May 29, 2021
Dear Friends,
Every year around Memorial Day, I find myself reflecting on the lives and stories of our nation’s servicemembers—known and unknown—who made the ultimate sacrifice for us and for this Republic in the name of freedom and democracy for all.
Each day that our country grows in freedom, each night that our children are safe, is a gift made possible by America’s service men and women and their families. These heroes have long served as the bedrock for our nation’s deepest values and the pillars uplifting our highest ideals.
As we turn the page on each new day of this pandemic and work to protect American lives, this Memorial Day calls to us to pause and reflect on the service of others, and to draw strength and wisdom from the unmatched devotion of those who have put service and love of country above all else.
We mourn their absence and through that find humility, courage and resilience in their example.
As a lifelong public servant, I have always felt a deep reverence for those who risk, and give, everything in that good name of service. And I believe that honoring our fallen heroes must also mean looking out for all who have served and sacrificed in our Armed Forces.
10 years ago I met with a constituent who shared the story of America’s Fort McClellan veterans. This base was home to the Chemical Corps as well as the Women’s Army Corps and Military Police School until the base’s closure in 1999, and was used for years as the U.S. military’s main chemical and biological training center. And during that first conversation, and many more times over the past decade, I have heard personal and heartbreaking stories of servicemembers struggling with severe life-long health problems that they believe stems from their service on base.
They may be right. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has acknowledged that veterans stationed at Fort McClellan may have been exposed to radioactive compounds, chemical warfare agents and other toxins. Despite this, the VA has declined to grant a presumption of service-connected disability based on that service for long-term severe health complications later in life including cancer, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, diabetes, heart disease, and numerous reproductive, autoimmune and neurological problems. Because the VA continues to deny the connection—without a complete review of the evidence, I would add—Fort McClellan veterans are often unable to get service-connected care for their lifelong injuries.
Over the past decade, I’ve worked to bring the plight of our Fort McClellan veterans—and the sacrifice of those who are now among our honored dead—to the attention of my colleagues in Congress. Recently I had the privilege of addressing the House Armed Services Committee and pressing for meaningful action to end this national disgrace.
It is our responsibility to do right by those who have sacrificed their health, their wellness, and their lives for us. We must support our Fort McClellan veterans and fix our past mistakes by advancing my Fort McClellan Health Registry Act. This legislation would use the scientific and well-established method of creating a health registry to notify veterans of potential exposure and track links between service at the base and the severe life-long health problems plaguing many of those who served there.
The Fort McClellan Health Registry Act:
- Directs the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to set up a health registry for veterans who served at Fort McClellan between 1935 and 1999 and include information on registrants’ health status
- Requires the VA to provide the option of a health examination and consultation to any veteran who was stationed at Fort McClellan; and
- Requires the VA to do appropriate outreach to veterans listed in the registry about their options, new research, and the consequences of toxic substance exposure
As we join together with our fellow Americans this weekend to pay tribute to the men and women who gave their lives for our nation, I hope my colleagues in Congress will consider joining this effort to deliver on the debt we owe these survivors for their service. Let’s make sure these heroes know that they—and their brothers and sisters in arms—will never be forgotten.
And let us all be guided by their powerful memory of service and sacrifice, and be reminded that we can overcome any challenge when we come together in faith and in unity.
As always, thank you for reading.
Your friend,
DID YOU KNOW?
Throughout this pandemic, my office and I have worked to make sure you remain informed with the latest updates and recommendations on any and all COVID-19 related topics. With that in mind here is some information from the SBA that may be of interest to you:
- The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced this week that it is accepting applications for its new Community Navigator Pilot Program.
- This new initiative, established by the American Rescue Plan, will leverage a community navigator approach to reach our nation’s smallest businesses, with a priority focus on those owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, as well as women and veterans.
- SBA will accept applications through July 12, 2021, and anticipates making award decisions by August 2021.
- The Community Navigator Notice of Funding Opportunity will be open to applications from nonprofit organizations, state, local, and tribal governments, SBA resource partners, and other organizations. Those eligible to apply must meet and demonstrate abilities to support the requirements of this funding opportunity.
- Competitive grant awards will range from $1 million to $5 million for a two-year performance period.
- For more information on the Community Navigators Initiative, visit www.sba.gov/navigators.