The Burn Pit Problem

Why do troops in combat use burn pits? Is there even a better alternative? The military admitted to exposing 3.5 million veterans to toxic waste by burning it with jet fuel right next to where troops lived. Now the health problems and issues associated with breathing those toxic fumes from the open air burn pits is becoming clear to everyone. Why did the army decide to do such a destructive thing? Was there a better option and if there wasn't can a solution something be developed in the future?
Several acts of congress have been passed to help the veteran affairs hospital identify register and care for injured veterans but with 78% of claims being denined who knows if that will work.
Email [e-mail] for inquires.
#INFANTRY #MILITARY #WAR

[@Taskandpurpose]

Thanks for stopping by the VA, your claim has been denied that toxic cough is clearly not service connected and has nothing to do with the jet fuel you breathed in while deployed. unironically hooah photos: instagram.com/cappyarmy/ uniornically hooah tweets twitter.com/Cappyarmy

[@swanygaming6668]

Love ur work man

[@leonidashanna4740]

You are awesome!😎🇨🇦

[@jesse8600]

When I deployed with the 24 meu on the uss nassau, our jet fuel would leak into our drinking water somehow, for the entire deployment. Lol the water smelled and tasted, like fuel. Haha

[@lawlkings]

U.S. Military: "Throw everything in the fire pit, it's okay. You'll be fine. Trust us." *Military members getting sick and coming down with permanent health impacts due to firepits. Making them fend for themselves* U.S. Military: "Why is no one joining the military?!?!"

[@casbot71]

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear that over my tinnitus"…

[@stephanarizona9094]

Depending on the theater between 60%-80% of deployed personnel are civilian contractors who are exempt from filing any health claims for burn pits. It would have to be done through the Base Defense Act and as of to date not a single claim has been approved. After the military "banned" burn pits they most certainly did not stop using them but moved the burn pit right off base so technically there was no burn pits on military bases but that lovely black smoke of burning batteries and every type of plastic item imaginable covered the base, and it was always fun when ammunition and explosives some how always found their way into a burn pit. I can recall 50+ times off ammunition cooking off or a massive explosion rocking the base, thought we were under attack and got hit by a car bomb and then come to find out a AT4 or something else that was left behind and not checked ended up in the burn pit.

[@ghostpiratelechuck2259]

Do they hire American contractors or locals?

[@carterskindle7086]

Yo your profile picture is my Xbox profile picture.

[@harryh5620]

@@ghostpiratelechuck2259 uh... Well, I was a US contractor - so yes. Went to Iraq with perfectly normal blood pressure - came home with crazy high.

[@nickf4333]

Hundreds if not thousands of American contractors killed during the War on Terror aren’t factored into casualty counts either

[@ghostpiratelechuck2259]

@@harryh5620 I thought it was funny he said they discontinued the use of locals because of intel dissemination, not poisoning the local populace. Hearts and minds, no one ever said lungs lol

[@sidneysun5217]

this pretty much answers your previous video's question on why army recruitment numbers are down: not the burnpits but the fact they are just doing what's the cheapest and ignoring the rest

[@casbot71]

_The chemical WMD's were the ones we made upon the way._

[@andresmartinezramos7513]

Lmao

[@bonbon7808]

Based comment

[@Frenchdefense9404]

BASED

[@tomitiustritus6672]

Best comment

[@colmam8435]

It's depressing that for all the hundreds of billions spent on the military, more reasearch isn't being done to make safe incineration more viable in combat zones. You feel like the most important military goal should be the safety of the actual people serving whenever possible. Really eye opening stuff, thanks for the great video.

[@jawadbilgrami4676]

The US Govt failed the people it went to ‘save’ and the service people it took to make that ‘goal’ happen. All round failure I’d say.

[@commandervile394]

They don't care about their expendable pawns. Even now in places like Canada they are offering soldiers with severe PTSD assisted suicide via euthanasia as a "treatment", lmao.

[@AxaFin]

Thats cuz everybody wants to skim money and get their profit

[@combativeThinker]

The goal of these wars was to bleed the US of patriots and treasure.

[@cybervand]

Its not even difficult to make an incinerator with filters, they exist in coal plants and recycling plants

[@jravalera1]

And now, the military is complaining that there is a lack of recruits!

[@captain_princeps8669]

My uncle had lung complications from those pits. It caused him to have a major stroke. Wish he was here today.

[@fedupgamer9075]

On the day my unit was leaving, we were stopped and asked to fill out a questionnaire concerning potential exposure to toxic materials from our burn pit. Those who wanted to fill out the questionnaire would have to remain in theater until the questionnaires were processed, those who did not fill out the questionnaire could leave immediately. Of course no one elected to stay.

[@curtisthomas2670]

That was probably done so deliberately

[@KnightsWithoutATable]

@@curtisthomas2670 And should be assumed not to be a 0% exposure, but instead a 100% exposure since the survey was used to obfuscate instead of collect information on exposure. Yes, for a cursory look, it will work, but in a court or a proper investigation, this is an admission of guilt since they tried to cover it up. Getting to that law suit or a proper investigation is the hard part.

[@tarron3237]

Wow, that is next level underhanded

[@seokmin3292]

Yeah US military hasn’t changed much since Vietnam

[@fedupgamer9075]

@@seokmin3292 So true, I think they are just now coming to grips with the Agent Orange claims.

[@paulcrawford9007]

It's terrible, each cloud of smoke is different, each pair of lungs has different vulnerabilities, allergies, and cancer susceptibility. There is no "one size fits all" medical treatment.

[@DarkShroom]

well there kind of is... it's called don't burn plastic near soldiers, civilians or preferably at all... you morons

[@shark180]

When I got out in 2008, and did my VA stuff. I was asked if I was ever exposed to burn pits, after I said yes, I volunteered to be part of study group, but then I never heard anything about it.

[@insertuniquenamehere396]

Same here

[@deusvult6920]

Lmao they were still asking for volunteers for that went I got out in early 2011

[@B.V.Luminous]

Saaaaame

[@obsidianjane4413]

They only wanted people who answered no. See what they did there?

[@SDLXVI]

The study concludes when you drop ☠️

[@fritzs8117]

We had 21,000+ "detainees" at that place in Southern Iraq near the Kuwait border. That's a lot of issued "detainee" clothing, foam mattresses, shower shoes, prayer rugs, etc ...not to mention plastic dining wear, cups, and etc that were burned everyday.... most of the time "upwind" of where we ate and slept due to the onshore breeze off the Gulf. Not to mention all of our (there were about 4,500 of us) trash as well. If I close my eyes, I can still feel the burn and smell the stank. The memory almost makes my eyes water. KBR had incinerators.... they were bright, shiny and brand new..... never used.

[@petehaack5228]

Don't forget about the "sparkling lake" that was on the approach path into the helipads there. I was always terrified that we would have an engine failure at that exact moment and wind up going for a swim in that "lake." Swear to God, that's all I could think about every time we were on short final.

[@BaritoneMonkey]

@@petehaack5228 .... What was the lake made of?...

[@petehaack5228]

@@BaritoneMonkey It was all the the waste water from the showers and toilets from the camp, pumped out into a "lake" so to speak. It has been about 14 years, but if I remember right, roughly 2-3 acres (1 to 1.5 hectares?) maybe, and of unknown depth. Of course it was right over the final approach into the helipads for the prison and with my luck, I always swore that I would be forced to ditch in that damn thing and wind up coming to an inglorious end, drowning in someone else's poo.

[@hubert9841]

@@petehaack5228 holy shit

[@minhducnguyen9276]

​@@petehaack5228 "If you fall into that lake you'll get hepatitis" "Which one?" "How many letters are there in the alphabet?"

[@executivelifehacks6747]

"I love the smell of burn pits in the morning" *coughs chronically* 🤣😭

[@jeff7.629]

Yup, chronic cough since 2006.

[@executivelifehacks6747]

@@jeff7.629 It was really funny, like Cappy always is. After watching the video, it is gallows humor. That's nasty. I wonder who owns KBR.

[@worldwanderer91]

@@executivelifehacks6747 Dick Cheney probably has some owner stocks with KBR

[@ghosttankcommander5397]

XD LOLOLOLOLOL

[@themeatpopsicle]

A buddy was an "environmental contractor" in both Iraq and Afghanistan and he showed me a picture of a humvee in a burn pit. a whole fucken humvee

[@calholli]

Yeah.. I seen a documentary called "Why we fight" --- that showed how, sometimes if they had a semi truck hauling a trailer of goods to a base -- if it got a flat tire, and there was no way to repair it: They would just burn the entire truck, right there on the side of the road, so that no one could come along and take it, and end up using it against the soldiers. So there were highways with tanks and humvees and semi trucks littered all along the side of the road, in some areas..... It somehow was easier to just order a new loaded truck, than it was to get a tire repaired out there. That comes from foolish leadership who don't have a clue about all the logistics problems that can come up.......... But who cares right, Biden just left a couple hundred thousand different rifles, hundreds of humvees, 33 black hawk helicopters, and a bunch of other stuff, when he pulled from Afganistan. Look that video up on this channel if you haven't seen it. It was very recent called: "US Army Weapons Smuggled Out of Afghanistan"

[@calholli]

@Tin Watchman There were like 7 things that had to be met first -- and the Afgans had only accomplished one of those 7 things, being the cease fire. But there was a list of other things that were supposed to happen first, or we weren't going to pull out yet. None of those things were met, and biden just literally let it all fall apart and then pulled our people out last minute. The taliban were already working check points right outside the airport before we even had all of our troops out of there -- that's how quickly they took over. smh.. Look at biden, he can't even speak in clear sentences; there is no leadership and that's why it all fell apart and they just turned and ran away, and left all of our equipment over there too. Some of it was supposed to be left for the Afgan army, but most of it was not-- We would have never left them 33 BlackHawk Helicopters on purpose.

[@lspeace6640]

@Tin Watchman yes

[@jonathanwatkins6951]

When it's just the field guys getting effected there is no better alternative. When it effects the office people then it's a serious problem.

[@BeingFireRetardant]

Works the same at my company, field guys suffering in the 90 degree heat all day, no problem... office people lose AC for an hour, it's a code black level 12 emergency.

[@alankohn6709]

I remember reading a biography of a solider in Vietnam and he mention how dangerous garbage duty was because of the bullets and even grenades that ended up in the garbage and then thrown into burn pits

[@ArtjomKoslow]

I also wonder what they did with all the Agent Orange Barrels... There must be Thousands of those alone.

[@bernadmanny]

@@ArtjomKoslow The most common solution would have been take them out back and pour them out over the ground, solution number two would have been the nearest local water course or even better, sensitive wetlands.

[@jamestarhalla6735]

And the burning barrels of human waste.

[@WriteInAaronBushnell]

Not starting land wars in Asia would be a good way to decrease the need for burn pits

[@mdj.6179]

You had a video on recruitment. People joining need to feel they aren't just disposable. Our troops are too valuable to be wasted like this. It is like putting your latrines downstream from camp rather than upstream...the problem needs to better protocol.

[@cbdy1358]

I remember in Afghanistan it would literally snow black ash daily from those burn pits

[@wallythewondercorncake8657]

We used to burn rubbish in an old oil drum when I worked at an outdoor activities place. Cardboard boxes, spent shotgun shells, plastic packaging, dud pyrotechnics, all went in the barrel. That probably wasn't very good for me

[@RichardBreed]

I want to say thank you for all the effort you put in today's amazing segments especially the little comical interludes your family portrait of you stuck in the fire at home legendary it's legendary

[@BaronVonHobgoblin]

I'm glad I spent much of my deployment up north away from that massive spiraling column of black smoke that rose over BIAP each day! It was the first thing we saw as soon as we exited the plane!

[@billbrockman779]

I guess I was fortunate to be at Balad in 2010. I don’t even remember a burn pit except hearing about it. The fine dust was my major health concern.

[@deusvult6920]

Every fob had one

[@ItsAVolcano]

One of my friends served two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he recalls how most of the other soldiers openly mocked him for wearing a mask when doing burn duty. He's also mentioned more recently how he was basically the only guy from his unit who doesn't have some recurring breathing problems.

[@kilmer009]

This sums up how the planet is handling covid. The intelligent ones understand that the loud and stupid will eventually succumb to their own idiocy.

[@Puddlef1sh]

Funny that masks work. I wear a mask doing any work with small airborne debris.

[@Vulcano7965]

I was in a polish copper mine recently. In the active mining area the air isn't the best to put it mildly. Workers down there driving in their diesel vehicles were exposed to this dusty, hot environment until the pandemic hit. Mask were issued since then and they kept using them for, well, obvious reasons. I hope that this pandemic had at least the good side effect that people are more aware of good breathing air at their workplace and in general.

[@TheBishop12]

@@Vulcano7965 for me I stopped using them once they were no longer mandated but I can say for sure I no longer stigmatize in my head, others who wear masks. Before, I assumed anyone wearing a mask was sick and should stay home/hospital not out wearing a mask. Definitely made me aware now that some people just simply have underlying health problems (not sick sick) and covid can be a death sentence so I give them more room to maneuver now.

[@thetayz72]

I bet all the people who mocked your friend remember how stupid they were for doing that.

[@jantschierschky3461]

One aspect that pissed me off when I did service in the than west German army, we had very strict instructions how to dispose and what goes where. Washbays had grease traps etc. However when we gone to grafenwöhr for live shooting exercises the US military had the washbays next to a creek and used powerful pumps to wash vehicles. Big burn pit where everything went, despite a state of the art incinerator only 30km away. What also amazed was what got tossed, tonnes of spend cartridges etc. I subsidised my conscripts pay by loading my transporter with all those cases, sell to the scrap metal dealers (we had permission, but had to make sure spend cases only

[@classifiedveteran9879]

In Afghanistan, we were given pallets and f things like blankets and sandals, to give to the children/civilians as signs of good faith and the like. My commander told all the NCOs to hand them out on patrols. Every NCO nodded and smiled... Then they dumped all the humanitarian supplies on the burn pit, because they were all raging Islamophobes and wouldn't have none of that "being nice to Muslims" nonsense. Burn pits are easy access to destroying supplies/evidence/items that should not be destroyed. Also, were we had are burn pit, only privates and E-4 we're really exposed. Officers barely saw it because they were clear on the other side. They put the burnpit in a isolated part of the compound near a guard tower that only low ranking enlisted were stationed. NCO's would order us to stand near it, sometimes while getting smoked for no reason, whenever they got bored, because seeing us specialists and privates choke and gag while doing jumping jacks was amusing for them. It is used as a weapon against privates and specialists, to punish them for being new in the army. No other reason...

[@jantschierschky3461]

@@classifiedveteran9879 that just sucks

[@bspeers76]

I was the logistics specialist (E-4) in charge of both waste disposal (at, you guessed it, a burn pit) and fuel operations during my deployment to a little-known corner of TWOT in the Philippines, officially OEF-P. Our burn pit was pretty small and was at least a few hundred meters from living quarters, but even so, I always wondered if it was really the best solution. So, while some people might find the subject of this video less "glamorous" than most, I was actually happy to see somebody finally talking about this issue.

[@haveaknifeday]

You mean freedom fumes?

[@dariustiapula]

UN: We must regulate our carbon emissions!. US Military: Looks up from its toxic, smoke inhalation, trash burning refuse piles. "What are you gonna do about it?".

[@AR15andGOD]

carbon emission is good for the environment.

[@EC-dz4bq]

@@AR15andGOD Found the 50 cent'r

[@jus7040]

@@AR15andGOD Spaghetti is carbonara.

[@vos2693]

Please stop thinking in propaganda cliches. "Carbon emissions" are just CO2, it won't even suffocate you in open air. Burning plastic, electronics and other types of waste will produce much more toxic things: for example, fluorine compounds, carcinogenic ash, mercury compounds, heavy metals nanoparticles. You do not want any of these things anywhere near your body, and you cannot detect them until the damage is done. To prevent a health damage from CO2, all you need is to stand aside from smoke and breathe air.

[@dariustiapula]

@@vos2693 That goes way over my head.

[@jean-luclorusso]

At least our VA isn't telling our vets to off themselves like in Canada. I hope you make a video on that by the way. I think that shit needs as much coverage as possible

[@d0fabur5st82]

pretty low bar there

[@jeff7.629]

Angry Cops posted a video on this early today.

[@dmf4254]

That was crazy. I thought it was fake tbh

[@80krauser]

Our VA just ignores you until you die

[@LysergicKids]

Yeah, the one good thing I can say about the US VA is that they never told me to off myself. That may literally be the only good thing I can say about the VA, but it's something I guess.

[@SHGames97]

Dude your channel is the absolute best. Being the grandson of a Korean war vet & a German who smuggled Jews out of Nazi Germany. (Not to mention brother in law who served same time as yourself, close friends etc) Military has always played it's part in my family, idk if it's fortunately or unfortunately to this point as the youngest Hickey generation of eligibility yet to join the armed forces. All the insight, way of thinking & subtle ques of inner working inside that career path is soooo freaking appreciated!! Still in limbo of my decisions, idk which way you tilt the scales but definitely has informed the decision process. Keep it up gangster!

[@Taskandpurpose]

my grandfather was a korean war veteran also , an army artillery guy. glad to hear your family got out of nazi germany safetly ! thanks for watching man , stay safe be well

[@SHGames97]

Wish he was around to ask if maybe they knew each other! Made my day & thank you for the kind words. Same to you bro, as always amazing stuff!

[@pvtparts90]

Considering their budget is effectively infinite the idea that something is too expensive is laughable. Not to mention they know they're gonna have to pay a substantial amount of money in medical care either directly or indirectly at some point after the fact. Now, assuming they still don't want the incinerators, and can't risk shipping the garbage out or having locals come in, how about this? What if, and hear me out on this one because its incredibly complex.... what if we were to dig a burn pit somewhere between 500 to 1,000 yards outside the base? Fill up a truck with garbage and drive it to the pit when it fills up!

[@josetrujillo2394]

Yeah this "pay for it later" mentality is literally everywhere and has to go.

[@arthur3816]

Its the US the medical bills are most likely going to be left to the individuals

[@GrantHolmstrom]

I am glad that families and veterans are finally getting the help they need! It was too late for my family's friend Peter Antioho. He went to West Point and then served in Afghanistan where he was exposed to the noxious burn pits. He developed brain cancer afterwards and him and his family had to fight the VA to get benefits linked to his service.

[@soul0360]

From my experience in Afghanistan. Spending most of my deployment in Coy+ size patrol bases (140 - 200) people). Requiring alternative waste disposal, when above 100 people for 3 months, wouldn't be feasible. For the simple reason of lacking personel. Bases at that size, are barely staffed adequately for base defence and QRF, while conducting foot patrols regularly. Let alone offensive operations far from base. Mind you, I'm Danish, and I've only spent time in Danish and British Patrol bases. We mostly only burned human waste and packaging from food. Stuff that would otherwise cause disease, if left laying around. As well as paper, classified or not. Everything else was put aside, and put on supply trucks for their return trip. We didn't use jet fuel for our burn pits, which were generally situated downwind, outside of base. But even though our pits weren't as bad as reporting from the US. From the smell alone, they probably weren't safe. Especially for the poor grunt with the stick, or the Section providing perimeter defence for him.

[@allenwc]

You are absolutely correct. Every issue needs to see the full light of day, good and bad, but open and honest, if we are ever to solve the gnarly issues facing us. Way to go, excellent discussion. Thanks kindly

[@Taskandpurpose]

thanks I'm glad people saw where I was coming from with this video , sometimes I don't include enough caviets and side notes about what my intentions are. my intentions are for things to get better and I feel like it's too easy to just say "the military is evil they wanted troops to get sick" it's more complicated than that

[@seanflorian4653]

Uniforms, sensitive documents, cardboard, etc make sense to burn. Tires, batteries and chemicals need to be disposed of properly

[@JaceKeller]

I really like this “new format”. Just sitting down and talking. Do you guys have a podcast ? If not, what are you waiting for ? Just one episode a month or whatever. I would watch the living hell out of it ! :) love the content ! God bless

[@scaredofghosts6813]

3-pronged solution: first, a redesign of materials used by soldiers in combat to last longer or be more burn safe. 2nd, instruct soldiers to separate hazardous waste from being burned. 3rd mandate procedures for burn pit placement, distance from camp, burning agents, hazardous waste management, and how to defend it from enemy...the burn pit is the best option, its whats being burned that matters

[@TheRedKibet]

Burning isn't the best for the environment, no matter what's burning.

[@scaredofghosts6813]

@@TheRedKibet fires a natural process, some plants cant germinate without fire ..too late to save lol unexploded ordnances, chemical weapons, indigenous waste. Look up how they contaminated their own ground water. Burning wax paper will be just fine lol

[@stevie754]

Love your channel. Problem solver steve here; (wife hates it). How about separating the trash. Paper, clothe, and other non-dangerous items are burned. The batteries/electronics/plastics etc., just dumped, (stockpiled) at an adjacent safe location. The other crap can burn, but requires a meteorologist's (assume the US has military ones of these) to ok as to wind direction. The burn pile will be smaller. Another fine example of the Americans using the best solution after everything else has been tried. I think. Not a vet but from a family of draftees.

[@Pystro]

I thought the same. Everything that gets LESS dangerous if it's burned (human refuse, secret documents, anything that attracts flies or rats like spoiled food, ...) gets burned. Everything that gets MORE dangerous by burning it (batteries, electronic trash, ammunition, ...) gets stored. That trash can then either be fed into an incinerator if the FOB gets large enough to get one. Or if the base is abandoned before the end of the conflict, you can burn it with only a skeleton crew directly at the base (If you need more security they can camp out 500m or so away from the burn pit). And if the base stays in operation until the end of the war you can then have the trash hauled to a proper disposal site or backhauled without the threat of ambushes. Or you could even backhaul it to a large base during the war if there are periods where the area seems safe enough to do so. Uniforms can either be cut up to make them unusable or get burned (they are safe ENOUGH, with only minimal amounts of plastic in them).

[@xyzpdq1122]

That makes FAR too much sense! (I thought the same thing when he was talking about needing to burn some things for OpSec and others for convenience)

[@goodmusic37]

You hit the nail on the head. But when did the top brass actually care about common sense when it came to looking out for the infantrymen?

[@madp3d]

Hey Chris. Just wanted to let you know... I've been watching your channel for quite a while now and always find your videos informative and entertaining. There are a lot of shitty channels out there trying to get subs and likes. You produce quality content with well researched, genuine and pertinent information. I'm not a military guy but your straight-up approach and humour have made me look forward to your videos. I'm always happy when I see a notification. You have one of the best channels on these topics. Thanks for putting in the effort to do it better than all the others. Thank you also for your military service and keep up the great content.

[@Taskandpurpose]

thanks I really appreciate the kind words brother, I try my best to highlight things I think you guys will find interesting . I'll keep making the videos if you all are still interested in watching them

[@Zfickoff]

I operated a burn pit a coupke times. The vultures waiting for you through the black smoke is...an experience...

[@titaniumskunkogkush4365]

Just imagine how much the locals suffer from your burn pits. Not only you killed them but poisoned them with your burn pits.

[@TorricRoma]

My lungs are scared from burn pits

[@marksw5499]

Hm, this is interesting. One doesn't normally think of garbage disposal logistics in the military, yet this brought to light how important it actually is.

[@Lew114]

We ask so much from our troops. We owe them much better. It’s shameful.

[@ThePatriotParadox]

My whole family are veterans and they get shit healthcare..... Goes to show how the government tries and gets out of treating conditions directly caused by their time in service. These are the ones that fight for our and the governments freedom too!

[@steveb8883]

I remember the Balad/ Anaconda burn pit well. My Div Cav squadron was there in early 04. If you went out on the East side of the base, you drove through the smoke.

[@SpamMouse]

Surprisingly interesting - thank you for putting this together. Have a great weekend.

[@numgun]

Welp, I'm adding this as another reason to avoid the military draft. Superb video and very educational. Hopefully a new type of practice/technology/solution could fix this problem soon enough.

[@Taskandpurpose]

thanks I try to make informative videos like these occationally along with the weapons content

[@arash1934]

Hey man! Just wanted to say i really like the chill laid back scenes on the couch I’ve seen in last couple of videos. It hits different in a cozy manner i really dig it!

[@TBA8o8]

Always love to hear Cappys takes and insight. America really needs to start doing better; The U.S. spends the most of any other country on it's military yet we still poison the very people who put their lives on the line...It's disgusting and frustrating. All that money and it was somehow impossible to get incinerators and competent crew to run them? Literally billions of dollars yet you still poison your own...

[@john.rc.3274]

A very thoughtful segment! Keep up the great work.

[@MrKKUT1984]

Surely such things as a mobile garbage incinerator exists huh? Seems like that would be a better idea that a permanent one, at least for military needs

[@peterabel81]

I am totally amazed by the depth of research, the calm and balanced reasoning despite your personal involvement of the hazards. On the top of all, you can keep it being entertaining.

[@tatersgonnatate6230]

I never knew much about these burn pits. However, I do know the after effects of chemical poisoning. My grandfather led chem division in Vietnam. He led an infantry division in Korea and had commendations from all over for being so active. After Vietnam, he came home with a twitch, could barely speak and my uncle was born disfigured and mentally handicapped.

[@HouseholdDog]

I disagree with Jon Stewart on 99% of topics. But I have to thank him for taking up this issue. Despite my disagreement with his politics, I definitely think he is a good man.

[@Taskandpurpose]

same I disagree with him all the time but he's hilarious and he's done more for veterans than any other celebrity. he gave me my first job as a Production assistaint on his show!

[@wonkybiscuit2760]

Got an ad on this video for burn pit compensation. It’s taken so long for the progress that’s been made.

[@projectarduino2295]

Just use something like those Russian Crematorium trucks. Strap a filter on it and drive one up for every fifty people on those small little bases or whatever number it would be. Dynamic, mobile, and gives defense contractors something else to sell. Win, win, win.

[@swirrllfolfsky9803]

Sounds like they need to develop a small scale incinerator that could be carried on a lmtv

[@Taskandpurpose]

not a bad idea, might have been why the Russians had mobile incinerators with them in addition to for the bodies

[@tedenderpal1299]

3 tummers 3 different cancers, lost a lung due to burn pits. I've been fighting the VA since 2019, now there is hope.

[@OverTheShenanigans]

Better designed burn pits would definitely help. Dig the pit with an air source from the bottom would help a lot.

[@redcell9636]

In Afghanistan they were still using Burn pits even in 2015. There is (was) one outside of FOB Shorab (Old Camp Leatherneck) it was roughly 300m long, and you could smell it constantly.

[@28ebdh3udnav]

Vietnam veterans had agent orange exposure. Gulf war veterans had guld war syndrome which I'm assuming it's from some drug they were exposed to and DU. Iraq and Afghanistan veterans had burn pits to other chemicals. Now, those who are serving RN in Syria and Iraq and also in other parts of the world, have what exposure?

[@oopsieipoopsied8041]

Great info as always. People yelling about this back home have a point of course that it's something we need to take care of for our guys but in an active war zone with no infrastructure I also totally get the "what the hell else are we gonna do" Not like we'd look any better if we were dumping all our toxic shit in the Kabul River and contributing to their problems.

[@toniwilson6210]

Veterans deserve better healthcare PERIOD

[@ThZuao]

How about a truck mounted incinerator? 10 million dollars pleeeease.

[@DarkShroom]

totally with you... if people get compensation next time it increases the cost... people only change their ways if they loose money

[@tyroberts2261]

From a science point of view, it’s not that hard to find a place to landfill waste. You have to check the hydrology of the site, but good sites are all around us. It is probably necessary to use irradiation on the human waste. I can only think of intelligence problems with discarded papers. Just burning these shouldn’t cause health problems.

[@jay-t1030]

And the military wonders why their recruitment number are so low.

[@benmcreynolds8581]

There's got to be some form of way a chemist can find ways to use either microbes/bacteria/ fungi/ or some other form of chemical reactions to breakdown the trash. Sorta like how composting gets made... The dump where I live has a system of piping that collects the gas that naturally occurs from the breaking down of the trash overtime. They then condense that gas and either find ways to use it someway.

[@keithlarsen7557]

Its sort of a yes and no. Yes, bacteria can break down plastic and other stuff, but it takes for ever, and to have bacteria eat that stuff it needs water. And while bacteria can eat most things, if something is toxic enough, nothing will grow on it.

[@zero_udk]

We had a huge burn pit at FOB Brassfield MORA outside Samarra, Iraq and sometimes it would explode uncontrollably with thrown away ammo and grenades.

[@badgertheskinnycow]

That's what happens in an unprofessional army.

[@guaposneeze]

The people who complained about the cost of proper waste handling drive me nuts. If you can't afford to handle your trash during decades of military occupation... Maybe you should take a real hard look at whether or not going and doing a 20 year military occupation is even a good idea. Might be able to save some money. All the sickness from our own waste handling reminds me of historical campaigns like the Crimean war where failing to have basic sanitation famously meant they lost more soldiers to their own bad practices than they did to enemy action. In-theory, we've learned that lesson and it doesn't work like that any more. In-practice, we've just made it real hard to get solid numbers on how many of our own people we messed up so it's hard to prove that our own government hurt more of our soldiers than the enemy did.

[@BellBivDeveau]

Government doesn’t give a chit about their civilians or veterans. My father lost his mind in Vietnam and I watched our government treat him like trash. People need to rise up and force change.

[@westonprather3157]

The more I learn about the GWOT, the more I realize how much of a shitshow it was, and how criminal our government is.

[@prjndigo]

I have lethal asthma, not from military burn pits but I did grow up around the burning waste culture. Sundstrom SR100 half-mask with Sundstrom SR510 200 inch P100HE filter is around my neck whenever I leave the house, handle garbage, mow the yard. Great visibility (single low front canister) and no natural material components. Also rather inexpensive.

[@Livi_Noelle]

I had no idea that JP-8 was horribly toxic. It does explain a few of the chronic symptoms that I deal with.

[@NotTheStinkyCheese]

So ... it's all down to 'cost', isn't it ? It really really sucks that the government doesn't care about the people it sends to risk their lives. Yes ... waste management at the army level has special needs and security issues to deal with, but that doesn't mean it can't be done safely. It just means it costs more to do it right. btw : never realised that base commanders in a flippin' warzone had to spend money to operate the base. Is that really how the (American) army works ? (or any other army?) Shouldn't they be worrying about more important things than budget ?

[@kenflagler635]

C'mon! "Burn pits in the morning", that was cheap. Digging your content and delivery Cappy. 😎😎😎

[@kylebritt1225]

DOD spent decades dodging Agent Orange victims. Whats new?

[@danielstevens3869]

we had a burn pit right near our cots and tents, when I was at Fob Kalsu in 2003. Burning our shit was separate and done in 1/2 Barrels.

[@pierredelecto7069]

I can't believe the guys who use depleted uranium bullets and napalm to get rid of vegetation would do something so dangerous.

[@simsreject5925]

It's a good thing the PACT Act commissioned a study to determine if toxic chemicals, genetics, family history, or prior existing conditions play a bigger role in veteran illness, creates a more efficient way for the VA to deny claims, and sets up a fund to pay for administration and technology updates and contracts for the VA. At least Soldiers are going to get more annual training on exposure to hazardous materials.

[@gregoryteeple9306]

I couldn't believe what we were throwing in those pits. It was nuts.

[@goodmusic37]

i find it REALLY hard to believe that the military-industrial complex which has produced jaw-dropping tech like the GBU-28, the Howitzer, A10 Warthog - just to name a few - is somehow unable to come up with a mobile incinerator that can be easily and safely set up and moved around with troops.

[@Taskandpurpose]

yeah would be nice if they could come up with a better solution or invest some money in an alternative. if it were cheaper and easier they would have done it already

[@xyanide1986]

There is no way in hell that the toxic factor of this was unknown by the 90s and 2000s. When I was a child I knew that burning plastic fumes were hazardous.

[@fabiosemino2214]

In Italy we know about this since 1976, just search Seveso disaster, we have also our burn pits problems in certain cities when there are critical trash problems

[@FreedomandBaconHomestead]

Thank you for speaking to the issue.

[@tonys3165]

The Republican Party voted against help for veterans made sick by these burnpits to the last member. So much for supporting vets!

[@LuoSon312_G8]

why hasn't a designated mobile material incinerator been used? dump items into an automated machine that separates metals and plastics from biodegradables (food, fabrics, paper). Metals and plastics would be packaged and sent to factories to recycle or smelted scraps into raw materials for re-use. Biodegradables would be made into compost (food), or incinerated for permanent disposal (treated fabrics like cushions or clothes, and paper from nonessential documents or miscellaneous media), with heavy duty filters used to limit toxic fumes or gases.

[@davidty2006]

Or maybe something not as mobile but a flatpack kit that can be transported in container sized sections that can be assembled quickly.

[@rick-be]

When my plane was circling Bien Hoa,I saw various fires burning and I asked if they were under attack.I was told,"No,today is shit burning day."

[@brockjohnson5068]

I think this episode answers in part another episode's title "Why is recruitment down" - It's obvious that the Army's main goal is to achieve a military objective and all auxiliary issues, like the health of it's soldiers are ancillary.

[@VR-vv2qe]

Great work and of my years spent exposed, it was a fight to get VA to help with my lung issues. I hope get gets better for others. Alls your video appears to have cut you off mid sentence and has done it before...just as an fyi.

[@Taskandpurpose]

sorry about that I messed up the render!

[@Norm475]

The graphic behind the narrator (located at the 10:13 mark) with the big nose and hand over what looks like a fence goes as far back as WW2 maybe earlier. I forget what it was called, but I had a high school science teacher that was in WW2 who would constantly draw this character on test papers, chalkboards, etc. I graduated in 1960

[@casparcoaster1936]

I got chemical sensitivity after surgery to cut of my lefty in 1995. I slept outside for about 5 years, and problem subsided. I was in Boston the morning of 911, visiting friends before going to visit my ex in North Jersey. Well, when I saw the crap in the air after 911, I got my wife to send my son up to Boston, and I didnt give him back for 4 years. You could see the folks without masks on TV.

[@victorgreer3199]

Imagine getting ptsd from taking out trash overseas then coming home literally going insane on trash days.

[@gonnmz]

Could a truck fit a miniature incinerator? That would be neat.

[@Jubasfanclub]

No funcionaría, el problema no es generar la suficiente temperatura, es es relativamente sencillo, lo complicado es que sea lo suficientemente alta para que no deje apenas partículas en suspensión y filtrar los gases y para eso necesitas mucho más espacio del que te ofrece cualquier camión o remolque

[@g392_cs_echo5]

I lived in three different houses off route Michigan in Ramadi. We burned everything. One time a boot threw a 40mm round into the fire. So dumb. But we did what we were told. Burn pits were everywhere trigger pullers were at. We thought nothing of it at the time.

[@davidshettlesworth1442]

DANG! What in the Heck were the base commanders thinking!?

[@axelmilan4292]

US Military: why are our recruitment numbers in free-fall? Also the US military:

[@menacereconnaissance7406]

Yay

[@LawtonDigital]

I read an engineer FM back in the day that included detailed instructions for the construction of field incinerators. They ran on diesel and were something any shop with a cutting torch, a stick welder, and some 55 gallon drums could put together in quantity. It's just nuts that we didn't do the job properly.

[@kvpham]

sad when a comedian (jon stewart) is the loudest on this issue to get our vet help

[@casbot71]

No matter your political leanings, you've got to give Jon Stewart props for that.

[@TalonAshlar]

Literally just needed to organize a local contractor with a proper vetting process and to not let them inside the base.

[@josephhayes3151]

I know in 2012, we burnt all our trash at patrol base Eredvi Afghan, literally every other day we go around and collect the trash and drive it to the abandon pit and splash some JP8 on it and drive away.

[@pigspigs76]

Jesus .. can't really call people out for littering after that lol