The following article was drafted, reviewed, and approved for submission to the Department Newsletter.

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Resolution on VA Care and Treatment of Atomic Cleanup Veterans

 

By Gary Walker, Commander, R.V. Van Schoick, Lacey Post 94

 

 

 

In January 2017, an article in a national newspaper caught the attention of American Legion Post 94. The article talked about the veterans who went out to various locations in the Pacific and in the U.S. to clean up and restore the atomic demolition sites from the 1950s were not being cared for by the VA. The article went on to say that both DoD and VA denied the claims of these veterans stating that there were no connections between their work at these sites and their current medical conditions. The journalist who wrote the article cited various sources indicating that protective gear and equipment was denied to these veterans. Even the small film badges to measure radiation exposure destroyed by the humid conditions in these locations and failure rates often reached 100 percent. As a result, many of these veterans indicated that they are experiencing many health issues, including brittle bones, cancer, and birth defects in their children. Many of these veterans have already died and others are too ill to work.

 

Our Post did some more research and, after much discussion, decided that we needed to do something. Our decision reflected the spirit of the American Legion creed of “veterans helping veterans”. It was decided that a resolution would be prepared for approval by the Post and then submitted to the Washington Department of American Legion for adoption at the 2017 state convention.

 

The resolution was drafted, edited, and submitted for approval to the Post membership at its May 2017 meeting. The resolution was passed unanimously and sent on to the Department Headquarters. At the 99th Department Convention in Kennewick, Washington, July 19-22, 2017, the resolution was brought before the Convention Committee on National Security and, after discussion, was passed unanimously and sent forward for convention action where it was approved by the convention delegates.

 

The Department of Washington then forwarded the approved resolution to the American Legion National Headquarters for action. In Reno, NV, at the 99th National Convention of The American Legion, August 22-24, 2017, the resolution was presented to the Convention Committee on Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation. It was reviewed, discussed, and then approved for submission to the National Convention delegates where it was approved unanimously.

 

In part, the final national resolution states “RESOLVED, by The American Legion in National Convention assembled in Reno, Nevada, August 22, 23, 24, 2017, That The American Legion urge the president of the United States and the U.S. Congress to designate these atomic cleanup veterans as “radiation-exposed veterans” and ensure that they are eligible for the same health care and other benefits as other servicemembers who were involved in active nuclear tests; and be it finally “RESOLVED, That The American Legion continues to exert maximum effort to ensure that these atomic cleanup veterans receive the proper and necessary care, treatment, and benefits that they deserve and have earned.”

 

The last point of this story is that it is really true that The American Legion is a bottom up driven organization and that the actions of an individual Post are the lifeblood of The American Legion. So, whenever you think that the voice of your individual Post does not count, let this story demonstrate that our individual Post voices and actions do matter and are very important.  

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View more history for Post 94 in Lacey, Washington