LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Over the last two decades, around 3.5 million post-9/11 combat veterans may have been exposed to dangerous chemicals while in the line of duty. Now a bipartisan bill signed into law on Wednesday by President Biden will help millions of veterans affected, including one Louisville man.
That man is Jeremy Harrell, and he would do anything for his country.
“We’re focused on how to survive, how to win and also protecting innocent folks in the country and each other,” Jeremy Harrell, founder of The Veteran’s Club Inc. said.
The last thing on Harrell’s radar while serving in the Army was exposure to burn pits
“Other than recognizing it consistently burned, I was like ‘Do they ever take a break,’ just random conversations but I didn’t worry about my health and I don’t think too many 21- and 22-year-olds worry really about their health,” Harrell said.
Harrell is the founder of the Veteran’s Club, an organization that offers a broad range of programs for veterans, first responders and their families.
Before founding the club, Harrell spent nine years in the service with tours to Kuwait and Cyprus. However, Iraq was where he said he lived the closest, about a football field away from the burn pit.
“Engineers dug a crater in the earth and that’s where we would take all of the trash around the ford operating base,” Harrell said. “I remember every day for about 16 months smelling the smoke of the burn pits.”
Thanks to the PACT Act signed into law on Wednesday by President Biden, health care will be expanded for millions of veterans like Harrell exposed to toxins while serving overseas.
“I have respiratory infections frequently, sleep apnea, just a lot of different sinusitis, I have terrible sinus issues that I can pretty much guarantee between the sand and that’s part of it,” Harrell said.
A sign of relief for Harrell as the future is unknown.
“When I think about the PACT Act I think about the likelihood that I could develop one of many kinds of cancers and, as unfortunate as it is, it’s a reality so I’m glad there’s an opportunity for me to get the help I need if it does come up,” Harrell said.
It’s also an opportunity for the thousands of veterans Harrell and his team serve at the Veteran’s Club.
“One of the other things we didn’t think about serving in the middle of a combat zone is keeping records of every time we had a headache,” Harrell said. “You know, I know where I was during this time but I don’t know necessarily at what point I was exposed but now there’s no need for that. Now it’s presumed to have been caused by their service in these certain countries.”
A long awaited justice for veterans worldwide.
Spectrum News 1 reached out to the Robley Rex VA Medical Center and received a statement from the VA Secretary, Denis McDonough: “We couldn’t be more grateful to President Biden, who made this day possible by fighting like hell for our nation’s Veterans. Once the President signs this bill into law, we at VA will implement it quickly and effectively, delivering the care these Veterans need and the benefits they deserve.”
Veterans can now immediately file claims or learn about new benefits at va.gov/PACT.