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.

 

When David Crete graduated at the top of his class from the United States Air Force Security Police Academy in 1983, he thought he would have his preference for duty stations. Instead, Crete ended up being selected for an assignment at the Air Force’s Tonopah Test Range (TTR), a highly classified weapons testing site in Nevada.

For nearly four years, Crete provided operational security at TTR, until a knee injury forced him to transfer to Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas.

“Shortly after arriving at Nellis, I started experiencing pulmonary issues,” Crete said. “I developed pneumonia. Military doctors diagnosed me with asthma and eventually sent me on my way, but I continued to have respiratory issues.”

After leaving the Air Force, Crete filed for disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs and received a 10% rating for his asthma, but chronic bronchitis continued to cause him problems. It’s become a consistent reoccurrence in his life, developing at least twice a year and lasting anywhere from two weeks to two months at a time.

“About 20 years after leaving TTR, I developed lipomas and even had one about the size of a grapefruit removed from my back because it was causing so much pressure on my spine,” Crete said. “I also have several other lipomas that may need surgical removal in the future, but fortunately they have all tested benign so far.”

In 2016, while at a reunion with other TTR airmen, Crete and others noticed they all had similar health problems: pulmonary issues, tumors and various cancers. A couple of veterans said they believed that radiation exposure was to blame.

Crete researched this further and discovered that various nuclear tests occurred decades earlier and that the illnesses and symptoms he and his fellow TTR airmen faced were long associated with radiation and toxic exposure.

When the PACT Act was signed in August 2021, Crete tried to refile for disability compensation for his various health conditions based on toxic exposure. But because the VA does not currently recognize TTR as a toxic exposure location, all of his claims were denied.

The recommendations and findings in this report, if adopted, could help Crete and other veterans whose toxic exposures are not yet recognized, acknowledged or conceded by VA or the Department of Defense.