<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=windows-1252">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.16981" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY
style="WORD-WRAP: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space"
bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=mgriffwzef@comcast.net href="mailto:mgriffwzef@comcast.net">Mike</A>
</DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=diamond.1777@hotmail.com
href="mailto:diamond.1777@hotmail.com">tim Skurzewski</A> ; <A
title=duckpondchuck@aol.com href="mailto:duckpondchuck@aol.com">Chuck Shaw</A> ;
<A title=agitate@frontiernet.net href="mailto:agitate@frontiernet.net">John
Newell</A> ; <A title=unionyes@ameritech.net
href="mailto:unionyes@ameritech.net">David Johnson</A> ; <A
title=signalman67@mchsi.com href="mailto:signalman67@mchsi.com">Michael Todd
Griffin</A> ; <A title=cloggingj@comcast.net
href="mailto:cloggingj@comcast.net">Jan Griffin</A> ; <A title=mrdoda@mchsi.com
href="mailto:mrdoda@mchsi.com">Dwayne Abney</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Monday, February 08, 2010 8:59 PM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Fw: GIs tell of horrors from burn pits in Iraq-The Cost Of
Imperial War</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=lvpsf@igc.org href="mailto:lvpsf@igc.org">Steve Zeltzer</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=mgriffwzef@comcast.net
href="mailto:mgriffwzef@comcast.net">Griffin Mike</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Monday, February 08, 2010 10:40 AM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> GIs tell of horrors from burn pits in Iraq-The Cost Of
Imperial War</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">GIs tell of horrors from burn pits in Iraq-The
Cost Of Imperial War</DIV><A
href="http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/GIs_tell_of_horrors_from_burn_pits.html">http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/GIs_tell_of_horrors_from_burn_pits.html</A>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><BR
class=webkit-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-FAMILY: Times">
<DIV class=container-100 style="CLEAR: both; WIDTH: 100%; TEXT-ALIGN: left">
<H1 class=headermaroon
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FLOAT: left; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: bold 18px arial, 'sans serif'; COLOR: rgb(71,71,71); PADDING-TOP: 2px; TEXT-DECORATION: none">GIs
tell of horrors from burn pits</H1></DIV>
<DIV class=break
style="CLEAR: both; OVERFLOW-Y: hidden; OVERFLOW-X: hidden; HEIGHT: 11px"></DIV>
<DIV class=sub-comm
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; OVERFLOW-Y: hidden; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; OVERFLOW-X: hidden; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; WIDTH: 100%; PADDING-TOP: 0px; HEIGHT: 37px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(226,226,226)">
<DIV class=container-but
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 8px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px">
<DIV class=story-but-sect
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FLOAT: left; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 6px">
<DIV class=container-butbk-sel
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FLOAT: left; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(http://media.mysanantonio.com/designimages/but-storybk-sel.gif); PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; WIDTH: 119px; PADDING-TOP: 4px; HEIGHT: 37px">
<DIV class=txt-link
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: bold 14px/22px arial, 'sans serif'; COLOR: rgb(201,76,54); PADDING-TOP: 0px; TEXT-DECORATION: none">READ</DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV class=story-but-sect
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FLOAT: left; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 6px">
<DIV class=container-butbk
style="FLOAT: left; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(http://media.mysanantonio.com/designimages/but-storybk.gif); WIDTH: 119px; HEIGHT: 27px">
<DIV class=txt-link
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: bold 14px/22px arial, 'sans serif'; COLOR: rgb(201,76,54); PADDING-TOP: 0px; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><A
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: bold 14px/22px arial, 'sans serif'; COLOR: rgb(71,71,71); PADDING-TOP: 0px; TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/GIs_tell_of_horrors_from_burn_pits.html?c=y&viewAllComments=y">comments</A> <SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 10px; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">(4)</SPAN></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV class=sub-comm-rightb
style="FLOAT: right; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(http://media.mysanantonio.com/designimages/sub-comm.gif); WIDTH: 7px; HEIGHT: 37px"></DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FLOAT: right; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 6px">
<DIV style="FLOAT: right; WIDTH: 80px; HEIGHT: 29px"><IMG
onclick="if(typeof gtvtShowPopUp==='function'){gtvtShowPopUp(this,articleTitle,articleURL,articleCategory,articleDescription);}"
height=24 src="cid:002101caa99b$45a3d3f0$6401a8c0@yourze8cxvr8tt" width=71
border=0></DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV class=break
style="CLEAR: both; OVERFLOW-Y: hidden; OVERFLOW-X: hidden; HEIGHT: 11px"></DIV>
<DIV class=container-100 style="CLEAR: both; WIDTH: 100%; TEXT-ALIGN: left">
<DIV class=txt-basic
style="FONT: 12px arial, 'sans serif'; COLOR: rgb(71,71,71)">
<DIV class=storyfr
style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 225px">
<DIV class=related-bor
style="BORDER-RIGHT: rgb(153,153,153) 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: rgb(153,153,153) 1px solid; FLOAT: left; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(153,153,153) 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: rgb(153,153,153) 1px solid">
<DIV class=related-pic
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 8px; PADDING-TOP: 4px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(226,226,226)"><IMG
title="" height=143 alt=""
src="cid:002201caa99b$45a644f0$6401a8c0@yourze8cxvr8tt" width=215 border=0>
<DIV class=minibreak
style="CLEAR: both; OVERFLOW-Y: hidden; OVERFLOW-X: hidden; HEIGHT: 5px"></DIV>
<DIV class=fr style="FLOAT: right">
<DIV class=txt-blurb
style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 10px verdana, 'sans serif'; COLOR: rgb(130,135,141); PADDING-TOP: 2px; TEXT-ALIGN: left">MAYRA
BELTRAN/HOUSTON CHRONICLE</DIV></DIV>
<DIV class=minibreak
style="CLEAR: both; OVERFLOW-Y: hidden; OVERFLOW-X: hidden; HEIGHT: 5px"></DIV>
<DIV>A tractor works at a burn pit at Camp Taji, north of Baghdad. Texas
soldiers there complain of migraines, breathing problems, coughs, sore throats,
irritated eyes and rashes.</DIV></DIV>
<DIV class=related-info
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; BORDER-TOP: rgb(153,153,153) 1px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 8px; PADDING-TOP: 0px">
<DIV class=break
style="CLEAR: both; OVERFLOW-Y: hidden; OVERFLOW-X: hidden; HEIGHT: 11px"></DIV>
<H3
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: bold 16px/16px arial, 'sans serif'; COLOR: rgb(71,71,71); PADDING-TOP: 0px; TEXT-DECORATION: none">More
stories</H3>
<DIV class=minibreak
style="CLEAR: both; OVERFLOW-Y: hidden; OVERFLOW-X: hidden; HEIGHT: 5px"></DIV>
<DIV class=list>
<UL
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; LIST-STYLE-TYPE: none">
<LI
style="BACKGROUND-POSITION: 0px 0.25em; PADDING-LEFT: 0.8em; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(http://media.mysanantonio.com/designimages/arrow-li.gif); FONT: 12px/16px arial, 'sans serif'; COLOR: rgb(71,71,71); BACKGROUND-REPEAT: no-repeat; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><A
style="COLOR: rgb(71,71,71); TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/Report_Toyota_plans_to_recall_300000_Priuses.html">Report:
Toyota plans to recall 300,000 Priuses</A>
<LI
style="BACKGROUND-POSITION: 0px 0.25em; PADDING-LEFT: 0.8em; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(http://media.mysanantonio.com/designimages/arrow-li.gif); FONT: 12px/16px arial, 'sans serif'; COLOR: rgb(71,71,71); BACKGROUND-REPEAT: no-repeat; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><A
style="COLOR: rgb(71,71,71); TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/Doctors_memories_of_Haiti_wont_fade_easily.html">Doctor's
memories of Haiti won't fade easily</A>
<LI
style="BACKGROUND-POSITION: 0px 0.25em; PADDING-LEFT: 0.8em; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(http://media.mysanantonio.com/designimages/arrow-li.gif); FONT: 12px/16px arial, 'sans serif'; COLOR: rgb(71,71,71); BACKGROUND-REPEAT: no-repeat; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><A
style="COLOR: rgb(71,71,71); TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/High_court_race_draws_crowd.html">High
court race draws crowd</A>
<LI
style="BACKGROUND-POSITION: 0px 0.25em; PADDING-LEFT: 0.8em; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(http://media.mysanantonio.com/designimages/arrow-li.gif); FONT: 12px/16px arial, 'sans serif'; COLOR: rgb(71,71,71); BACKGROUND-REPEAT: no-repeat; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><A
style="COLOR: rgb(71,71,71); TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/Bonding_over_gumbo_gridiron.html">Bonding
over gumbo, gridiron</A>
<LI
style="BACKGROUND-POSITION: 0px 0.25em; PADDING-LEFT: 0.8em; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(http://media.mysanantonio.com/designimages/arrow-li.gif); FONT: 12px/16px arial, 'sans serif'; COLOR: rgb(71,71,71); BACKGROUND-REPEAT: no-repeat; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><A
style="COLOR: rgb(71,71,71); TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/Palin_beats_drum_for_Perry.html">Palin
beats drum for Perry</A>
<LI
style="BACKGROUND-POSITION: 0px 0.25em; PADDING-LEFT: 0.8em; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(http://media.mysanantonio.com/designimages/arrow-li.gif); FONT: 12px/16px arial, 'sans serif'; COLOR: rgb(71,71,71); BACKGROUND-REPEAT: no-repeat; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><A
style="COLOR: rgb(71,71,71); TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/Kendall_County_revisiting_hefty_cancellation_fee_for_builders_.html">Kendall
County revisiting hefty cancellation fee for builders</A>
<LI
style="BACKGROUND-POSITION: 0px 0.25em; PADDING-LEFT: 0.8em; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(http://media.mysanantonio.com/designimages/arrow-li.gif); FONT: 12px/16px arial, 'sans serif'; COLOR: rgb(71,71,71); BACKGROUND-REPEAT: no-repeat; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><A
style="COLOR: rgb(71,71,71); TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/Hutchison_said_her_children_were_the_game-changer_for_her_life.html">Hutchison
said her children were “the game-changer” for her life</A>
<LI
style="BACKGROUND-POSITION: 0px 0.25em; PADDING-LEFT: 0.8em; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(http://media.mysanantonio.com/designimages/arrow-li.gif); FONT: 12px/16px arial, 'sans serif'; COLOR: rgb(71,71,71); BACKGROUND-REPEAT: no-repeat; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><A
style="COLOR: rgb(71,71,71); TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/San_Antonio_Stock_Show__Rodeo_rodeo_results_-_Sunday_Feb_7_2010.html">San
Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo results - Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010</A>
<LI
style="BACKGROUND-POSITION: 0px 0.25em; PADDING-LEFT: 0.8em; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(http://media.mysanantonio.com/designimages/arrow-li.gif); FONT: 12px/16px arial, 'sans serif'; COLOR: rgb(71,71,71); BACKGROUND-REPEAT: no-repeat; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><A
style="COLOR: rgb(71,71,71); TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/Remmert_was_self-taught_musician_astronomer_and_contractor.html">Remmert
was self-taught musician, astronomer and contractor</A>
<LI
style="BACKGROUND-POSITION: 0px 0.25em; PADDING-LEFT: 0.8em; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(http://media.mysanantonio.com/designimages/arrow-li.gif); FONT: 12px/16px arial, 'sans serif'; COLOR: rgb(71,71,71); BACKGROUND-REPEAT: no-repeat; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><A
style="COLOR: rgb(71,71,71); TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/Kerr_County_race_features_vet_versus_newcomer.html">Kerr
County race features vet versus newcomer</A></LI></UL></DIV>
<DIV class=break
style="CLEAR: both; OVERFLOW-Y: hidden; OVERFLOW-X: hidden; HEIGHT: 11px"></DIV>
<DIV class=minibreak
style="CLEAR: both; OVERFLOW-Y: hidden; OVERFLOW-X: hidden; HEIGHT: 5px"></DIV>
<DIV class=related-share style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 2px"><SPAN
class=yahooBuzzBadge-form id=yahooBuzzBadge-form><A
style="COLOR: rgb(71,71,71); TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzz?publisherurn=expressnews384&guid=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mysanantonio.com%2Fnews%2Flocal_news%2FGIs_tell_of_horrors_from_burn_pits.html"><SPAN
style="PADDING-LEFT: 20px; CURSOR: pointer; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px; POSITION: relative"><SPAN
style="BACKGROUND-POSITION: 0% 0%; DISPLAY: block; LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(http://l.yimg.com/ds/orion/1.0.14/img/badge-logo.png); WIDTH: 16px; CURSOR: pointer; BACKGROUND-REPEAT: no-repeat; POSITION: absolute; TOP: 0px; HEIGHT: 16px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial"></SPAN>Yahoo!
Buzz</SPAN></A></SPAN>
<DIV class=minibreak
style="CLEAR: both; OVERFLOW-Y: hidden; OVERFLOW-X: hidden; HEIGHT: 5px"></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV class=story-cred style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 8px; WIDTH: 425px">
<DIV class=fr style="FLOAT: right"><FONT class=Apple-style-span face=verdana
color=#15496b size=2><BR></FONT>
<DIV class=wbreak
style="CLEAR: both; OVERFLOW-Y: hidden; OVERFLOW-X: hidden; WIDTH: 1px; HEIGHT: 2px"></DIV></DIV>
<DIV class=fl style="FLOAT: left"><SPAN class=txt-basic
style="FONT: 12px arial, 'sans serif'; COLOR: rgb(71,71,71)"><B>By Lindsay Wise
and Lise Olsen</B> - Houston Chronicle</SPAN></DIV></DIV>
<DIV id=article>
<P>CAMP TAJI, Iraq — One night in mid-January, a shift in the wind sent a flurry
of white flakes into a detainee internment facility guarded by soldiers from
Houston's 72nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team.</P>
<P>The Texas Army National Guard troops weren't witnessing a rare Baghdad
snowfall. The flakes drifting from the pitch-dark sky were ash and bits of
charred trash belched from an open-air burn pit about 100 yards from the outer
walls of the internment facility.</P>
<P>Operated by Houston-based contractor KBR, the pit consumes 120 tons of
garbage a day at Camp Taji, a U.S. military base north of Baghdad.</P>
<P>On calm days, noxious smoke billows upward and dissipates into a smoglike
haze. When the wind blows, the acrid-smelling fumes pour into towers and yards
where about 800 Texas troops from the 72nd keep watch.</P>
<P>“It hovers over like a blanket,” said Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Ethier, 36, of
Montgomery. “After it rains, you'll get puddles of stuff. It's like a yellowish,
brackish color. It looks metallic. It's just disgusting.”</P>
<P>Soldiers say a fine layer of soot settles on their uniforms and black goop
comes out when they blow their noses. They complain of migraines, breathing
problems, coughs, sore throats, irritated eyes and rashes.</P>
<P>The troops aren't the first to report problems from exposure to burn pits at
U.S. military installations across Iraq and Afghanistan.</P>
<P>Forty-three pending federal lawsuits allege KBR and other contractors working
for the U.S. military poisoned workers and soldiers by incinerating toxic waste
in improperly supervised burn pits. The lawsuits have been consolidated in a
federal court in Maryland.</P>
<P>Houston-based Halliburton and a Turkish contractor frequently are named as
co-defendants, documents show. But a Halliburton spokeswoman said the company
has “no responsibility” for burn pit operations and should be dismissed from the
litigation.</P>
<P>The cases feature more than 300 plaintiffs and the family members of a dozen
dead workers and soldiers, all of whom say they were harmed by improper burning
of waste by wartime contractors or the military at 20 sites in Iraq and one in
Afghanistan. At least nine people say they were sickened by the burn pit at Camp
Taji.</P>
<P>KBR officials said their company was involved in operating only 10 of the
sites named in the lawsuits.</P>
<P>Mark Lowes, vice president of litigation for KBR, said the company disputes
that any burn pit directly harmed the health of soldiers or others, saying
litigants have failed to prove exposure to burn pits caused the many symptoms
they reported suffering.</P>
<P>While KBR continues to operate 12 burn pits in Iraq and one in Afghanistan,
the company said it does not decide where to locate them or what items to
burn.</P>
<P>“KBR operates burn pits in accordance with guidelines approved by the Army,”
the company said.</P>
<P>More than 100 people have complained about a massive burn pit a few miles
north of Taji at Iraq's Joint Base Balad, including allegations that lithium
batteries and human body parts were incinerated there, according to lawsuits
filed against KBR and others in Houston, San Antonio and elsewhere.</P>
<P>KBR repeatedly has denied operating the pit, though it recently got a
multimillion-dollar contract to replace pits at Balad with four huge
incinerators.</P>
<P>Sgt. 1st Class El “Kevin” Sar, who considers Houston his hometown, said he
did two tours of duty at Balad in 2006 and 2007 and developed migraine
headaches, shortness of breath and chronic insomnia.</P>
<P>Sar, 41, remains on active duty in the Army but said he continues to take
medication for chronic lung problems doctors have blamed on toxic exposure.</P>
<P>“I can't run anymore. I still cough, and once in a while I feel chest pain
and regurgitate mucus,” said Sar, one of 18 Texas-based victims named in a burn
pit lawsuit originally filed in San Antonio.</P>
<P>In that case, other soldiers from San Antonio, San Marcos and smaller cities
also complained that exposure to burn pits caused health
problems.</P></DIV></DIV></DIV></SPAN></DIV><br />--
<br />This message has been scanned for viruses and
<br />dangerous content by
<a href="http://www.mailscanner.info/"><b>MailScanner</b></a>, and is
<br />believed to be clean.
</BODY></HTML>