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NNOMYnews 1044: March 17 2020 -
Toxic reasons to not enlist

A campaign by the Earth Democracy Project of the U.S. Section of the Women's International League for Peace & Freedom, has given an additional argument to Truth in Recruitment activists which is the fact of military contamination health risks on U.S. military bases nationally and globally.

Toxic Problems for Military Recruiters

Gary Ghirardi / OpEd - A campaign by the Earth Democracy Project of the U.S. Section of the Women's International League for Peace & Freedom, has given an additional argument to Truth in Recruitment activists which is the fact of military contamination health risks on U.S. military bases nationally and globally.  

The recent movie, “Dark Waters,” increased public visibility to the dangers of PFOA/PFOS chemicals also used in fire suppression foam systems on military bases.  A lack of concern for proper containment and disposal by the Pentagon coupled with the careless and rampant training with these foams by national and international  military base operations, has caused a massive contamination of ground wells used by base inhabitants and surrounding civilian communities for drinking and general household uses.  These cancer causing contaminants have been in use for many years now without the public being aware of the extreme health dangers of these chemicals. But some activist veterans, who have experienced mounting health issues are campaigning aggressively now to put pressure on the Pentagon to create public awareness about the problem.

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The National Directory of Youth Demilitarization Groups is a national privacy rights resource. This resource is used to direct concerned community members, including, parents, teachers and students to groups that can assist them in addressing privacy protections from military recruitment over-reach in our public schools.

The NNOMY 2020 National Directory Survey  helps NNOMY better understand your organizational concerns and participation in Truth in Recruitment and Alternatives to the Military activism.

Please take the time to participate in the NNOMY 2020 National Directory Survey

Click on the link below:

https://forms.gle/ntnCuAM44tQpPYNG7

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Groups join forces to fight military toxic exposure

Leo Shane III / The Military Times - More than a dozen veterans advocacy groups will join forces to track and highlight toxic exposure illnesses among former military members in an attempt to push for quicker action on what they see as a looming health crisis.

The Toxic Exposures in the American Military coalition, announced this week, will coordinate efforts from groups like Wounded Warrior Project, Vietnam Veterans of America, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Veteran Warriors Inc., and the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors.

The focus will be on issues related to exposures in the recent wars, although the groups have also advocated on illnesses related to chemical poisoning in the ranks from earlier periods.


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https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2019/06/07/as-military-toxic-exposure-illnesses-mount-advocates-push-for-more-action/

As burn pit problems linger, advocates worry VA and DoD are moving too slow

Leo Shane III / The Military Times - Advocates for veterans exposed to toxic smoke from burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan say federal response to the problem is too slow, too incomplete and sadly too late for thousands of troops succumbing to fatal diseases.

That’s despite more than a decade of research into the health effects and lawsuits over troops’ exposure to burning contaminants.

“When I went to the doctor and complained about chest pains, she told me ‘Well, you’re too young to have any type of chest complications,’” said Carlos Fuentes, director of VFW’s National Legislative Service and a Marine Corps veteran who served in Afghanistan’s Helmand province in 2009.

“We can’t wait decades like our Vietnam vets waited when it comes to Agent Orange conditions. Congress and VA and DOD must improve research.”

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https://www.militarytimes.com/veterans/2018/06/07/as-burn-pit-problems-linger-advocates-worry-va-and-dod-are-moving-too-slow/

Troops in Afghanistan Have Coronavirus Symptoms but No Tests, Congressman Says

Gina Harkins / Military.com - A lawmaker wants answers from the Pentagon about whether coronavirus tests are being sent to military bases worldwide after he said troops in Afghanistan based miles from a town where people have contracted COVID-19 are showing symptoms.

Several U.S. troops in Afghanistan are experiencing flu-like symptoms but have tested negative for influenza, according to Rep. Mark Pocan, a Wisconsin Democrat. Now, there are concerns the troops, who are 75 miles from Iran where the coronavirus is rampant, could have COVID-19, he said.

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https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/03/13/troops-afghanistan-have-coronavirus-symptoms-no-tests-congressman-says.html

Why women were told ‘Don’t get pregnant at George Air Force Base’

Tara Copp, The Military Times -  Airman Kate Kelly with her flight class at Lackland Air Force Base in 1974, just prior to getting assigned to George Air Force base. Kelly said she began to feel ill almost immediately upon arriving at George. She ultimately had three miscarriages and was never able to have children. While at George Kelly met her former husband, Ronald Holdren. He died in 2008 of multiple myeloma, a cancer that forms in plasma cells.

The first time Kate Kelly heard the warnings about George Air Force Base, she was a 19-year-old airman just getting settled into the barracks. It was 1975.

Another female airman sat on a bed opposite. She gave Kelly the rundown of the base. At the time, George was a hub of F-4 Phantom fighter jets and OV-10 Bronco reconnaissance planes.

Kelly mentioned she’d been thinking about getting married. Her roommate’s response was quick: “Just don’t get pregnant,” the airman warned. “Don’t get pregnant at George Air Force Base.”

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https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2018/06/20/why-women-were-told-dont-get-pregnant-at-george-air-force-base/

WILPF asks – What’s in Our Drinking Water? Why this public health crisis?

Women's International League for Peace & Freedom / Earth Democracy - What’s in our drinking water is a huge range of industrial and agricultural chemicals and substances. Why is because corporate and government interests choose not to acknowledge the dangers these substances pose. This article, about WILPF’s project, The Pentagon: Exposing the Hidden Polluter of Water, focuses on one group of highly toxic chemicals, called PFAS.

Today, over 110 million Americans are exposed to PFAS-contaminated drinking water. Over 99% of us have PFAS in our blood. PFAS is found in umbilical cord blood, in the placenta, and in breast milk. It is linked to thyroid disease; to kidney, liver and testicular cancer and to immune system disorders; and it leads to abnormalities in the developing fetus and young child.
e airman warned. “Don’t get pregnant at George Air Force Base.”

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https://wilpfus.org/our-work/earth-democracy-0

Letter:
Parents should know of program's Navy link

(Note: Even though this letter is exactly a year old, it is important that we remind ourselves that the Pentagon has firmly placed itself in the center of Science Technology Engeneering and Math (S.T.E.M.) programs in our middle and high schools to promote science in the service of militarism)

While it is encouraging to see so many Mount Everett students building robot submarines, Dick Lindsay's recent article ("Deep Dive," Eagle, March 13) omitted a key fact about the program: SeaPerch is funded by the U.S. Navy, which sees the program as a way to market itself to middle and high school students.

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https://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/letter-parents-should-know-of-programs-navy-link,567727

Bob Dylan: With God On Our Side (lyrics video)

Bob Dylan's memorable 1988 Live Oakland performance of 'With God on Our Side' made into a historical / lyric video.

Watch Now

https://youtu.be/P4EkQfXtheg

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