General Petraeus Flip-Flops on Burn Pits

By Joseph Hickman, Reader Supported News

26 September 18

he Iraq Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) is promoting a media campaign in support of a bill introduced to Congress on May 1, 2018, by Congresswoman Gabbard Tulsi and Congressman Brian Mast, H.R. 5671 – The Burn Pit Accountability Act. The face of the IAVA’s media campaign is none other than General David Petraeus, retired, the former Commander of all military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2008 to 2010. The media campaign has angered many members from other veterans’ organizations who believe this is nothing more than the IAVA playing political games.

Shortly after the wars began in Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003, the U.S. military constructed open-air burn pits on their bases. Many of these burn pits were massive in size, burning tons of trash each day. Anything and everything was burned in the burn pits, including plastics, paint thinners, treated lumber, medical waste, and even human body parts. Shortly after servicemembers began returning home from their tours in those countries, many found themselves experiencing health ailments ranging from respiratory issues to rare bronchial diseases and cancers. There are now over 100,000 veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan who are sick or dying from the illnesses they contracted from inhaling the toxic fumes from the burn pits.

From 2003 to 2008, civilian environmental health experts in Iraq and Afghanistan collected thousands of air, water, and soil samples from both Iraq and Afghanistan for scientific analysis. One area they found with extremely high levels of toxins was near Balad Air Base in Iraq. The report was sent to members of the Senate and House, and on October 31, 2008, Senator Russ Feingold sent a letter to General Petraeus citing the data collected and questioning whether or not the burn pits were hazardous to U.S. service members. On December 4, a little over a month later, General Petraeus responded to Senator Feingold's letter, stating he believed the environmental experts were incorrect in their findings. Petraeus sided with a DoD environmental assessment that claimed the toxins were not high enough to cause concerns. He went on to say in the letter, “There is and will continue to be a need for burn pits during contingency operations.” During the time frame he was in command, over 160 open-air burn pits were operating in Iraq and Afghanistan.

With the introduction of H.R. 5671, General Petraeus has apparently changed his mind about the health dangers linked to the burn pits. On August 21, 2018, General Petraeus, representing the IAVA, wrote a letter to members of Congress stating, “I write to bring to your attention what could be this generation’s Agent Orange – the exposure of our military personnel to airborne hazards from burn pits used to destroy human, medical, and other waste generated in the Iraq, Afghanistan, and other post-9/11 war zones.” In a Fox News interview on September 3, 2018, General Petraeus said the U.S. has a “sacred obligation” to help burn pit veterans. Two days later on September 5, the IAVA released a mass e-mail to its members and subscribers titled, “General Petraeus Has Our Backs on the Burn Pits.”

The IAVA claims they are the only veterans group fighting for veterans on this issue, but there are other veterans groups such as Burnpits360 and Disabled American Veterans who have been addressing the issue of burn pits and advocating for veterans since long before the IAVA. Many members of those groups believe “the Bill’s practical effect will actually harm many Veterans who are seeking compensation for disabilities result from environmental exposures, such as burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan.” 

Today, over 100,000 veterans are sick and many are dying from their exposure to the burn pits. They don’t need the IAVA to play politics, and they don’t need speaking on their behalf a retired general who was responsible for the use of burn pits, and who is now trying to fix his very tainted reputation. What veterans need is for Congress to act swiftly and pass a bill that will actually make a difference in their lives.

Joseph Hickman is a Senior Research Fellow for The Center for Policy and Research. He is also a freelance journalist and author of three books, Murder at Camp Delta, The Burn Pits, and The Convenient Terrorist. You can follow him on Twitter at @JosephHickman0