In August 2022, the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our PACT Act was signed into law thanks to the groundbreaking advocacy efforts of DAV. Among its many impactful provisions, the PACT Act will reduce bureaucratic obstacles for an estimated 3.5 million veterans who seek VA benefits due to burn pit exposures during the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and other hostile locations.

Recently, DAV Chief Communications and Outreach Officer Dan Clare sat down with “Dirty Jobs” TV show host Mike Rowe to discuss the health impact of burn pits on “The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe” podcast. While serving in Iraq, Clare saw a Department of Defense memo detailing the dangers of toxic burn pits on those serving at his base. Though ordered to keep quiet, Clare couldn’t stay silent, knowing the continued health ramifications it would have on his fellow service members.

Listen as Mike Rowe and Dan Clare talk about significant issues impacting veterans from post-traumatic stress disorder to burn pits to filing benefits claims and more.