VETERANS DENIED BENEFITS – K2 UZBEKISTAN TOXIC WASTE EXPOSURE

K2 in Uzbekistan was a Soviet Air Force base with a long history of environmental contamination. The DOD leased 40 acres of the base from October 2001-2005 and an estimated 15,000 military members were stationed at Karshi-Khanabad (K2) on the way into Afghanistan. The base was immediately recognized as having contamination and DOD was slow to recognize the problems and limit exposure. Now 20 years later, public pressure has Congress looking at the issue and veterans’ health being impacted by the exposure to golden oils in the soils, black goo, chemical weapons, ordinance explosions, yellow cake and depleted uranium from Soviet use and American burn pits. Mike Lechlitner, an Army veteran and DOD contractor, discusses his experiences at K2 and efforts to get Congress to recognize the problems and provide presumptive disease recognition to veterans.