Iraq veteran dying after exposure to uranium has to pay for treatment

This is from the UK. It is important for 2 reasons. One is that the UK won't pay to treat her, which is disgraceful but the other reason is, our troops were there too.

Soldier dying after being exposed to uranium in Iraq must raise £110,000 for treatment because the NHS can't help her
Katrina Brown, 30, was exposed to radioactive material in Basra
Diagnosed with rare systemic sclerosis which is slowly attacking her organs
She believes the illness is linked to exposure to depleted uranium
Says her only hope is having stem-cell transplant to regenerate her organs
By ANNA HODGEKISS
PUBLISHED: 07:47 EST, 3 April 2013

A soldier who developed a deadly illness after being exposed to uranium in Iraq is facing a race against time to raise the money she needs for potentially life-saving treatment.

Katrina Brown, 30, was exposed to radioactive material while serving as a medic at a 600-bed military clinic in Basra in 2003.

She was diagnosed with rare systemic sclerosis in 2008 which is slowly attacking her major organs - and will eventually lead to her death if left untreated.

Mrs Brown, who joined the Army at the age of 17, believes the illness is linked to exposure to depleted uranium.
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Casualties of war: a soldier writes

Casualties of war: a soldier writes

By Mark Dryden
Sunday, 9 November 2008
On Remembrance Sunday we pause to think of those who have perished in conflicts but for every lost soldier, countless others are left with physical and mental scars.
On 20 November 2005 Sergeant John Jones, 32, of The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, was killed in a roadside bomb in Basra, Iraq, in which Lance Corporal Mark Dryden lost an arm. L/Cpl Dryden, a self confessed “class clown” who joined the army at 17 without any qualifications, has since left and is now working towards a degree. Currently volunteering as a junior football team coach, he hopes to get a job as a physical education teacher. In this, his first ever essay for his new college, he recounts the day he lost his friend.


It’s been an hour. The streets are very quiet. Something is just not right. It feels hostile as if something is going to happen. We stop next to a local shop; we have spoken to the shopkeeper once before. He was very nice and talkative, but this time he won’t talk to Captain Fields.

I say to John, "This is pointless no one is gonna talk to a female officer."

John agrees. We drive away.

I tell John, "I don’t think we will get much out of this patrol as we have a female interpreter."

John has always trusted my judgement as I’m third in charge. We had a good rapport with the local shopkeepers; some have told us that it’s the Afghans and the Iranians that are bombing the city. Something still doesn’t feel right. I’m not scared, I’m quite happy as we are going to get back in early.
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Army reviews possible chemical mishap in Iraq and Indiana National Guard

Army reviews possible chemical mishap in Iraq

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Sep 29, 2008 17:29:34 EDT

Two separate investigations are being launched to determine if soldiers guarding a water treatment plant in Iraq were exposed to a cancer-causing substance in 2003.

The Army plans a 60-day investigation by a panel of personnel and logistics experts to review procedures that may have led members of the Indiana National Guard to be exposed to sodium dichromate at the Qarmat Ali plant in Iraq. Separately, a defense health board also will investigate if any ill effects resulted from the possible exposure.

About 140 soldiers form the 1st Battalion, 152nd Infantry Regiment were deployed to the water plant near Basra in southern Iraq, according to Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., who is urging the creation of a registry of exposed soldiers so they can be tracked to determine if they are suffering ill effects from the deployment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs said about 600 soldiers were in the area and could have been exposed when wind blew the chemical over a large area.
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Welsh father wants answers in son's death in Iraq

Bid for inquiry into soldier’s death
Aug 9 2008 by Matt Aplin, South Wales Echo

THE father of a Welsh Territorial Army soldier killed in Iraq five years ago has begun a legal battle for a full investigation into his son’s death.

Anthony Pritchard’s 35-year-old son, Corporal Dewi Pritchard, was killed in Basra on August 23, 2003, when his unarmoured civilian vehicle was ambushed by gunmen.

He claims that father-of-two Cpl Pritchard, who was serving with the Royal Military Police, was sent out on a “dangerous mission with inadequate equipment and preparation”.

The 35-year-old, of Brackla, died alongside fellow Royal Military Policemen Major Matthew Titchener, 32, and Warrant Officer Colin Wall, 34.

The men were taking part in an operation to transport assault rifles further north to Al Amariyah, near Baghdad.
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Troops who served in Basra Iraq may have contamination from water plant

Guard warns soldiers of possible chemical exposure

Associated Press


JASPER, Ind. - The Indiana National Guard is notifying nearly 600 soldiers who served in Iraq that they may have drunk water tainted with a carcinogen at an Iraqi treatment plant.

During a U.S. Senate hearing in June, senators learned that sodium dichromate -- a cancer-causing chemical that can also cause breathing problems -- was used at the Qarmat Ali water plant near Basra, Iraq.

Guard spokeswoman Lt. Col. Deedra Thombleson told The Herald of Jasper on Monday that the Guard has sent letters to most of the 140 current and former soldiers known to have been at that treatment plant between May and September 2003.

The addresses for 18 of those soldiers could not be found to send them letters notifying them of their possible exposure.

Thombleson said 448 other Guardsmen are also being contacted to determine if they were ever at the plant. Of the 588 soldiers being sent letters, she said 138 are back in Iraq.
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http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/nf08/nfJUL08/nf073008-3.htm

This means not just the National Guardsmen but all the people in the area may have been exposed.

KBR blamed for exposing troops to cancer causing chemical

June 21, 2008, 3:20PM
Ark. man, others blame KBR for contaminants in Iraq


Associated Press


WASHINGTON — An Arkansas man who worked as a contractor in Iraq says he lost his job after warning workers they were being exposed to a cancer-causing chemical there.

Ed Blacke, a former safety inspector for Houston-based contracting giant KBR, says his exposure to sodium dichromate in 2003 gave him chronic thyroid problems and early signs of cancer. He said supervisors initially ignored his warnings about contamination at the Qarmat Ali water injection plant near Basra, Iraq.

"In my mind, it was criminally negligent of (the company) to make a decision to continue to expose personnel to sodium dichromate poisoning," the Bella Vista, Ark., man told a congressional panel Friday.

KBR is formerly a subsidiary of Houston-based oilfield services giant Halliburton Co. It was not represented at the Democratic Policy Committee oversight hearing. The committee created by Senate Democratic leaders is comprised solely of Democrats and has no legislative authority.
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http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/5849937.html
Linked from ICasualties.org

Why the troops are dying there and here

Latest Coalition Fatality: Mar 28, 2008

03/28/08 MNF: MND-C Soldier attacked by IED
BAGHDAD - A Multi-National Division - Center Soldier was killed as a result of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device attack south of Baghdad March 28.
03/28/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Spc. Gregory B. Rundell, 21, of Ramsey, Minn., died March 26 in Taji Iraq, of wounds suffered from small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
03/28/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Staff Sgt. Joseph D. Gamboa, 34, of Yigo, Guam, died Mar. 25 of wounds suffered when he came under indirect fire in Baghdad, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany.
03/27/08 MNF: MND-B Soldier attacked by IED
A Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldier was killed at approximately 4:30 p.m. March 27 after being struck by an improvised explosive device in eastern Baghdad while conducting a combat patrol.
03/27/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualties (4 of 4)
Pvt. George Delgado, 21, of Palmdale, Calif...assigned to the 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division...died March 24 in Baghdad...from wounds suffered when their vehicle encountered an IDE on March 23.
03/27/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualties (3 of 4)
Staff Sgt. Christopher M. Hake, 26, of Enid, Okla...assigned to the 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division...died March 24 in Baghdad...from wounds suffered when their vehicle encountered an IDE on March 23.
03/27/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualties (2 of 4)
Pfc. Andrew J. Habsieger, 22, of Festus, Mo...assigned to the 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division...died March 24 in Baghdad...from wounds suffered when their vehicle encountered an IDE on March 23.
03/27/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualties (1 of 4)
Spc. Jose A. Rubio Hernandez, 24, of Mission, Texas...assigned to the 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division...died March 24 in Baghdad...from wounds suffered when their vehicle encountered an IDE on March 23

.

Slate
What are they fighting about in Basra?
The wars in Iraq (the plural is no typo) are about to expand and possibly explode, so it might be useful to have some notion of what we're in for.
TimesOnline
Areas of Baghdad fall to militias as Iraqi Army falters in Basra
Iraq’s Prime Minister was staring into the abyss today after his operation to crush militia strongholds in Basra stalled, members of his own security forces defected and district after district of his own capital fell to Shia militia gunmen.
Washington Post
U.S. Armor Forces Join Offensive In Baghdad Against Sadr Militia
U.S. forces in armored vehicles battled Mahdi Army fighters Thursday in Sadr City, the vast Shiite stronghold in eastern Baghdad, as an offensive to quell party-backed militias entered its third day. Iraqi army and police units appeared to be largely holding to the outskirts of the area as American troops took the lead in the fighting.

News Current Time in Baghdad: 3:10:27 AM
03/28/08 BBC: Militia battles threaten fragile Iraq
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has extended by 10 days a deadline for Shia militiamen fighting troops in the southern city of Basra to hand over their weapons. Militiamen...show no signs of giving up and fighting continues.

03/28/08 NPR: Can the Basra Situation Be Solved?
Iraq's government continued its crackdown on Shiite militias Friday. U.S. air strikes helped Iraqi security forces fight against militants in Basra. Alex Chadwick talks to Anne Garrels about how American action there could be a step backward...

03/28/08 AP: Case dropped against Haditha defendant
The Marine Corps dropped charges and gave full immunity Friday to a serviceman who was accused of involuntary manslaughter in a squad's killing of 24 Iraqis in Haditha in 2005.

03/28/08 kuwaittimes: Iran cleric calls on Iraqis to end fighting
A hardline Iranian cleric called on Friday for the Iraqi government and a Muslim Shi'ite militia to stop fighting and strike a deal. Ayatollah Ahmad Janati made his appeal in a sermon broadcast on state radio on the fourth day of a crackdown...

03/28/08 BBC: Iraq extends Shia arms deadline
Iraq's government has extended by 10 days a deadline for Shia militiamen fighting troops in the southern city of Basra to hand over their weapons. More than 130 people have been killed and 350 injured since a clampdown on militias began...

03/28/08 Reuters: 13 insurgents killed across Baghdad
U.S. forces killed 13 insurgents during engagements across Baghdad, the U.S. military said.

03/28/08 Reuters: U.S. helicopter fire kills 4 gunmen in Sadr City
A U.S. helicopter fired a hellfire missile at gunmen firing from the roof of a building, killing four of them, in Sadr City, a U.S. military spokesman said. Police said 12 people were killed and 60 wounded in several U.S. air strikes on Sadr City.

03/28/08 Reuters: 7 bodies found in Baghdad
Seven bodies were found in Baghdad on Friday, police said.

03/28/08 Reuters: 7 people killed, 15 wounded in Mahmudiya
Seven people were killed and 15 others wounded in clashes between Mehdi Army fighters and Iraqi security forces in Mahmudiya, 30 km (20 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.

03/28/08 Reuters: Iraqi Army Colonel killed in Numaniya
An Army Colonel, Jabar Rashid, was killed in clashes with Mehdi Army fighters in Numaniya, 120 km (72 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.

03/28/08 Reuters: 15 people killed, 50 wounded in clashes in Nassiriya
Fifteen people including three policemen were killed and 50 people wounded in clashes between Mehdi Army fighters and Iraqi security forces in Nassiriya, 375 km (235 miles) southwest of Baghdad, a hospital source said.

03/28/08 Reuters: Six policemen killed, 9 wounded in Hamza
Six policeman were killed and nine others wounded in clashes with Mehdi Army fighters in Hamza, 35 km (22 miles) south of Hilla, police said. Sixty-two gunmen were captured in these clashes.

03/28/08 Reuters: 6 policemen killed, 42 peoeple wounded in Hilla
Six policemen have been killed and 42 people including 30 policemen wounded in clashes between Iraqi security forces and Mehdi Army fighters since Tuesday across Hilla...Eighty- five gunmen have been captured during these clashes, they said.

03/28/08 channel4: British jets fire on Basra militia
British jets have unleashed a hail of cannon fire around Basra, forcing militia to take cover as fighting in the city continued for a fourth day. The show of force came after US pilots strafed suspected insurgent positions...

03/28/08 telegraph: Rift between UK diplomats and Army in Basra
Signs of a rift were growing among British officials as diplomats said that UK forces "stand ready to support" Iraqi soldiers as and when requested, contradicting military statements that UK forces would be confined to "niche" roles.

03/28/08 wtkr: Local Soldier Credited With Saving Little Iraqi Girl's Arm
A local National Guard Soldier is being credited with saving a little Iraqi girl's arm. Captain Jon Brillhart is a soldier with a Portsmouth National Guard unit now in Iraq. He helped a little girl who suffered severe burns on her arm...

03/28/08 BBC: Iraq extends militiamen deadline
Iraq's government has extended by 10 days a deadline for Shia militiamen fighting troops in the southern city of Basra to hand over their weapons. More than 130 people have been killed and 350 injured since a clampdown on militias began in Basra...

03/28/08 timesonline: Basra police shed uniforms, kept rifles and switched sides
Abu Iman barely flinched when the Iraqi Government ordered his unit of special police to move against al-Mahdi Army fighters....He and 15 of his comrades took off their uniforms, kept their government-issued rifles and went over to the other side...

03/28/08 Reuters: 3 policemen and 2 civilians killed, 25 wounded in Nassiriya
Three policemen and two civilians were killed and 25 people wounded in clashes between Mehdi Army fighters and Iraqi security forces in Nassiriya, 375 km (235 miles) southwest of Baghdad, a hospital source said.

03/28/08 Reuters: 26 gunmen captured in Hilla
Iraqi security forces captured 26 gunmen across Hilla, 100 km (62 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.

03/28/08 Reuters: 3 gunmen killed, 7 captured north of Kerbala
Three gunmen were killed and seven others captured when they attacked an Iraqi army checkpoint in the Husseiniya district north of Kerbala, 110 km (68 miles) southeast of Baghdad, police said.

03/28/08 Reuters: Clashes kill 3 police officers, wounded two militants in Kut
Clashes between Mehdi Army fighters and Iraqi security forces killed three police officers and wounded two militants in Kut, 170 km (105 miles) southeast of Baghdad, police said.

03/28/08 Reuters: Gunmen killed the mayor of Ghmash neighbourhood
Gunmen killed the mayor of the Ghmash neighbourhood in Diwaniya...sparking "very severe" clashes between Iraqi security forces and Mehdi Army fighters, police said. An office of Moqtada al-Sadr's followers was burned in retaliation.

03/28/08 Reuters: Air strike kills 3 people in Baghdad's Kadhimiya neighbourhood
A U.S. air strike in Baghdad's Kadhimiya neighbourhood killed three people and wounded six, police said.

03/28/08 Reuters: 4 people killed in Sadr City air strike
Police said four people were killed and three wounded in a second Sadr City air strike later in the day.

03/28/08 Reuters: U.S. helicopter fire kills 4 gunmen, 5 civilians in Baghdad
A U.S. helicopter fired a hellfire missile at gunmen firing from the roof of a building, killing four of them, a U.S. military spokesman said. Police said five civilians were killed in the strike.

03/28/08 Reuters: At least 120 "enemy" fighters killed in Basra
At least 120 "enemy" fighters have been killed in a four-day-old Iraqi military operation against Shi'ite militias in the southern oil hub of Basra, said Major-General Ali Zaidan, commander of Iraqi ground forces in the operation.

03/28/08 Reuters: Missile hits Iraqi Vice President's office
THE office of Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi was hit in a mortar or rocket strike on Baghdad's Green Zone government and diplomatic compound on Friday, and a security guard was killed, an official in his office said.

03/28/08 NPR: Iraq's Prime Minister Extends Basra Arms Deadline
Iraq's prime minister on Friday extended a deadline for Shiite militants in southern Basra to hand over their weapons. Nouri al-Maliki also said the militants would receive a financial reward if they complied. Renee Montagne talks...

03/28/08 local6: Fla. Husband, Wife Deployed To Iraq Leaving 1-Year-Old For Year
A U.S. Army married couple in Florida being deployed together will serve their country will have to be away from their 1-year-old son for a year. Yvette and William Sims will soon be heading to Iraq as members of the Army Reserve's 345th...

03/28/08 AP: Relatives of 2 contractors hear the worst
After 16 months of hoping and praying, family members of two U.S. contractors kidnapped in Iraq received the news they feared: Their loved ones were not coming home alive

03/28/08 signonsandiego: Amputee going back to battle
The bomb exploded as Marine Lance Cpl. Robert Pofahl turned around to talk with Cpl. Garrett Jones during a foot patrol in Karmah, Iraq. Despite being thrown forward, Pofahl quickly pushed himself off the ground and rushed toward the site...

03/28/08 Reuters: Nine people killed, 95 wounded in clashes in Baghdad
Nine people were killed and 95 others wounded in clashes between Iraqi security forces and Mehdi Army members in different parts of Baghdad, said Major-General Qassim Moussawi, spokesman for Iraqi security forces in Baghdad.

03/28/08 Reuters: Three policen killed in Hamza
Three policemen were killed and three others, including two soldiers, were wounded in clashes with Mehdi Army fighters in Hamza, 35 km (22 miles) south of Hilla, police said.

03/28/08 Reuters: One gunman killed, eight others captured in Diwaniya
One gunman was killed and eight others captured after they attacked a police patrol in central Diwaniya, 180 km (112 miles) south of Baghdad, army Colonel Ghasan Mohammed said. One policeman was wounded in the attack.

go here for the links

http://icasualties.org/oif/

491 killed in Afghanistan which has been forgotten about. All of this adds to the reasons they are dying there and killing themselves back home. If you still don't understand how PTSD strikes them, go there yourself.

Afghanistan And Regional Instability: A Risk Assessment

By Human Security Report Project EXCERPT: "The report offers a stocktaking of Afghanistan’s regional challenges. It finds that domestic instability in Pakistan, strains in Pakistan–Afghanistan relations and insecurities associated with the US–Iran stand-off on Iran’s

Pakistan says US and Afghanistan Behind Al-Qaeda and Taliban

By Yid With Lid(Yid With Lid) The right wing Pakistani Newspaper Roznama Ausaf and its acting interior minister Hamid Nawaz, say the US in conjunction with Afghanistan and India are working with Al-Qaeda and the Taliban to create terrorism and destabilize Pakistan.

Quietly, the UAE deployed their Army in Afghanistan to help the ...

By revolution To sum it up, nobody really knew that the UAE had sent their own army to Afghanistan to give support to the Kuffaar. Clearly, they are Murtadeen and we ask Allah to dishonor these Arabs that have no Islaam.

British Casualties in Afghanistan - Updates for February 2008

By Casualty Monitor(Casualty Monitor) Updates of casualty data for February 2008 have now been published for the casualty monitor projects for British forces in Afghanistan. The trend in combat casualties has remained steady for the last 3 months, with levels at about ...

UAE Forces in Afghanistan

By Silent Hunter BBC NEWS World South Asia Muslim troops help win Afghan minds Suspect Al-Qaeda's not going to be too happy with the UAE

State Department denies treatment for PTSD

Envoys Resist Forced Iraq Duty
Top State Dept. Officials Face Angry Questions

By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 1, 2007; Page A01

Uneasy U.S. diplomats yesterday challenged senior State Department officials in unusually blunt terms over a decision to order some of them to serve at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad or risk losing their jobs.

At a town hall meeting in the department's main auditorium attended by hundreds of Foreign Service officers, some of them criticized fundamental aspects of State's personnel policies in Iraq. They took issue with the size of the embassy -- the biggest in U.S. history -- and the inadequate training they received before being sent to serve in a war zone.

One woman said she returned from a tour in Basra with post-traumatic stress disorder only to find that the State Department would not authorize medical treatment.

Yesterday's internal dissension came amid rising public doubts about diplomatic progress in Iraq and congressional inquiries into the department's spending on the embassy and its management of private security contractors. Some participants asked how diplomacy could be practiced when the embassy itself, inside the fortified Green Zone, is under frequent fire and officials can travel outside only under heavy guard.

Service in Iraq is "a potential death sentence," said one man who identified himself as a 46-year Foreign Service veteran. "Any other embassy in the world would be closed by now," he said to sustained applause.
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How can the State Department deny a claim for PTSD when they send them into a war zone? Even the Green Zone gets bombed! She was in Basra.