CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – On his last full day in the White House, President Donald Trump signed an executive order mandating that the Department of Defense recognize the toxic exposures suffered by veterans who served at K2, the airbase in Uzbekistan, as combat-related.
The executive order was modeled after the bipartisan bill that Rep. Mark Green, R-Clarksville, wrote with Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Massachusetts. The bill, titled K2 Veterans Toxic Exposure Accountability Act, required the DoD to conduct its own epidemiological study of the illnesses reported from veterans who had been deployed to the overseas site.
To Green, this bill was personal, as he too had been deployed to K2 with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment out of Fort Campbell.
In the years following his service, Green suffered unexplainable illnesses as a result of his time spent around toxic contaminants overseas.
The K2 bill was tacked onto the National Defense Authorization Act NDAA, which was passed in the House of Representatives in September. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, was able to get the bill added to the NDAA in the Senate in early December.
That addition included some amendments, one of which shortened the time allotted for the DoD to conduct their epidemiological study from two years to 180 days.
The president’s executive order goes a step further and requests that the Secretary of Defense consider whether Uzbekistan should be designated a combat zone.
“Two decades have passed since American troops left K2 during Operation Enduring Freedom. And today, K2 veterans who faced devastating exposure to uranium, cyanide, and other toxins while serving their country are finally receiving justice,” Green said.
“This executive order, modeled after my bipartisan legislation with Chairman Lynch, is a win for our K2 veterans who have been diagnosed with cancer, reproductive health issues, and neurological illnesses after serving at the base. These heroes fought for us, now we must fight for them and the care they need to survive.”
Adding Uzbekistan to the list of recognized combat zones would classify the illnesses as inherently combat-related. That designation would ensure those veterans receive healthcare benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“After working throughout the year with Chairman Lynch on both bipartisan legislation and a Congressional investigation, I’m pleased that President Trump and Acting Defense Secretary Miller have seen the importance of this issue and taken action,” Green said.
“K2 veterans will finally receive the answers they deserve.”