American Chronicle – Congressional Desk
February 26, 2010
Former Task Force SAFE Electrical Subject Matter Expert James Childs testifies before the Senate Democratic Policy Committee about the shoddy electrical work performed by KBR. Cheryl Harris, SSG Ryan Maseth's mother, sheds a tear as she listens to why her son was electrocuted and died in his shower in Baghdad on January 2, 2008.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND), who chaired Senate hearings on electrocutions of soldiers in Iraq resulting from shoddy contracting work by KBR, said Thursday the Army´s decision to deny million of dollars in bonuses to the firm for its 2008 work in Iraq “is the right call, but it is only a first step.”
Dorgan chaired two Senate Democratic Policy Committee (DPC) hearings in 2008 and 2009 on KBR´s shoddy electrical work in Iraq. The hearings revealed widespread problems with KBR´s electrical work there including countless electrical shocks including one that killed Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth, and perhaps others, and injured dozens more on their own bases as they showered and engaged in other routine activities.
Following the hearings, Dorgan and Senator Robert Casey (D-PA) wrote the Army asking that it review KBR´s work and the electrocution death of Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth. They also asked the Army to re-evaluate the millions of dollars in bonuses it has routinely awarded KBR for supposedly excellent work, even when the Army´s own evidence made clear it was highly questionable.
The Army´s investigation of Maseth´s January 2008 death found that KBR´s work exposed soldiers to “unacceptable risk.” A theatre-wide safety review that resulted from the Dorgan-Casey request — Task Force SAFE — also found widespread problems with KBR´s electrical work that exposed soldiers to life threatening risks. (Read the rest of the story here…)
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Law Firms Motley Rice LLC and Burke PLLC Join Forces to Take on KBR and Halliburton on
Behalf of American Soldiers, Veterans and Civilians Exposed to
Burn Pit Hazards
Suit Claims Wartime Contractors Halliburton and KBR Knew Dangers of Burn Pit Exposure
CHARLESTON, S.C. – (February 24, 2010) Motley Rice LLC, one of the nation’s largest plaintiffs’ litigation firms, announces today that it has joined forces with Burke PLLC to jointly pursue claims for clients in the KBR, Inc., Burn Pit multidistrict litigation. The MDL encompasses suits against defense contractors who allegedly jeopardized the health and safety of thousands of American veterans, current service members and former contract employees by knowingly burning vast quantities of hazardous waste in open- air burn pits on U.S. military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yesterday, the Honorable Roger W. Titus of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland provided the parties with briefing schedules and hearing dates, including one on the defendants’ motions to dismiss.
Named defendants include: KBR, Inc. of Houston (NYSE: KBR); Kellogg, Brown & Root LLC, of Austin, Texas; Kellogg, Brown & Root Services, Inc., of Houston, Texas; Turkish-based ERKA Ltd.; and Halliburton Company, of Houston, Texas. The collective claims against these defendants include those for battery, breach of contract, breach of duty to warn, future medical expenses, intentional infliction of emotional distress, medical monitoring, negligence and wrongful death.
“The U.S. government entered into a contract with and paid millions to defendants Halliburton and KBR to ensure that they implemented our country’s strict safety standards for waste disposal. We believe these contractors failed to hold up their end of the deal by ignoring these standards, and now thousands have been unnecessarily poisoned,” stated Motley Rice co-founder, Joe Rice. “Our soldiers and service members understood the potential risk of warfare but never expected the harm to come from those who were hired to protect them.” (Read the rest of the story here…)
By Jon Murray – Posted: February 25, 2010
IndyStar.com
LTC James C. Gentry in Baghdad died of cancer in November 2009 after exposure to sodium dichromate at Qarmat Ali
A federal judge today dismissed a lawsuit accusing a large defense contractor of concealing the risks faced by nearly 140 Indiana National Guard soldiers potentially exposed to a cancer-causing agent in Iraq.
The ruling did not address any of the claims in the lawsuit, which could still be pursued elsewhere by the attorneys for the 47 Indiana Guard soldiers serving as plaintiffs. Chief Judge Richard L. Young ruled that the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana lacks “personal jurisdiction” over Texas-based KBR and several related companies.
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The dismissal was based in part on a finding that the actions at issue in the suit took place outside Indiana even if the health effects are only being felt now. And the KBR companies’ limited contacts in Indiana — they have no offices here but have held contracts in Indiana — amount to an insufficient business footprint.
Mike Doyle, one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys, said the legal team plans to file a new version of the lawsuit in another jurisdiction as soon as possible, but he did not specify where. (Read the rest of the story here…)
They didn’t just lose $25M….they got ZERO! This is a classic example of how one person can make a difference. I do believe KBR underestimated Cheryl Harris’ tenacity. I applaud you Cheryl!
Contractor linked to Iraq death loses $25M in fees
By KIMBERLY HEFLING
Associated Press Writer
Feb 24, 10:42 PM EST
Cheryl Harris with her son Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth. Ryan, 24, was electrocuted in his shower in Iraq on Jan. 2, 2008. Cheryl has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against KBR. That suit is currently sitting in the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals awaiting a decision.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Military contractor KBR has lost about $25 million in bonuses from the government because of “failed” worked done in Iraq during the time a Green Beret was electrocuted in a barracks shower it was responsible for maintaining.
The U.S. Army Sustainment Command said in a statement released to The Associated Press Wednesday night that the Houston-based company failed to meet a level deserving of an award fee payment for work it did during the first four months of 2008. Award fees are written into contracts as an incentive for the contractors to do quality work.
The Army statement did not specifically mention the January 2008 death of 24-year-old Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth of Pittsburgh in the statement but said a task force that has extensively reviewed electrical work in Iraq was consulted in making the decision as was the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, which investigated Maseth’s death, but did not press charges against KBR.
Dan Carlson, a spokesman for the Army Sustainment Command, said in an e-mail that “multiple factors” led to the decision. (Read the rest of the story here…)
The biggest portion of U.S. private military contractors has always been, by far, on the logistics, not the weapons bearing security side.
These contractors deliver fuel and supplies, construct bases, prepare meals at the DFAC (Dining Facility), clean laundry, provide interpreters, and a host of other unglamorous but vital jobs.
Most of the time they do it very well, under very difficult conditions. Many of their supporters herald this as an unprecedented achievement in American military history. Such a view has long been the sound bite for which Doug Brooks, head of the International Peace Operations Association, a leading industry trade group, is best known for, i.e., “We have the best supported, supplied military in any military operation in history.” Indeed, if you search online for Doug Brooks and that phrase you get 1,400,000 hits.
That is why this article in the Los Angeles Times earlier this week grabbed my attention. It described how numerous returning veterans have reported leukemia, lymphoma, congestive heart problems, neurological conditions, bronchitis, skin rashes and sleep disorders — all of which they attribute to burn pits on dozens of U.S. bases in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Items burned in the pits have included medical waste, plastics, computer parts, oil, lubricants, paint, tires and foam cups, according to soldiers and contractors. (Read the rest of the story here…)
By Matthew Hansen – Staff Writer
Omaha World Herald – February 21, 2010
Sgt. Klayton Thomas looked every bit the poster boy Marine as he strode into a military hospital last September to get his back checked.
He taught karate and earned his abs in the gym. He had survived a 2007 deployment to Iraq, even thrived during his prolonged stay in the middle of the then-treacherous Sunni Triangle. He rarely drank. He didn’t smoke. Life seemed perfect on this mid-September Thursday, if only his back would stop aching. The 25-year-old Columbus, Neb., native thought he had wrenched it playing soccer. Three months and 10 days later, he died in hospice care.
This much is known: Thomas succumbed to an unstoppable lung cancer that crushed his vertebrae, blitzed his bones and invaded his brain, dumbfounding doctors who had spent their entire careers treating the disease.
His death leaves a medical mystery, one similar to those posed by hundreds of other American military personnel battling exotic cancers or struggling with rare respiratory problems.
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This mystery begins in the unlikeliest of places: Iraqi “burn pits” — large, primitive landfills where contractors set trash aflame, causing ever-present black smoke to drift over dozens of U.S. military bases.
Health experts, a high-powered defense lawyer, Congress and even the president have taken notice, asking questions like Klayton Thomas’ parents and doctors asked in the weeks after he fell ill.
Why would an otherwise healthy young nonsmoker contract a cancer that generally haunts older smokers? Why did this cancer spread like wildfire when experts say its normal path can take years?
Simply put: Why did Sgt. Klayton Thomas die?
“We were scared to death when he went to Iraq, scared of a mortar attack, an IED,” said his mother, Connie Thomas of Columbus. “But nothing like this. Not in our wildest dreams.” (Read the rest of the story here…)
A range of health problems are linked to the pits on military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. Toxic substances have been found in the smoke.
By David Zucchino
Los Angeles Times – February 18, 2010
A military environmental agency that tested air samples from Balad in 2007 found dioxins, metals, volatile organic compounds and other toxic substances in the smoke. (U.S. Air Force)
The noxious smoke plumes that wafted over the military base in Balad, Iraq, alarmed Lt. Col. Michelle Franco. The stench from a huge burn pit clung to her clothing, skin and hair.
“I remember thinking: This doesn’t look good, smell good or taste good,” Franco said recently. “I knew it couldn’t be good for anybody.”
She wheezed and coughed constantly. When Franco returned to the U.S., she was diagnosed with reactive airway dysfunction syndrome. She is no longer able to serve as an Air Force nurse.
Other returning veterans have reported leukemia, lymphoma, congestive heart problems, neurological conditions, bronchitis, skin rashes and sleep disorders — all of which they attribute to burn pits on dozens of U.S. bases in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“The military needs to step up and address this problem,” said John Wilson of the advocacy group Disabled American Veterans, which maintains a registry of more than 500 veterans with disorders they blame on burn pits. The fumes emanating from the pits, he warned, could become the Agent Orange of the current war zone.
Items burned in the pits have included medical waste, plastics, computer parts, oil, lubricants, paint, tires and foam cups, according to soldiers and contractors. Some say amputated body parts from Iraqi patients were burned in Balad, site of a large U.S. military hospital. (Read the rest of the story here…)
"Hear No Evil - See No Evil - Speak No Evil" KBR employees from Left to Right (L) Richard Harsey-Plumber-Camp Harper (C) Rick Solomon-Security Coordinator-Camp Harper (R) Eric Barnhart- Security Manager for T-Sites including Camp Harper (photo allegedly taken by William Risner Feb 2008)
Raped and Drugged at KBR, Woman Says
By CAMERON LANGFORD – Courthouse News Service – January 29, 2010
HOUSTON (CN) – At least two fellow workers drugged, raped and sodomized a paramedic working for Kellogg Brown and Root in Iraq, after KBR failed to warn her about the numerous sexual assaults that KBR employees had inflicted upon other women there, the woman says in a federal complaint.
The plaintiff was hired as a paramedic/medic in July 2007 and after her first assignment in Iraq was assigned to Camp Harper outside of Basra, where she says she was brutalized on Feb. 3, 2008.
She says she began to feel strange after drinking a screwdriver with some of her civilian colleagues after work that night on base. While she was incapacitated, she says William Risner, a KBR employee, led her to his room where Risner and a “special forces agent” identified only as “Jason” raped and sodomized her together, she says. (Read the rest of the story here…)
Soldiers Fight in the Courts Over Liability in War Zones
By DIONNE SEARCEY – JANUARY 7, 2010
LTC James C. Gentry Indiana National Guard Commander died November 26, 2009 of exposure to sodium dichromate from Qarmat Ali
A recent lawsuit brought by a group of Indiana National Guardsman spotlights a controversial legal doctrine that prevents soldiers on active duty from seeking compensation for injuries sustained in war zones.
The guardsman allege that a mission to help clean up a water treatment plant in southern Iraq left them with what they say are potentially fatal illnesses.
In a lawsuit filed in federal court in Indiana, the Guardsmen allege that oil company KBR Inc. “disregarded and downplayed” the fact that the site at Qarmat Ali was coated with the hazardous chemical sodium dichromate. They were exposed, they say, to the chemical that is used as an industrial anti-corrosive agent to protect pipes.
As a result, the soldiers suffered “unprotected, unknowing, direct exposure to one of the most potent carcinogens and mutagenic substances known to man,” alleges the suit, which seeks monetary compensation for health problems the soldiers say they have suffered. (Read the rest of the story here…)
As the Chairman of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee since 1999, Senator Dorgan and been a thorn in KBR’s side ever since he started investigating and holding hearings into KBR’s fraud, waste and abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan. This Senator has held a total of 21 hearings targeting Waste, Fraud and Abuse in Iraq since this series of hearings began 2003.
It was Senator Dorgan and Senate Democratic Policy Committee who brought to light the exposure of our soldiers and civilians to sodium dichromate at Qarmat Ali by KBR.
It was Senator Dorgan and Senate Democratic Policy Committee who brought to light the deaths of SSG Ryan Maseth, SSG Christ Everett and others due to electrocution caused by shoddy electrical work by KBR.
It was Senator Dorgan and Senate Democratic Policy Committee who brought to light the contaminated water and expired food that was served to our troops and civilians by KBR.
It was Senator Dorgan and Senate Democratic Policy Committee who publicly exposed the Pentagon for their utter incompetence in managing contractor contracts.
Senator Dorgan has been an honest and fair voice for the citizens of North Dakota and all Americans who believe lying, cheating and stealing are wrong.
Senator Dorgan will never be replaced on the Senate Democratic Committee, but hopefully Senator Reid will find someone who can adequately continue his work.
I would have liked to ask some very specific people if they know what day this. But, due to the fact that Heather turned down my Facebook friend request, I find it highly unlikely she or the others would reply to an email. So, the answers to the following questions are my attempt to provide a humorous satirical response at their expense on this very important day.
KBR’s spokeswoman, Heather Browne…do you know what day this is? “Yes….it’s time for a leg, eyebrow and bikini wax! My New Year’s resolution is to have an ‘unwavering commitment’ to myself for a change!”
KBR’s President of the G&I segment, Bill Bodie…do you know what day this is? “Yep! It’s former PTL minister Jim Bakker’s birthday? Maybe I should write an editorial for that supporting his fraudulent wrong doing!”
KBR law firm K&L Gates ….do you know what day this is? “It’s a Saturday and billable at a much hirer rate…can you repeat the question please…..very slowly this time.”
That’s what I thought. It’s just another day at the office…or the spa. Whatever the case may be! Although KBR is locked in legal battle and enduring very negative press on this issue, I still seriously doubt any of you remembered this is the 2nd anniversary of the death of a son, a brother, a friend, a US Soldier. (Read the rest of the story here…)
Another awesome report from the DC Bureau. This video was created by Katie Manning, a multimedia journalist for DC Bureau. If you are having problems viewing this video here. Click HERE to view it at DC Bureau.
Backing away from steadfast official denial, the U.S. military’s senior health protection official said Monday that some service members might suffer long-term medical problems as a direct result of exposure to smoke and fumes from open-air burn pits scattered throughout Iraq and Afghanistan.
Physician Craig Postlewaite, director of Force Health Protection and Readiness Programs, said that while scientific evidence has yet to prove the link, the personal stories of veterans coming forward to report long-term health problems have convinced him of the connection.
“We feel at this point in time that it’s quite plausible — in fact likely — that there are a small number of people that have been affected with longer-term health problems,” Postlewaite said Monday in an interview with The Salt Lake Tribune. (Read the rest of the story here…)
NEW ALBANY, Ind. — Indiana National Guardsman Lt. Col. Jim Gentry has been given the dubious distinction of being the first American soldier known to die from exposure to a cancer-causing toxin while serving in Iraq.
Gentry, 52, of Williams, just north of the Hoosier National Forest, died of lung cancer more than a week ago. He was buried Tuesday in New Albany.
The carcinogen was hexavalent chromium. It has been linked to leukemia and several kinds of cancers, as well as to liver and kidney damage. The Iraqis had used it to prevent corrosion in pipes used to pump water into the ground at an oil-pumping site.
The rust-colored poison was blown onto the clothes and into the faces of hundreds of unknowing soldiers in one of southern Iraq’s wind-swept deserts.
“I’m dying now because of it,” Gentry said 11 months ago while answering questions from lawyers embroiled in a legal battle over who is to blame for hundreds of soldiers’ exposure to the chemical.
Gentry, of the 1st Battalion, 152nd Infantry of the Indiana National Guard, commanded more than 600 soldiers in Iraq, including about 140 from Indiana.
He is included among a growing group of those soldiers who are suing Houston-based defense contractor KBR Inc., which the soldiers blame for not properly protecting them.
In the early stages of the war in 2003, the Qarmat Ali facility, which pumped water into the ground to boost oil production, was looted and abandoned. KBR, then a subsidiary of Halliburton, was hired to rebuild the facility and restart operations there.
Reports have indicated that upon abandoning the plant, Iraqis slashed open containers in which the toxin was stored. The frequent high winds blew the rust-colored chemical onto the ground and into the air around the facility.
American and British soldiers guarding the facility for KBR did not know of the threat and did not wear protective masks or equipment.
Max Costa, the chairman of New York University’s Department of Environmental Medicine, has called hexavalent chromium one of the most potent carcinogens known to man. It was the compound in the California case that inspired the film “Erin Brockovich.”
KBR has denied any wrongdoing. The company has argued that soldiers were exposed for only days or months — not long enough, according to studies it cites, to cause complications. It also cites air quality studies that showed the soldiers were not exposed to high enough levels of hexavalent chromium to be harmed.
However, Costa and others have challenged those air quality studies, saying they were conducted incorrectly.
Soldiers are suing KBR and several subcontractors, alleging that the company knew but didn’t tell the Army about the toxin.
Gentry may not have been the first victim of the exposure. First Sgt. David Moore of Dubois suffered nosebleeds, rashes and difficulty breathing, and he died of lung disease in February 2008. Though Moore was a smoker, his death was ruled service-related.
Gentry retired in 2008 after 22 years of National Guard service, including two trips to Iraq — one of which came after his exposure to sodium dichromate.
“I understand and accept there’s danger with my line of service, in my line of service,” Gentry said in the December 2008 deposition. “What’s very difficult for me to accept is if I’m working for KBR and they have knowledge of hazardous chemicals on the ground that can cause cancer and (they don’t) share that knowledge, then that is putting my men atrisk that is unnecessary.
Former KBR employee Edward Blacke — who worked for the company as its health, safety and environmental coordinator in Iraq — described in a written report to the Senate Democratic Policy Committee what he said were criminally negligent actions that led to illnesses such as Gentry’s.
A trained emergency medical technician, Blacke said soldiers and contractors alike were showing similar symptoms when he arrived at the Qarmat Ali facility. They were coughing up blood, dealing with severe eye, nose and throat irritation and struggling to breathe.
Along with an Iraqi interpreter, Blacke checked the slashed-open bags and discovered that they contained sodium dichromate, which contains hexavalent chromium.
“He (the interpreter) was reluctant to say more, and when pressed, he said he knew it was poisonous and that he was aware of many workers from the plant who were made ill by it,” Blacke told the committee.
After digging in, Blacke said he was “totally taken aback” to find that KBR knew as early as May 2003 of the toxin’s presence, but it ignored both a United Nations report and an internal report and failed to notify its workers there and the soldiers who were guarding the plant.
He said KBR held a meeting at Qarmat Ali to discuss the toxin with workers. At the meeting, company health officials claimed sodium dichromate is a mild irritant at worst, he said.
After pointing out what he believed were incorrect claims, Blacke said he was told to be quiet by one of his supervisors.
When he failed to quit pressing the matter, Blacke said he was sent home. Blacke suffered health problems himself, but his civil claim was resolved in arbitration because his contract specifically prevented him from suing the company.
KBR and Halliburton have argued that the air at the plant was tested and showed low levels of the toxin. Blacke said the tests were performed when the air was still, rather than during one of the frequent dust storms.
U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., has followed developments related to the soldiers’ exposure to hexavalent chromium. He has introduced legislation that would help ensure the soldiers receive medical treatment.
That bill would create a registry modeled after one created for those who were exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam. It would ensure that veterans who experience complications that could be related to exposure to harmful chemicals receive the benefit of the doubt by leaving it up to the Department of Veterans Affairs to prove that their illness is not related to the exposure.
“I promised Lt. Col. Gentry that I would fight for his men here in Congress. I promised I would use my position to get them the care they deserve and to make sure we protect our soldiers from preventable risks like this in the future,” he said. (Link to original article)
Indianapolis – An Indiana national Guard soldier was laid to rest Tuesday. He died of cancer after being exposed to a toxic chemical in Iraq. His death raises new questions about a hidden enemy that over 100 Hoosier soldiers faced in a war zone.
It was a final salute Tuesday to Lt. Colonel Jim Gentry, who lost his battle with cancer the day before Thanksgiving.
“I lost my best friend, so it is a tough, tough loss,” said Paul Grube, soldier.
Gentry was eulogized as a friend, husband and father. But most of the people at his funeral were fellow soldiers, including some who served under Gentry during his two tours of duty in Iraq. During one mission, they protected an Iraqi plant with a substance on the ground identified as sodium dichromate. Experts say the chemical can cause nose bleeds and even cancer.
After returning from Iraq, friends say Gentry was diagnosed with lung, bone and brain cancer. He attacked the disease like a military operation.
“His mission was never surrender to the disease. To the very end, Jim never surrendered,” said Lt.Col. Dan Colglazier, Indiana National Guard.
“In our conversations, he believes that the chemical not only affected him but his soldiers,” said Grube.
Some of the soldiers who served with Gentry sued KBR, the American contractor overseeing the plant. KBR has denied deliberately exposing the soldiers to the chemical.
“Jim and his men just did what their nation asked them to do. They went to a site and did their job without any knowledge of any type of contamination. And I pray to God that if the allegations are such and found to be true – that there would be accountability,” said Major General Martin Umbarger, Indiana National Guard.
Those who knew Gentry say he would not complain and instead dedicated his remaining days to his final battle.
Lt. Colonel Gentry is one of 48 Indiana National Guard soldiers suing KBR for knowingly exposing them to sodium dichromate. The trial is scheduled for September 2010 in Evansville.
Attorneys say Gentry was the second Indiana soldier who died from exposure. KBR denies any wrongdoing. (Link to Original)
Lieutenant Colonel James Gentry, Indiana National Guard
(See Funeral Notice update below)
Sadly, I have learned Lt. Col James “Jim” Gentry has lost his battle with cancer and has died in Indiana at the young age of 52. Gentry was diagnosed with cancer in 2006. A cancer he felt was caused by his exposure to the deadly carcinogen known as sodium dichromate at the Qarmat Ali water plant in Southern Iraq in 2003.
A retired Indiana National Guard lieutenant colonel, Gentry was the commander of the 1st Battalion, 152nd Infantry, which, at about 600 soldiers strong, was in Iraq from February 2003 to February 2004.
This Indian National Guard unit was responsible for protecting US civilians working for KBR at the Qarmat Ali water plant in Southern Iraq. Returning this water plant to full operation was essential to restoring Iraqi oil production and KBR had the contract to do that.
Unfortunately, upon retreat, Saddam loyalists sabotaged the plant by cutting open bags of sodium dichromate, a yellow-orange powered rust inhibitor, and spread it everywhere. Not being informed by KBR management what this powder was, soldiers and civilians alike took few precautions to protect themselves. People started experiencing symptoms of chronic nose bleeds, headaches, skins lesions. Even after countless complaints KBR did not test the substance and inform anyone as to the hazards. Click HERE for five short (18 min total) deposition testimony videos of KBR management putting their spin on why soldiers and civilians weren’t informed of the inherent health risks of this “yellow-orange” powder.
Gentry, even after being retired and diagnosed with cancer, led his soldiers with strength and dignity. He became an outspoken advocate demanding investigations and VA coverage for illnesses believed to have been caused by the toxic exposure.
Jo Frederiksen is a construction manager who worked with Gentry during his second tour in Iraq. She said,
“He was the consummate leader and professional who always put others first before himself.”
“Jim’s courage and selflessness continued even after he was diagnosed with a devastating disease and given a terminal prognosis.”
Because of Lt. Col. Gentry hundreds if not thousands of US National Guard soldiers from the states of Indiana, Oregon, West Virginia, British troops and US and Iraqi civilians are now aware of their potential exposure. Congressional Hearings have been held, Department of Defense Inspector General Investigations have been initiated. Lawsuits have been filed. Click HERE for everything I have on the sodium dichromate exposures at Qarmat Ali.
Senator Bayh (D-IN) said,
“I promised Lt. Col. Gentry I would use my position to get them the care they deserve and to make sure we protect our soldiers from preventable risks like this in the future.”
Frederiksen said,
“Jim came forward to speak out on behalf of the troops he commanded. … I hope that his country and its people will give Lt. Col. Gentry and his troops the honor and respect they deserve for their sacrifices, while serving our country with valor.”
My most sincere condolences to Lt. Col. Gentry’s family and friends, both in the private sector and military.
As for KBR, I would think in this case, they could be charged with treason. They knowingly exposed out soldiers to a chemical that is killing them.
Updated Nov 30, 2009 - The original article in the Times Mail stated that Lt. Col Gentry was not a part of the suit against KBR. He in fact did join the other litigants earlier this year after he saw more of the documentation and testimony about what KBR’s managers knew and when they knew it.
Ms Sparky
UPDATED Nov 30, 2009 Funeral Notice:
Lt. Col. James Gentry
52; Iraq War veteran
Funeral service for Lt. Col. James Gentry, 52, of Williams, will be at noon Tuesday, Dec. 1, at the Kraft Spring St. Chapel with burial with Full Military Honors in Pleasant Ridge Cemetery in Starlight.
He was retried from the Indiana Army National Guard after serving as commander of the 1st Battalion, 152nd Infantry and two tours of duty in Iraq. He was a former resident of Indianapolis and was a native of Mitchell.
Survivors include his wife LouAnn Grube Gentry; children Sarah Clark (Will), of New Albany, Jason Newman, of Indianapolis, Emily Gentry, Bloomington, Jennafer Newman, of Santa Anna, Calif., Ellen Gentry, of Georgetown; parents George and Brenda Sue Gentry, of Mitchell; brother Sanford Gentry (Valerie) of Williams; and sister Carolyn Hodges (Franks), of Mitchell.
He was preceded in death by his brother Randy Gentry.
Visitation will be from 3 to 8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 30, at Kraft Funeral Service, New Albany.
Expressions of Sympathy can be made to Uplands Hospice, 1500 West Main St. P.O. Box No. 9, Mitchell, Ind., 47496.
Before I start in on my tirade, I want clarify I only want the best of the best for our soldiers and encourage them to do “just about” whatever it takes to make their lives are more comfortable. But…I would much rather they be uncomfortable than have someone wiring up a “washroom” or air conditioner that is not licensed and doesn’t have the proper training. Uncomfortable is much better than dead!
By Army 1st Lt. Nathan M. McEwen Special to American Forces Press Service JOINT SECURITY STATION CHILAT, Iraq, Nov. 18, 2009 – Soldiers here have taken the adage “Improve your foxhole” to heart as they strive to improve this small security station in southern Iraq.
The station’s remote location means soldiers of C Troop, 2nd Squadron, 13th Cavalry Regiment, often have to rely on themselves to do the improvements. This involves many different types of manual labor, such as plumbing, electricity, carpentry and civil engineering.
“It’s a lot of fun being one of the carpentry guys,” said Army Spc. Damon Krach, a medic from Salem, N.Y. “I have worked on different types of projects ranging from tables and desks to shelves and hallways. I even had the opportunity to work on a washroom.”
Working on improving the security station can be relaxing and helps to pass the time during the deployment, the soldiers said.
“Instead of sitting around after my shift, I will go and work on wiring or building something like new flooring for the tents, and it helps pass the time,” said Army Staff Sgt. Chris W. Hale, an operations noncommissioned officer from Vinita, Okla. “It seems to make the deployment go by quicker, which is always a plus.”
Since June 15, when C Troop moved into the area, the station has expanded steadily. Border transition teams Phoenix and Scimitar established the joint security station, and now with everyone working together and combining ideas and skills, the quality of life has improved project by project.
“The [station] has come a long way since our arrival,” said Army Cpl. Timothy W. McBride a C Troop armorer and Apache Junction, Ariz., native. Every month or so, he said, at least one large project improves the quality of life, and the pace seems to be speeding up with more and more large projects.
Through the soldiers’ teamwork, the station now has amenities such as heated running water, a fully functional dining facility, a gym and copious amounts of air conditioning.
(Army 1st Lt. Nathan M. McEwen serves with the 1st Armored Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team.) (click HERE for the original article)
My question is this. Is Army Staff Sgt. Chris W. Hale a licensed electrician? Is he supervised by a licensed electrician? Is there a licensed electrician on the site doing electrical inspections? How many others are doing electrical work?
So many have worked so hard to keep our soldiers and civilians from being electrocuted in the shower and elsewhere. It would be nice if the damn Army helped. If these soldiers need an electrician, get them a freakin’ electrician! If we can get soldiers there, we can get an electrician there!
I hope Task Force SAFE will send someone to JSS Chilat ASAP to inspect and make sure one of these fine soldiers does not die in the shower!
Lt. Col. Darrin Curtis
Former Bioenvironmental Engineer, U.S. Air Force
Rick Lamberth
Former KBR Employee
L. Russell Keith
Former KBR Medic
Anthony Szema, M.D
Chief of the Allergy Section, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Northport, New York
Click HERE to watch entire unedited video, read witness testimony and Senator Dorgan’s opening statements
I just love the way Senator Dorgan and the Senate Democratic Policy Committee does not back down and keeps nipping at the heels of fraud, waste and abuse that is Defense Department contracting!
BOISE (CN) – KBR and Halliburton poisoned U.S. troops and civilian contractors by burning an immense variety of toxic, unsorted wastes in Iraq and Afghanistan to cut costs and preserve profits, according to a federal class action. The class claims at least 100,000 people were endangered by the contractors’ “utter indifference to and conscious disregard” of troops’ welfare.
The class claims the Pentagon contractors, “motivated by financial gain,” ignored contract requirements minimize risks, environmental effects and human exposure to toxic fumes when disposing of waste. Instead, the contractors cut corners and burned huge amounts of waste in open pits; fire and smoke rose hundreds of feet into the air, emitting toxic gases and carcinogens. (Read the rest of the story here…)
The poisoning of our US troops and civilians at Qarmat Ali is a clear example of KBR’s total disregard for the safety of their employees and their client.- Ms Sparky
(WHAS11)–Russ Kimberling has nearly 2,000 images from Iraq on his computer. They chronicle his duties there as a captain in the Indiana National Guard.
Kimberling now pours over the pictures wondering why he and other soldiers weren’t warned about a yellowish substance in thesand at Qarmat Ali, a water injection plant near Basrah.
Kimberling recently told me, “If it came up they would say don’t worry about it. It’s a mild irritant. It’s not a big deal. You may get a bloody nose. It’s not a problem.”
He says he got that “don’t worry” message from workers with KBR, an American contractor headquartered in Houston, Texas and at the time owned by Halliburton.
KBR was restoring Iraqi oil fields. The guard members were protecting the private contractors.
Clinton Hammack is a retired National Guard soldier from Tell city who says he wasn’t too concerned about what he calls “dirty sand.” He says “You know I didn’t worry about it. I did what I was there to do – take care of the contractor.”
The yellow substance in the sand was later confirmed to be sodium dichromate. The Environmental Protection Agency calls it a human carcinogen.
It was used as an anti-corrosive at the Qarmat Ali plant before the Americans arrived. It may have been spread by Iraqis to sabotage the site at the beginning of the American invasion.
Currently 51 Southern Indiana National Guard members have filed a federal lawsuit against KBR claiming the company knew about the chemical and endangered the soldiers’ health.
Kimberling says one day in Iraq he realized the yellow substance might be more than a mild irritant.
He says, “I remember that day when we jumped out, jumped out of the vehicle. I’m kicking the ground around. I’m kicking the ground and everyone’s in chemical gear all protected but not me or any of the soldiers.”
He says the people in the protective gear were managers from KBR. He remembers thinking at the time, “They know something we don’t and it can’t be good.
Mike Doyle the attorney for the National Guard Members who have filed suit says, “That’s what’s kind of frustrating about it. You have these fellows they have every reason to expect if KBR knew — and they did — there was this poison they’ll tell them about it.” (Link to original article)
It is important to remember that to date the plaintiffs still show no signs of illness consistent with the long-term sodium dichromate exposure they allege. Medical reports by both the U.S. and British Military support this finding as well as findings from the plaintiff’s own doctors.
KBR engineers learned around June 1, 2003, that sodium dichromate was previously used at Qarmat Ali by the Iraqi state-owned Southern Oil Company. The Southern Oil Company had used sodium dichromate as an anti-corrosive agent in the chemical injection process, but it was no longer being used and the water plant was not operational. The June 21, 2003 memo attached to your email reflects KBR’s first awareness that the sodium dichromate used in the past may have contaminated some of the soil surrounding the plant.
As KBR’s efforts at the Qarmat Ali facility continued, it notified USACE about the potential contamination of the soil by sodium dichromate in late July 2003. KBR subsequently worked with the military to conduct air and soil testing to confirm the presence and extent of the contamination. Once contamination was confirmed, KBR received authorization from the military to commence remediation efforts, which it immediately began.
In addition, KBR initiated a medical surveillance program for its workers. The U.S. military and the British military initiated a similar medical surveillance program for military personnel who had been at the plant. The results were negative for signs and symptoms of exposure to sodium dichromate or hexavalent chromium. Regardless, out of abundance of caution, the U.S. Army and KBR decided to discontinue all work at the plant pending additional air and soil testing. The plant subsequent was closed and remained closed until mid-October 2003.
Statements from Attorney for Indiana National Guard members
Mike Doyle, Attorney for Indiana National Guard members in Federal Lawsuit:
“Having spent time recently with Jim Gentry and knowing what the VA has recently confirmed for the US Senate about the health affects of soldiers exposed to hexavalent chromium at KBR’s Qarmat Ali project, KBR’s claim of no ill health effects is contrary to the known facts. KBR has been continually changing its story about what it knew and did about the dangerous chemicals present, and these most recent admissions only came when the previously concealed Kimbro memo was revealed during his testimony this month. There is still no explanation, nor can there ever be, for KBR’s concealing of what it knew for months from Jim Gentry and our soldiers serving in Iraq.” (Link to original article)
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Before I start in on my tirade, I want clarify I only want the best of the best for our soldiers and encourage them to do “just about” whatever it takes to make their lives are more comfortable. But…I would much rather they be uncomfortable than have someone wiring up a “washroom” or air conditioner that is not licensed and doesn’t have the proper training. Uncomfortable is much better than dead!
