This story is part of the 2024 special report, “Ending the Wait for Toxic-Exposed Veterans,” by DAV and MOAA (Military Officers Association of America). Backed by original research and historic analysis, the report shows that toxic-exposed veterans—many of them suffering life-threatening diseases—often have to wait decades to receive access to the full range of health care and benefits they earned and so urgently need. DAV and MOAA offer a blueprint for reforming how our government handles service-related toxic exposures in a way that ensures timely, equitable access to life-saving care and benefits. Learn more at endingthewait.org.

 

While Mark Jackson was at Karshi-Khanabad Air Base in Uzbekistan in the summer of 2003, he kept daily journals. Dozens of neon yellow tabs protrude from the pages, marking each day he felt sick.

“The very first thing I write about is my throat and my eyes stinging from … this rotten smell,” the Army veteran said. “The next day, my journal entry said, ‘This place is toxic.’”

Jackson soon found himself logging a long list of symptoms: coughs, headaches, rashes, shortness of breath, fatigue.

K2’s toxicity wasn’t a secret. The Department of Defense knew that service members there were exposed to dangerous toxins, and a 2015 U.S. Army study found that K2 veterans have a 500% greater chance of developing certain cancers. Still, the Department of Veterans Affairs does not recognize the majority of K2 exposures.

Soon after leaving K2, and at just 27 years old, Jackson’s thyroid effectively died. At 30, he was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome. At 43, his doctor told him he had the bones of an 80-year-old.

“I’ll go ahead and assume that I’m pretty well beyond middle-aged at this point based on the wheels coming off,” he said.

Jackson is only received service-connected disability benefits for his thyroid. That means it’s up to him to cover the costs of treatments for his other conditions, whether out of pocket or through private insurance.

Jackson said that despite everything, he’d do it all over again.

“And I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t,” he said. “The basic terms of service when you sign up are that you’re going to give all the way up to and including your life, but they’re going to take care of you and your family. And they’re not honoring their end of the bargain.”

While the PACT Act did provide some benefits for K2 veterans impacted by particulate matter and burn pits, it failed to acknowledge or concede exposure to enriched uranium and other deadly toxins that have devastated Jackson and so many others.

The reforms and legal framework proposed in this report could have ended their wait long ago, and would help future toxic-exposed veterans get access to VA health care and benefits more quickly.