The following is a personal story submitted to Civilian Exposure and published as part of our new series: “Contamination Chronicles: Personal Stories of Exposure”. If you would like to submit your story, you may fill out our form here or send directly via email to share-@-civilianexposure.org.
I arrived at duty station Adak, Alaska in 1973 as a Dental Tech. I spent 3 months (approx.) there. I started having major issues with walking, headaches, fatigue and numbness. Doctors could not figure out what I was experiencing. They talked about a medical discharge. It was odd. I arrived at Adak 100% healthy and now I can barely walk or function.
Since military officials cannot retrieve my records for over 3 years , I’ve had to piece together my own timeline. Just recently, I came across a toxin list on Adak and the picture was somewhat clearer. For 35+ years, toxic chemicals, airplane fuel, batteries, asbestos remnants, and more were disposed of by the military. Big problem is that these started leaking into the water table and into the air.
Adak is an EPA Superfund island and has been closed for many years. In short, it is a ghost town.
I could sure us some assistance as I’m trying to apply for medical disability. It’s been a hard and dead end road many times. I’m holding onto the old adage “the military takes care of their own.” Thank you fellow soldiers and God Bless us all!
Note: The author currently resides in Indiana. This account/editorial is verbatim from the author, with only the omission of their name to preserve anonymity.
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