.
This is the number one reason I wouldn’t join the military, other than my chronic foot injury. I have a cousin who had an older friend who was in a unit which handled some kind of radioactive material. Every single person in that unit died one by one of Hodgkin’s lymphoma until it killed his friend lastly. My cousin never forgave Uncle Sam for that.
@Yummy Spaghetti Noodles it was probably depleted uranium
@Yummy Spaghetti Noodles Lack of training, leadership, or faulty equipment could be the case. It doesn’t take much time to give people radiation poisoning when things fail
@@Bankable2790 Dubious claim
A veteran, Wes Black, passed away in November 2021 from stage 4 colon cancer directly related to the Burn Pits. He tried to sue for misdiagnoses. The way the U.S has treated veterans associated with burn pits is extremely distressing.
It broke me when KT talked about how do you prepare a 7 year old for their mum's death. My son just turned 7. I can't even imagine.
My wife was diagnosed with cancer 18 months ago when our son was 9. That’s all I thought about was how I was going to raise my son without his mom. My wife is an exceptionally great mom who fulfills needs in his life that I cannot replicate. She connects with him in different ways than I do and I’ve come to appreciate the different roles that we each provide to him. I was devastated thinking about losing her. Thankfully she’s now in remission and things look good for now but I still think about the changes in his life should the cancer return. So yeah, that part of the video hit me hard.
@@TimDwg
It sounds like you really love your wife ❤ I bet you hold your family together a lot more than you realize! It must have been so scary not knowing what would happen to you if her treatment didn't work. I'm proud of you both for staying strong for that baby! Whatever the future holds, know that you're capable of overcoming it. You guys have this thing beat 100%
Mine tuned 5 and I cried
@@TimDwg Amazing Tim. Best wishes for your family for the future.
Ppl have no idea the suffering that it's better to just ignore it. No idea at all
She's not dying for her country she's dying because of it
No she was dying because of idiot leadership and the government cutting corners.
@@DigitalResurrection that's a more complicated version of what she said
yeah and thats what made me the most sad about this video shes not the only one with that mindset either
@@DigitalResurrection not like you just said what she said but worded different in order to relieve the responsibility America has to handle and recognize what it did.
Agreed.
The VA specializes in making vets wait in the hopes they'll die before being treated. The VA in Dallas was just refurbished. Giant waiting room. They call your name and you go UPSTAIRS to another waiting room. From that little pod, you are called to yet another waiting room... I am not exaggerating.
Hurry up and wait. And wait. And wait. And wait...
The VA in Philly was similar when I went there with my dad when I was little. Wait to sign in. Wait to be told what floor to go to. Wait to sign in on that floor. Get signed in and wait for a nurse. Then you wait to talk to the doctors assistant. Then you wait to actually talk to a doctor. Then they make you wait to leave too!
That is awful. I went to college outside of Killeen. My roommate was a Type 1diabetic on Tricare, I have insurance but I am chronically ill and partially disabled. So I have to fight a lot because I am on a lot of medicine they don’t want to pay for. If I wasn’t fighting with insurance she was fighting with Tricare .
Please tell me that this is some bad joke, or that something is being done about this, as a foreigner it is shocking how badly the us treats its veterans.
@@andreaslind6338 I wish it was. I now live outside of Dallas, and most of my medical team is in Fort Worth and I actually have one doctor in Dallas so in the same area of the original poster. As a civilian on private insurance I can schedule my yearly MRI for my post brain surgery check up over the phone once I have my doctors Ok and with no wait, but the VA makes you jump through many hoops.
I lost my wife to cancer in 2020. The way to prepare your children for this tragedy is for the surviving spouse to understand the children's grief. It will take hours of listening and understanding the best you can. They need to know that you are always there to help. Everything else is put on hold until your children can process the loss.
That sounds unbearably stressful. I’m so sorry for the loss of your wife. It sounds like you’re a great dad, but please remember to take care of yourself too, and to ask for help when you need it. 🤗💗
I’m sorry
Great dad and very wise. But as mentioned already, take care of yourself. Worked 25 yrs in a Hospital and learned when a spouse passes the person most at risk to follow is not an elderly parent or young child, its the "healthy" spouse. Your kids need their dad. You can better assure this by caring for yourself, physically and also mentally.
There is no right or wrong way. Losing a partner young, is the most brutal torture. I hope you heal gradually and maybe find a new partner to enjoy life with.
VA: "We've determined that your illness is not service related and you're only eligible for a 10% disability."
Messed up
Ooof I’ve heard this before 4 years ago
U.S.A 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
10%? You'd be lucky to even have them acknowledge what you said!
I used to think of this after seeing all those memes as funny. But after watching this I felt the actual depth of those words.
Interviewing the patient who knows her days are numbered hits different
it's gutting
The good thing to that is she knows, the fact she has an idea of when she may pass away means she can prepare for it, she can prepare her family and most importantly, her son.
At least if she does pass, he will know why and will understand why as will other people, instead of her just passing and them finding out later why.
I bet it is terrifying knowing your time is coming to and end rather fast at a young age, but at least she can be happy that she knows when, that her family and friends also know and they are all always there for her.
It does make me feel really bad for her and everyone else in this situation though.
Her strength is incredible. Always a marine. What a trooper.
not really lmao
“Glad I could die for my country”
Govt:
Inhale cigarette smoke = "Very bad"
Inhale vaporized battery acid = "This is fine!"
@@LilithsCosmicLounge Yeah but that's not the same thing as the drinking thing isn't related to being an adult (being mature) but more to the fact that the earlier you drink, the more chances you have to become an alcoholic.
So true! This just shows how much the government oppresses cigarette enjoyers
I think the thought process of the steroid infused, dip infested decision makers on the battlefield is that whoever thinks just a lil smoke can cause adverse health problems, is a pu$*y. The decision makers in Washington simply don't care and/or these issues don't rank high on the threat matrix.
Same goes for every marine present though
@@Bobelponge123 it's more that you shouldn't inhale either? Just smoke joints smh no chemicals
RIP Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas, my condolences to the family. Thank you for sharing your story and raising awareness to the atrocious actions by the military and the VA.
Amen!
The VA is aggressively mailing me. So, I imagine she was part of this new campaign. Semper Fi. Camp Fallujah 04-05
"I was absolutely willing to die for my country when I joined the Marine corps- I just didn't think it would be like this."
A very sad statement on multiple levels, especially since the Iraq War was utterly pointless and started based on blatant lies and patriotic propaganda for profiteering purposes. I wish her and her family the best...
While you are wrong about Iraq, you have the right to be. Enjoy your life.
@@johnnybagofdoughnuts4193 You've dropped your boot, mate.
@@peper757 ha. You’ve jolly well gobbed your bully smack
@@johnnybagofdoughnuts4193 ahahahahahahaha that's great
@@johnnybagofdoughnuts4193 Exactly what part is he wrong about?
The blatant lies part? That's true.
The profiteering? That's true.
The pointless part, I assume? So what was the point?
"Here, this is evidence that shows this specific aggressive cancer I have is service connected. I also had several oncologists write a NEXUS letter to prove this and they have cited studies that have been conducted on burn pits. I have no family history of cancer and I would have never had cancer had it not been for the burn pits I was exposed to while deployed."
the VA: denied lol sorry champ you should have reenlisted :)
also the VA: we see your cancer scans, but we used photoshop to remove the cancer
VA doesn’t give a single fuck to veterans
@@avacadolanche5025this is true i got knee injury caused by ruking and i put a claim they are trying to say i had it before and getting me on fraudulent enlistment so yes they don't care
Remember, the VA budget was cut every year I served, from 1982 through the first year and a half of our GWOT. Hence, they ration sparse tax dollars and it's now purely reflexive actions from the privations of those decades.
So, put the blame on Congress and the taxpayers, who whined about their tax rates, to hell with the veterans.
Whenever you hear how "The troops are #1", realize that it's the third digit being raised.
Around a decade before the GWOT began, I had a clinical rotation through a VA hospital. Most of my time was spent on the oncology ward, with every patient being on the DNR board. Some were so ill that they required a flotation bed to prevent pressure ulcers, but had to be authorized by a board, as there wasn't enough money to get the number of those specialized beds for all of the patients that needed them.
If they accept her claim, then they have to accept responsibility. That's something the US government has a long history of refusing to do.
They want to talk about how they "support the troops", but here they go denying her claim twice even though her illness is very clearly service related. The military budget is three-quarters of a trillion dollars, they could easily set aside some of that for her treatment
shouldn't even matter if it is or isn't. She should get health care anyhow.
deplorable.
@@vanessamichaels9512 they gotta reverse engineer those UFOs they have. That takes a lot of money. Yeah, I been smokin' and watchin' X-files.
Why would they set aside that money? Gotta pay the private arms contractors with that
The Veterans Administration is a separate entity from the Dept of Defense. I don't think they get as much money.
But its still pretty shitty they denied her disability claim, or that they would make her wait for medical care.
They'd rather spend over $1 trillion on a failed F35 project then give health benefits to ex soldiers....or even every citizen for that matter. But hey keep voting for people who are bought and paid for by military contractors.
It is absolutely amazing to me that we have known for decades that breathing in smoke from plastic is bad for us, and yet somehow the military thought that this would have no ill effect on the soldiers. Disgraceful that they would not accept her claim and disgraceful that the military only acts to right wrongs when they get called out on it.
Not just burning plastic, but burning it using JET FUEL!
You're not even supposed to breathe jet fuel fumes!
The military historically has been able to bypass environmental regulations by saying these words, “critical to the national defense.”
Im sure they knew. They made sure not to have specific evidence so they could have plausible deniability and not have to shell out for better protection or waste disposal methods
Oh they knew. They just didn’t care.
And look how the military has treated her, rejecting her appeal twice even though they are now fully aware that it was their mistake that will kill her.
The VA isn't part of the military. It's just the government healthcare that 80% of braindead young people are demanding.
@@AtlasReburdened oh quiet don't print that trumping stuff into actual science
@@AtlasReburdened 80% of braindead young people are demanding that no one gets denied or go bankrupt over needing medical treatment and that clearly isn't what the VA is doing. If braindead young people had it their way it would be a complete non-issue.
How about going to literally any other wealthy country and looking into how their healthcare system isn't so fundamentally broken that people die because they can't afford enough medication yet still costs more per capita.
@@Aztesticals Trumping? What does this have to do with Trump?
@@bigbigbigbigbigman No, people die there just because the government decides that they're not worth the expense. At least here you have the option to take on debt and not be forced to take your child off life support. Probably why hundreds of thousands of people fly to the US for medical treatment each year, but don't let me scratch your rose colored glasses.
The worst part about this? All the local residents who also breathed in the smoke, get cancer, but don't have the same access to treatment and have probably died, due to no action of their own and having no option out.
Yes, and lots of childhood deformities due to the use of depleted uranium in tank ammo.
Good job America! Thanks for destroying all these countries.
@@beny988 yes it's all the Americans fault. Cause we all know the terrorists would never maim their own citizens with ied's. All those pictures of children with limbs blown off must just be a coincidence.
@@K26650 insurgent IEDs that wouldn't be there if we hadn't destabilised the entire region based on a fucking lie
@@RockLobster283 and that somehow makes blowing children up ok?
KT is a 38 year old woman, presenting to her primary care doctor, feeling great.
*something's wrong, I can feel it*
buUURRPpp.
Hence why he followed it up with “But, something’s wrong!”
Checking the channel name it was chubbyemu indeed.
My ex-wife was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. After years of treatment, the doctors gave her a final assessment of 3-5 years of mortality. She passed within a couple of months rather suddenly. Cancer is a mean disease.
My uncle also had pancreatic cancer but was diagnosed at stage 4; by then it had spread to his liver. He didn't last more than a year. It's a horrific disease. My condolences.
Jeez, I’m so very sorry. You probably didn’t even have time to process how sudden it all was. 😔💗
my dad died from pancreatic cancer within months after diagnosis. this cancer is the worst of all.
@@chriz9959 condolences.
thank you
This is why I wasn't allowed in my house that caught fire even after the fire was out...
It makes me wonder what the incidence rate of these aggressive cancers are in fire fighters?
I mean, look at the fight John Stewart (of The Daily Show with John Stewart) has been aggressively fighting for firefighters and other first responders just from 9/11. They’ve been dying in droves for the past two decades. Firefighters on a greater scale are already known to have a higher incidence of cancers, and that’s with filters on filters on filters to help mitigate the risk.
It's high for firefighters
Chicago Fire TV Show actually had a special episode focusing on this. As a chef who stands over flames all day, after seeing the special, I began cleaning off my face neck and arms everyday immediately after clocking out. Even before my shower at home.
It's high, I'm a volunteer firefighter. I learned about it in training. I actually didn't know that. I isn't surprising though.
It's high. A death from cancer is considered a death in the line of duty. One of my friends got an aggressive brain cancer that made itself evident the day after his retirement.
This shows how much the us truly cares about their troops, denied her two times while she’s in a hospital with cancer
The fact that they refuse to pay for her treatment is aggravating, but it's not the worst by far.
They could have told her and other veterans about the cancer risk as soon as they found out. Her cancer could potentially have been found and removed before it spread for the breast where it first started to grow.
They are probably still doing burn pits if I know the US military. Terrible.
You have to be such a chump to be surprised by a government not caring for its soldiers, especially after their service. Do you think militaries exist to provide healthcare? What is wrong with your perception of the world? Soldiers suffer. Soldiers get wounded. Soldiers die. That's what they exist to do. If you don't like that - and you shouldn't - stfu about "caring for the troops" and demand that soldiers stop being created.
They only care (and only care about their combat capabilities) about active duty soldiers, not veterans.
Go back and reread the denial letter. They refer to her as "Mr. Thomas". The VA didnt even care enough to double check if this person with stage IV breast cancer was male or female before auto rejecting them
Seems nobody is bothering to mention, but I sincerly respect the amount of effort that emu has put into this video. This is a big step up to the already great production-quality of this channel and I appreciate that a lot from a channel that is free to watch! Thank you!
it's fantastic
666th like.
Wahgwan
Shame he stands so close to the camera with that face
Agreed. But let’s not tell him so he doesn’t get a contract with discovery channel in the future and his videos disappear behind a paywall. As another prolific UA-camr did...
Talking about telling her son's teachers broke my heart. This shouldn't have happened and shame on our military for not owning up to it and taking care of all of her treatment.
A man watched chubbyemu, this is how he developed general anxiety
Yes, ty
Lmao. Naw I had anxiety to begin with.
I too am really anxious about potentially being exposed to toxic fumes many times a day for an entire year. I mean, what if I don't notice?
There are many of these videos that are kind of scary, like the 5 day old noodles one, but for this one it's caused by a system willing to cut corners at their peoples' expense.
And hypochondria. Word.
UI *pause* is a 23 years old man *pause* presenting to the emergency room, very agitated.
You’re cared for as long as you’re usable as an asset. When that’s gone, you’re nothing but dust to the military.
By military you mean, rich men in suites?
@@schnoonglaandiageckeler187 and when has a soldier on the ground always been regarded as "rich men in suites?" ?
on average its typically lower educated or class individuals who see a honor of a role of going in the army/military. but little do they know killing fucking people or fighting on someone else's land for a cause not needed takes a toll on anyone.
BRRRRRRRRT am i right? brrrrrt on the houses of women and children, BRRRRRRT on a minivan that was carrying a family with children inside. i wish i could source the video.
then we wonder why this hatred for America or western nations becomes more valid and extreme.
sorry i went off track, sometimes normal people dont like hearing the truth.
@@schnoonglaandiageckeler187 No he means the military, the higher ups in the military are just as guilty as the people funding them
@@Dockhead you’re not too perceptive are you? You completely missed his point 😂. You should have thought deeper into it. You were too shortsighted. I would agree though the US military loves to Linder but wants to complain when they receive a taste of their own medicine
Or worse..a liability.
Breaking news: The American military isn't truthful - now for the weather.
And the weather is a lie much of the time as well. Now on to politics.
@@bradvanhemelryck2860 Politics lie most of the time. Now onto society
@@sushi-mayo
Society lies. On to this random segment with cats.
@@beanman6684 Cats can lie about eating mice. Now onto another segment with Snakes.
@@vistagreat9994 Snakes always lie because they have no limbs. The following topic will be about space.
Imagine the extent of damage they did to those poor Iraqi people living near by. Hats off to her for being extremely strong while narrating the ordeal.
I cannot believe that I had to go this far , to read a commenter who thinks about the primary victims in this, the innocent poor people who’s land are polluted for centuries to come.
They will not only suffer now from the direct effects of the US’ carelessness , but generations of innocent kids will be born with all sort of defects, illnesses, cancers.
Water is contaminated all around and will be for an extremely long time, people won’t be able to feed their families because the ground is completely polluted and depleted.
So no clean water to drink, no food to grow.
Another win for the US I guess, since their goal was to control the region, they will control the region all right now that they have the certainty that the population will fall like flies and nobody will be here to defend their own.
@@Those.who.stay.silent.consent That is primarily because of the notion that US and it's allies have every right to wreak havoc on the other part of the world to stay relevant and declare supremacy. Had it been a so-called "blonde and blue eyed region" there would have been hue and cry in the media like for Ukraine. Such a twisted world where masses are made to believe western countries are developed, civilized and modern while they actually still struggle to think beyond skin color.
That is definitely something. This wouldnt have been allowed in the US. I have a feeling that just because these burn pits weren't strictly banned in Iraq, the US govt just didn't give a damn about the soldiers or the people in the surrounding area. And just think, the locals probably have no clue. It's an unimaginably bad situation of enormous proportions...
Yea yea but Izzrael said they were scared and we had to do something to stop Saddam, otherwise we were being literally Hitler. Literally Hitler
Apparently the rates of cancer near US military bases is extremely high. According to Iraqis, it's common knowledge there that the US military was dumping all kinds of toxic chemicals right outside the bases.
I spent much of the 90’s camping and knew NOT to put batteries or tires or other shit (let alone rocket fuel) in the fire, so I’m calling BS that the Federal Government didn’t know how dangerous it was. But I fully believe the Military motto is “Lie and Deny” so surprise, surprise. I wish KT all the best. My brother has stage 4 Prostate Cancer, so I know how rough the fight is.
Jet fuel, aka kerosene.
@@confusedwhale This. People still use kerosene lamps today as means of lighting in places where electricity is hard to come by
@@confusedwhale military jet fuel uses benzene too
Stage 4.. damn man I'm sorry.
Hope you're doing well.
Burning jet fuel is fine, planes do it all the time, but if it isn't done stoichiometrically (proper air/fuel ratio) you get carbon monoxide and even more importantly soot, which is unburned hydrocarbons, which can also include benzene depending on the refinement process. Don't breath smoke or exhaust, a little won't kill you, but a lot or a little for a long time probably will.
My sister lost her friend from this. She got cancer and died in her early 30s. She left behind a husband, toddler and teenage daughter.
I'm so sorry to hear that. This is horrible.
rip
I'm sorry for your loss. May your sister's friend Rest in Peace
❤❤❤❤❤
Rip
@@destinysagdolls6854 I think it was their sister's friend who died
but still, may they rest peacefully and i hope their sister recovers from this tragic loss
I lost my uncle to suicide 6 years ago. He was a Desert Storm veteran and was also exposed to these burn pits. He was an avid runner and in the few years leading up to his death, he started having mysterious asthma-like episodes that put him in the hospital and almost killed him on more than one occasion. His mental health was greatly affected because he couldn't run anymore, which was one of his biggest joys in life. He took his own life on January 8th, 2016.
So sorry for your loss
I'm so very sorry.
🏃LoL
@Cмерть в бахилах I'm sorry what the fuck??! Sorry for your loss. Jesus this man.
I am sorry for his situation, and I can't even fathom how he must have felt to make it bad enough to take his own life.
I sincerely hope you and your family have found some degree of peace in the years that have passed.
The president of the US signed burn pit legislation into law today and expanding veteran health care. It's really sad Dr Kate Hendricks Thomas didn't live to see this day, but I hope more people who suffered like her could be saved.
Finally Biden did something useful
@@almir-chan9570 forreal
@@almir-chan9570 His son died from this as well, otherwise , yeah, useless.
Her legacy will live on through it
I can only imagine what the impact has been on the local populations who don’t have access to advanced cancer care.
They were burning shit long before American involvement
@@gamingneticyt7307 and? Like they have jet fuel, batteries and tons of plastic in a developing country. This doesn't excuse anyone from responsibility.
@@gamingneticyt7307 they were only burning plastics and paper
@@ಮಮತ_onlyone household waste doesn't only contain plastic and paper
@@gamingneticyt7307 I don't think they used jet fuel
And the DoD doesn't care. Look at how our veterans are treated. 22 suicides every day. It's despicable.
Just because somebody is willing to give their life doesn't mean you should be careless with it.
I dont think it was standard protocol to workout around the burn pit. Part of it was her fault.
@@pluto8404 wrong, she even mentioned herself that the toxic air was even inside buildings on the fob
@@pluto8404 Wasn't her fault and she still got denied twice. Almost as if soldiers are used up and thrown away
'Merica
@@TheGhostThatWas Because the rest of the world's militaries are all about not doing stuff like this, lol.
Just learned she had passed away and remembered learning about this here. We need to have the Dr Kate Hendricks Thomas Service Act S.2102 passed to care for those who were exposed and poisoned by the irresponsibility of higher ups who would never take the same risks.
"I was absolutely willing to die when I joined the marine corp. I just didn't think it would be like this."
I started crying when she said that..
You could have quoted her correctly, man.
now she's not dying for it, but because of it. big difference.
Actually cringe to be willing to die for your country in the first place lol.
@@Oeggonom how old are you?
God... Having to tell your kid's teacher every year that he might suffer a bereavement is heartbreaking.
i agree. she should pay me to deliver the message instead I'd use a tiny violin an everything!
As a Desert Storm/Shield US Marine Corps Veteran, we brought this issue to the forefront. We also had burn pits everywhere, plus we were in the Oil fires when Saddam set Kuwaits oil fields on fire. We were also given an experimental anti-nerve agent (Pyridostigmine).
Almost all of us developed what is now called Gulf War Illness (chronic and multi-symptomatic disorder)(Previously Gulf War Syndrome) and most of us are now experiencing issues related to nerve damage, but we are still denied Service Connection for our medical problems.
Thats so messed up the military needs to be held accountable for this type of action.
it's a disgrace to our country that you are treated this way.
but all we can do is say we're sorry. none of us can do a god damn thing to help you.
can you tell us how we can help you?
But hey, the local football game is doing their local "support the troops" day at the stadium and the first 50,000 get a camo towel with the team logo on it! Cool, right?
It's all such pandering bullshit. I wish our government would actually help folks like you rather than glorifying the troops in order to garner more recruits.
Did you or any one you know wind up with GERDS, almost every one I served with during the Iraq-Afgan war wound up with it
I am so sorry for what they did to you. 😞
I am in basically the same situation with the VA and my cancer. I was diagnosed in 07 and have had my cancer reoccurring every 3 years. It is insane that the VA is so damn difficult.
As a mere civilian I have to say the VA churns out the best anti-recruitment propaganda
@AntonioDavid-qu3zq it still has a long way to go but it is better than it used to be. I also should have pointed out that I got out of the military in 01. So I have to prove that the military caused my cancer which I do not doubt it once I got my in service medical records and my 5 year physical paperwork has toxic exposure on it. Kidney cancer demographics is 65+ men with a history of smoking, obesity, and hypertension which didn't apply to a 32 year old healthy, active female who didn't smoke.
As a kid in the 90s, I was taught never to put plastics or other certain waste materials on a fire because it was toxic. But the American military didn't know this less than 20 years ago? Absolutely mental.
Nah they knew about it they just didn't care
Sometimes we forget a case report is associated with a real person... This episode is somehow especially sad.
I also think theres a difference in our emotional response between the usual "this guy did something exceptionally stupid and suffered the consequences" and "these guys were basically killed by an organisation that was meant to protect and take care of them"
@@Pyrohawk I was just about to say that. Most videos present peculiar cases caused by either lack of thinking ahead or an unfortunate incident. And most of although put the person through a lot of pain, do end well. This one goes differently. It started with not much of an issue at all, through a hidden but manageable problem, to a sentence she can delay at best. But the worst part is, this story hasn't ended yet. It's still ongoing as we speak. And we all know too well what that ending is.
Looks like burn pits are this generation’s Agent Orange. Very sad story, even worse that there are probably hundreds if not thousands looking at the same prognosis.
I was just thinking the same thing. Devastating that nothing was learned from the way sufferers were treated then, that the powers that be should go the same route now.
Am I surprised? No... just sad. And terribly disappointed.
Makes you wonder why suicide is the largest killer of soldiers when they were burning heavy metals. I’m sure battle related ptsd is part of it, but mad hatters disease is known to increase suicide risk. Air lead is a real bane in hot dry climates because it recirculates and people keep breathing in lead
@@Odood19 and now they are enlisting groups who are prone to suicide by default, really makes you think
Agent orange?
The US military sure knows how to ruin generations of families, domestic and international! I sure feel safe and secure
RIP KT. To her son: You have a lot to be proud of your mama, I hope you can take this loss and turn it into a positive driving force.
He has nothing to be proud of. She was an idiot that thought jogging around a jet fuel burn pit was a good idea, and she did it in a country she had no business being in in the first place. She died from a cancer she earned helping make a few extra billions for the people that already have everything. She was an idiot, and her son is without a mother because of her own bad decision making.
"There's no evidence" as a way to ignore common sense and avoid responsibly.
Thanks for showing up KT's case. I hope justice is done and burn pits are prohibited.
There 'wasn't any evidence' that masks helped prevent the spread of covid-19 at the beginning of the pandemic
Look where the fuck we are now
I'm sure they still exist at the smaller outposts but I the last time I personally saw a burn pit was 2014 at FOB Shank, and that was only because they were shutting down and I guess needed something faster than the incinerators. An incinerator was installed pretty early after Al Asad (re)opened. Prior to that there were just huge piles of trash. Fortunately, I guess the military recognized burning is probably more expensive than incineration in the long run...
The same way that Matt Hancock said the other week that there was no evidence that not having appropriate PPE lead to NHS staff dying from COVID 19.
While this is technically correct as it's basically impossible to pinpoint the moment where someone picked up the virus, it's pretty obvious that working with infected patients day in day out while not wearing the right PPE is going to lead to you catching it.
justice is served already, she was in Iraq killing women and children, and karma came after her...
Holy moly, that's a lot of katakana.
Many, many thanks to KT for telling her story. We humans don’t really understand statistics and other abstracts very well, but personal stories stick. May this story stick in all the important places.
As a veteran with a lot of friends with permanent health issues due to their service, I want to thank you for doing this.
i don't want this to be misconstrued as offensive but americans could just not serve. these wars are not neccesary
@@thehandliesthandle If people of conscience just leave military service to the warmongers, we end up with endless wars.
I have some SJW and BLM friends who have become cops in order to change the culture of policing from within.
@@BlackCeII the difference is you need cops. you don't need troops in the middle east (obviously you need troops in general) but im not a big fan of invading into iraq, setting up torture camps, murdering them, drone striking them, i mean its a bit much to do that to multiple places within the middle east. i believe more in defensive military force and oppose actual invasions but i could be wrong
@@thehandliesthandle most US service members are not a big fan of any of those things either. But history shows us the time and again, if you are not in a position to defend yourself as a nation, stronger bully will come along. I think most veterans feel the last necessary war was fighting the Nazis.
@@BlackCeII the problem with that is that the USA has vastly more military strength then iraq. they arent a threat in reality. not to say they couldnt one day become one
I almost lost my mom to breast cancer when I was 5.
She reminds me often that she fought to live so she could raise me and my older brothers.
I am so thankful to still have her. She is missing her right breast, and reconstruction wasn't possible because of tissue damage. But she is here and has always been there for me. I am lucky to have her. Everyone should tell their mothers they love them. Things happen to people... sometimes more suddenly than cancer. Like two years ago, my brother fell and was killed in a climbing accident.
Nothing is permanent, especially people. Tell people you love them, because one day you won't be able to...
US military: please die for us. If you get sick we'll help you
Soldier: Help I'm sick as a result of serving you, you got me right?
US military: New phone who dis?
The VA is notorious for rejecting service connected health claims going all the way back to the atomic-era vets of the 1940's.
The US military is not the Department of Veteran's Affairs.
@@AlphaCarinae And the military isn't ran by the corporations and their govt puppets, either, right? lul. Same Masters, different dept, no one in either cares.
@@AlphaCarinae the military and VA work hand-in-hand.
Ex. There's a whole set of offices for the VA on Fort Hood.
human instincts tell us that inhaling ash and black particulates is probably not a good idea, yet the US military bypasses this logic and says "there's not enough evidence to support this claim". The amount of unconcern for their soldiers and even the civilians of the country in which they're inhabiting is infuriating.
She was running laps around the burn pit ffs
Marine's aren't well known for their critical thinking skills
Its not just regular ash, this shit is crazy complex unnatural chemicals breaking down. Doesnt take a PhD to see that inhaling burning trash is not good
The US quite literally does that with everything. Ever care to look at some of the additives in your foods that are approved here but banned in the EU?
@@S3anyBoy It's not just one branch of the military, it's like this in all sectors of the government.
"there is no short term evidence that there will be any long term consequences"
Yeah, sounds like the military alright
Sounds like politics in a nutshell, too
Sounds like the NHS, CDC
That's the part that really gets me. Like word? Supposedly they didn't stop to think that burning textiles, rubber, plastics, and chemicals in a pit filled with jet fuel wouldnt have negative effects when people breathed it in. Absolute negligent dickheads.
Makes perfect sense 🙄
JUST TRUST THE SCIENCE THOUGH AND GET THE CORVID VAX!!!! THE GOVERNMENT SAID ITS SAFE!!!
Dr. Kate was my cousin. Hendricks are fighters. Proud to have served myself and understand the fight for justice all too well. So proud of her legacy and never keeping her pain secret to the world. IGY6 ❤ means no man or woman is ever left behind. Never. RIP KATE. Your story and fight has allowed us female veterans to now have 3D mammograms. I am proud to know you were a true Hendricks. We fight for justice. You will never be forgotten. I will tell your story and boast of your bravery. Semper Fi.
So very sorry for your lost rips sweet beautiful angel mom
Semper Fi, Kate. RIP, sister.
"Yeah I got shot in the face and lost my eye."
*THE VA*
"Yeeaah, that's not combat related..."
@@person3271 and he's not 100% in that shoulder or he would not be getting disability checks
Dude you're not kidding. I'm deaf in one ear with tinnitus (chronic) in the other from ear pro coming dislodged multiple times/not working during heavy machinery movement and firefights (2003-2007). VA offered to pay for one of those old ass granddad hearing aids from the 80s. Nothing else.
@@ItsMe-ic7on He's sounds like he's making this up... I don't know anyone who claimed one little injury and somehow got 100ed (ex-navy).
Doesn't have to be combat related. Know what you're talking about before shooting off your pie-hole.
I can't imagine how she feels. She will never see her son graduate high school, never see him go off to college, never see him get married, and never see her son have children of his own.
Those are things you want to see for your child. And she never will thanks to the military. Her son will have to go through grief that no child should have to. I can only hope she can find a treatment that can give her more years on Earth to be with her family longer.
And worse? She wont really be able to prepare him for what will happen. Because, you just can't. The news hits like a truck, seeing her weaken and slowly die more visibly will hit like a truck
And her inevitable death will also, hit like a truck.
@@elvingearmasterirma7241 So so true. I feel so sorry for her little boy
@Longbow657 People tend to "look healthy" with an invisible illness. Truth is they aren't; it's in the name.
@Longbow657 That's the nasty thing with terminal cancer. The person can look decently healthy for quite some time. Until the chemo treatments stop being effective and palliative care takes over. Even then they could look "decently healthy" right up until the body begins shutting down.
@@elvingearmasterirma7241 Nothing can ever prepare anyone for the loss of a loved one. Anyone who says otherwise has never had to personally experience that pain. They may learn in time, though I wouldn't wish it on even my worst enemy.
I'm not sure which is more painful: learning that they've died; or catching yourself wishing for them to die so they can finally be at peace. And I've experienced these emotional gut-punches firsthand.
When the world needed him most he returned
He posts once a month lol
@@jt5962 i still become very happ- ahem i mean i feel a chemical rush of euphoria when he uploads
He wasn’t even gone for very long lol
Very true but the hap- rush of eyphoria is the same no matter how much time has passed since he's uploaded
So, he is The Avatar?
I hate cancer. I love you, Doctor Kate. 💗
Semper Fi, Marine. 🇺🇸
I am a female veteran that was exposed to these burn pits in 2011. No one told me about this Brest cancer thing until I watched this video. My health has been poor since deployment. It's hard to get anyone to care about my case at the VA.
Are you okay
@@jacobc8019 oh god
please go see a doctor and contact Burn pits 360.
rip
If you're reading this, you gotta tighten your schedules and run full checkups, getting exposed to airborne carcinogens are no joke
My husband is a veteran and I feel like ranting bc this video broke my heart and filled me with rage.
The US Military will call you a hero in a speech and put on a nice shiny parade in your honor, but you are a tool to be used and discarded. There's a reason they recruit in economically disadvantaged communities and lure young people in with promises of sign-up bonuses, "traveling the world", and a "free" education. They need cannon fodder to keep the military industrial complex rolling and the money flowing into the right pockets. I am not at all surprised the VA denied KT's claim. Here's how a VA claim usually goes: Contact VA. They tell you to provide Forms A and B. You call another dept to get the forms. Well Dept 1 requires Forms X and Y from Dept 2. Call Dept 2. Wait a month. Call them back. Wait another month. Get the forms X and Y. Send them to Dept 1. Wait a month. Get the forms A and B. Send them to the VA. Wait a month. Call the VA. Oops they lost your paperwork. Go back to step one and repeat.
They rely on you giving up and walking away. They do NOT want to take care of our veterans. Period.
I went through the VFW. They are trained to deal with all the VA BS and get your claim in. But even then, I was only approved on stuff that was already in my record. Anything "new" was denied.
You know now the U.S. Military is using video games to recruit new soldiers. It's truly sick.
@@stevenutter3614 They stream on twitch to recruit now. It's just 😤
@@johntousseau9380 First off, thank you for your service. 🙏 Same issue here. Anything that develops after you separate is usually denied, no matter how obviously related to service it may be. It's infuriating.
In 2010 I lost a beloved coworker to brain cancer. He found out 3 weeks prior to his death he had cancer. A sorority sister's husband died of heart cancer. Both of them served in the military overseas and were poisoned by burn pits. Thank you for bringing attention to this issue as a prominent toxicologist. It is shameful that our Department of Defense continues to deny former servicemembers benefits they need when they are desperately sick. Only through advocacy like this will they get them. I encourage anyone watching these videos to write to your representatives on their websites and let them know just how much you care about this issue. I do.
So sorry for your losses. And good advice.
@@goldilockz6517 Thank you, much appreciated.
Heart cancer is very Very VERY rare beyond age 4 tho?
@@mere2508 My point exactly. He couldn't have died without the poison of the burn pits. He was even traveling to Houston for treatment. They have the best cancer center in the world. I cooked meals for them. So sad.
What do we do when the injected start dying off?
Thank you for covering this. I too experienced these pits in the same place in her pics. They were no joke. We all knew we were breathing literal death but there was nothing we could do about it. Service before self, after all, and worrying about something that may kill us in 10 years or so was the least of our worries. Hopefully future leaders (primarily those in DC) take a little more consideration for issues such as these in future conflicts … or at least ensure adequate treatment for troops when issues arise later in life
This is outrageous thata thing that is as easily prevented as just bury the trash underground the desert instead of burning it takes away lives. The command knew it. They just didn't care.
"I was absolutely willing to die for the marine corps... i just didnt think it would be like this".
fuck man :c that hurt differently
imagine going to fight a war, and becoming terminally ill for burning rubbish. That's messed up, whoever's idea that was to dispose of rubbish that way should be held responsible.
@@murry001 imagine your fighting a war that is meaningful.
burning waste with jet fuel is a lazy and cheap approach to not having to deal with the aftermath of something your already doing (invading and running in a country that isn't yours)
@@Dockhead That also, yes.
That line broke me.
Right??? Jesus, what a powerful line
As someone living in Iraq and having lost my mother to breast cancer recently, this is very sad and terrifying at the same time
I'm very sorry for your loss, Sabar. May she rest in peace. I wish you the best.
@@aurea. Thank you Martha, I appreciate it
My condolences to you and your family.
@@Omar_E11 Thank you, Omar
The craziest part of this is how she were denied for care multiple times despite obviously having terminal cancer from her military period
Speaking of wigs for cancer patients:
My aunt got a free wig donated to her or something, she didn't buy it I can't remember where exactly it came from. It was long and blonde. Before losing it, she had always had very short dark hair. My last time seeing her before she passed, we were celebrating the new year (2020). She felt good for the time being, and she wanted to throw one last party, she loved hosting holiday events for everyone. She was a show-woman, and loved to make everyone laugh. Lots of us didn't know she had this wig because she prefers to wear big pretty hats. I remember lots of the family in the kitchen hanging out when she told us to wait there and left the room. She came back with the long blonde wig on, which was kinda funny, but what made the whole family laugh was when she started laughing. She couldn't stop telling us how rediculous it looked on her. It wasn't her best joke, it was just a wig, but Her laugh was so contagious she had the whole room cracking up.
Love you Aunt Regina. I'm sorry I didn't spend more time with you when I had the chance. I regret it often.
Sad
Yay, burn pits, the gift that just keeps giving! I lived in the middle of three fairly large ones for a year while deployed. I got home and was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, and then Addison's disease shortly after, and then a lil bit of cancer. No worries though, the VA totally has my back...
Va has your back all the way to the coffin!
Thank you for your service
Oh the VA, they just love giving us another chance to die for our country. You know they'll fight covering this tooth and nail.
What’s a VA?
@@techforever1970 I was about to ask the same
My heart broke when she was describing how she has to prep her son's teacher every school year. My dad died when I was 14 and my teachers ended up being some of my biggest supports. I sort of feel her reasoning when she talked about, "maybe it's better if she died when he was 10 rather than 13 because of teen rebellion".... some of my last conversations with my dad were stupid teenage bickering. It's different because we didn't know he was that close to death (had emphysema but didn't need an O2 tank yet, had a heart attack at 50 but he was 64 with no known cardiac problems since then) but I would've done anything in retrospect to have been a better daughter in his last few years.
I lost my grandpa due to a hospital born illness from a procedure he didn't need for a disease that wasn't serious. My whole life I had tried so hard to never disappoint him, but just the year he died id done something stupid and made him mad for the first time ever. I know he still loved me with all his heart in the end, but my stupidity doesn't make me feel any better.
Just yesterday i heard a psychology lecture about the issue that sharing the same traumatic expiriences makes you less "empathic" towards the other person because your own memories and feelings get triggered immediately so you are completely thrown back into your own head as soon as you hear of such expiriences. There is a lot of truth in that i guess.
Sorry for your loss
He knows that it were just the hormones. He knows your heart.
What a heartbreaking story; she seems such a lovely lady.
: lol
@@youngstunnah3750 ?
@@youngstunnah3750 I know right? Contemplating how to prepare your young son that you're death is imminent is downright hilarious...
I love you’re sarcasm 😂
Lol
"I was absolutely willing to die for my country when I joined the Marine corp, I just didn't think it would be like this"
Breaks my heart into a million pieces.
RIP ♥️
yes it is honourable to want to die for your country, but rather at your own country's border and not somewhere in the desert of iraq. no one has served their country there in any way. this is the biggest bluff in the history of the us military, and their allies
I was at Balad Air Base (also known as LSA Anaconda to the army cats out there) from late 2004 till summer 2005. In the winter the smoke from the burn pits just hung out low over the base and gave everyone nasty sore throat and the worst cold symptoms any of us had ever had. I used to run half marathons up till 2011.. in 2013 I was diagnosed with asthma and costocondritis. VA says it’s not related to burn pit exposure.
That's horrible. :( The VA, clearly, is completely full of shit.
Bet it hung out low over local communities who didn't volunteer to be there also.
Bet you're really loving your country now, innit
@@neilok17847 yeah funny that isn't it, only the soldiers apparently suffer...
American mentality at its finest.
@@gregmcgregginton574 All our boys were there too
"To keep things clean... they would light the trash on fire"
Seems legit
I mean yeah, it is legit. A lot of places burn trash to get rid of it.
incinerators go brrr
lol
Bruh I even knew not to throw plastic into fires at like 6
@Roger Mawby Uhhhh this is awkward but historically people did in fact use sand to clean dishes.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! ...For the video and the info about donating to post deployment healthcare treatment. As a veteran, myself, I can tell you that unsafe practices like this are not the exception, but the rule. No one asks questions because we are heavily indoctrinated to not question authority, which was my primary reason for leaving the military. I got a bad reputation and I made enemies because I tried to uphold all ranks to the law, no matter what - especially when lives were at stake/potential injuries could occur!! Sadly, that will get you labeled a rat, and they will make your life hell 😔
Yeah, the military isn’t big on free thinkers.
We have similar personalities, I give no shits about ranks or anything else but I base everything off skill & merit. I would never join the military because: I don't want to fight the rich banker's wars & also because they could never make me obey.
I'm glad you've realized the truth and left the prison of indoctrination that is the military. Thank you for your time there though, I do know many join initially thinking it's a noble cause.
@@SirChocula You sound just like me!! I love it 🙃 Thank you! I'm so grateful to know decent people still exist. And I truly believe in what you said about fighting "the rich man's wars". It's so true. I failed to realize the actual motive for our occupation overseas (in the middle east) until I had already been in service for about a year. I nearly lost all faith in humanity. But like I said, so very glad to hear your two cents!! Peace and blessings to you!
I served in Iraq in 2003, I have been sick and in pain since… I’ve seems so many doctors for the chronic pain, got so many different pain pills, but still zero relief. I can barley walk now. I live off of 2300$ dollars from the VA. I am still not at 100 percent I was a police officer after the army but had to stop after 5 years. The pain was to bad, I hope it gets better. It’s hard now to make a good living for me and my wife of 28 years.. I feel like a failure… what else can I do! I refuse to be a criminal to make money, I can work! So I just hope life will get better!!! They say I have PTSD!!! True! I believe life will get better, some how bills will get paid! Money will come in!!! The pain will go away! I must be insane, doing the same thing over and over expecting different results…. Be cool everyone! Life will get better
hope it gets better I pray for u bro
You’re trying, you’re a good husband
you are not a failure. i hope you can heal, mentally and physically!
In the name of Jesus I pray for your strength, peace, and relief from your mental, physical, and financial difficulties. I pray that you feel God walking with you through this
Try some marihuana edibles, I have heard from people with chronic pain that these can help a lot
god when she talked about her son saying he wanted her to wear her wig and such I cried
rly? i lol'd
Bruh that line at the end hit me hard. "I was more than willing to die for my country. I just didn't know it'd be like this" so fucking sad
Semper fi 😢 💐⚰️
The worst part is the government knows what they did!!! And even if they don’t admit it Just fucken help these sick heroes and there families!!!!!!!!!!
What’s terrible is this doesn’t feel like she died for her country, it feels as though her country has murdered her.
It's pretty incredible you've been able to get more of the people in some of these cases to show up on your videos, the quality just keeps going up 🚀🚀
Those scenes were from an interview with another person I'm pretty sure
@@NitroticYT Nah he posted the full interview on his other channel and he linked it in the description
@@NitroticYT underestimating dr bernard?
RIP Dr. Thomas, and thank you for your service.
I lost my mom to a brain tumor when I was still in college 4 years ago. There's no way you can prepare someone for that kind of loss. I'm still depressed about it to this day, the pain doesn't really go away at all. What's worse is you begin to worry about various other things, "what if I lose another loved one?"
I'll occasionally have dreams of my mom being alive or dreams where I'm acknowledging that my mom is dead but I'm talking to my mom and catching up with her then I wake up and reality just punches me in the gut.
Hey man, I get that. I also find it really hard to deal with the thought that I'll likely have to see my parents die, my dad's kinda killing himself with obesity right now. Can't imagine what you had to go through. I genuinely wish you the best, take good care. It'll probably never get easy, but I hope it gets just a little easier for you.
Sorry for your loss man :(
I’m so sorry for your loss… I’m sure she’s resting with God in Heaven. Hope you stay well
I lost a very close loved one too, at age 22. Not from cancer but still. It was sudden and unexpected, I don't know if it would be better or worse if I had known it was coming. On one hand, I could've savored our last moments together more, but on the other hand, it must be so scary and depressing. Anyway, I feel you 100% on how the pain never goes away or really gets any better, eventually you run out of tears to cry constantly and stop thinking about them all the time non-stop, but when you do think about them the pain is just as bad. And I feel you so hard on the dreams too. I get them too, exactly like you described, and while it's amazing to even get that dream time with them, gut punch is the perfect way to describe how it feels when you wake up. Complete utter gut punch.
Im really sorry for your loss man. Goodluck.
Eventually this will happen to all of us.
Stories like this make me even more sick to my stomach about all the grooming and conditioning there is surrounding military service. It's like the government spoke with noble enough words to convince mothers to send their babies off to die in the name of rich old people
When the rich wage war it's the poor who die.
Grooming and conditioning? What are you talking about?
@@RameshKumar-mv3jd The Rothschild Bankers. Everyone should watch the documentary: "Europa the Last Battle". Also, a good article on a webpage called EntityArt: "Usury- the Root Cause of all Problems on the Planet"
It's been that way for centuries, it's only now that we think different. I'm not sure if it's better one way or the other
@@RameshKumar-mv3jd why do they always send the poor?! 🎶
NOT TO MENTION how this affects the population of those countries...
Oh im sure their healthcare makes the VA look amazing. Most will probably not know until its untreatable, i doubt our country advised any groups that the sand blew over too. What was wrong with just having a god damn landfill. Was there no room for that?
They wouldnt care if it was their own country.
Ever heard of the veterans from the 50s nuclear tests? Those soldiers were used like guinea pigs and died off like flies.
Its things like this, why the US is a shithole, really.
@@PingkPanther Not speaking to the treatment afterwards, but the actual experiments were, if I’m thinking of the correct ones, were about tactical nukes. The idea was to nuke a defensive position, then send in soldiers. At this point, it was known that radiation could cause radiation sickness and poisoning, which can kill you. However, it was thought that maybe you could send in soldiers a bit after the nuke went off to take the position and advance. This would, in theory, reduce the number of casualties as conventional arms don’t destroy fortresses as well as a nuke does, and attacking an entrenched enemy was when you suffered the highest casualties. They thought the worst that could happen was some radiation poisoning, which they took precautions to avoid… but as we know now, radiation poisoning isn’t the only danger of radiation.
So the experiments made sense really… now I don’t know wtf they did later, so they could’ve been awful to the veterans.
I just heard about this and i live in iraq
From what I've heard, those folks were burning shit long before we ever got there and are still burning shit to this day.
Thank you Dr. Bernard for advocating for us! Me and my buddies lived on a FOB in Afghanistan with burn pits. I've been to the burn pit and seen that nearly EVERYTHING was burned there. I was deployed as a physician, even all our medical waste was burned there. The pit burned daily and somedays the smoke was thicker than others. I never really had visible smoke near my living quarters, but what you can't see doesn't necessarily mean it's not there. I hope many of us dodge the bullet, but at the moment, we're all biding our time....
Who okayed this though? How could they have thought this was a safe and decent thing to do? Even if they genuinely didn’t consider the health risks, they had to have at least known of the environmental havoc this would cause?! I just don’t understand smh.
I hope you, and everyone you know and love, will be safe from these afflictions. You don’t deserve this. 😔
What about the afghans? You went to their country uninvited and built and used a burn pit. I have never seen a burn pit in the US. You will have access to the best medical intervention if anything happens & the ability to say goodbye to loved ones. They will just die and any dependents too. While I do respect what you did, and I feel sympathy towards your circumstance and pray nothing happens to you, i find it disheartening that no one is thinking of the other side of the coin or what is currently being done to clean up the site.
@@HyperVectra Welcome to modern racism; we don't hear the stories of the colored soldiers, and there will be zero support or even thoughts given for the brown victims in Afghanistan and Iraq. Just like Iraq, many parts of Afghanistan also get dust storms which will spread those toxins for decades to come. There was no reason the US couldn't have maintained a base in Afghanistan, just as they do throughout Europe and some other Asian countries. Afghanistan and Xinjiang (Where Uighurs live) which border each other are among the most strategic locations in the world because together they connect Russia, China, and Iran to each other. Maintaining a base there would seriously dampen any cooperation between the 3 biggest enemies of the US. Now Iran can drive drones straight to Russia to use against Ukraine. Russia can drive weapons, tanks, and nuclear scientists straight to Iran. Iran can export fuel straight to China. China can take modern technology straight to Iran. And the Taliban can collect the tolls for that.
@@HyperVectra I couldn't agree with you more. But as history usually repeats itself, unfortunately often our country puts the needs of other countries as an afterthought, when convenience only benefits us. I can't imagine what kinda water run off through the rivers and surrounding ground infiltration of toxic chemicals are being infused into the local area. It IS a shame.
I knew it was going to be bad when Chubbyemu talked about something that has been banned for decades in my country...
Military: *Come join our caring family!*
Also Military: *You've served your purpose, we don't care anymore.* 💀
War is old people quarrelling sitting in their offices and young people dying on the battlefield
F the Government and their money making war machine!!!!
I heard you have to sign a check for up to the value of your life. When your young that just sounds badass but when you think about it..
This absolutely broke my heart. I hope she appeals with the VA once again and gets the compensation and treatment she deserves. God bless her and her family ❤️
She's dead.
R.I.P. Dr. Kate
I hope the others who are suffering similarly will get the help they need and that the government will take responsibility.