President Joe Biden paid tribute to the nation’s military heroes on Veterans Day and announced a new federal measure to help treat conditions caused by troops’ exposure to toxic environments.
Marking his first Veterans Day in office, Biden visited Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia to remind Americans that we can never forget the sacrifices of our troops.
“This is a lifelong, sacred commitment. It never expires,” Biden said.
“So many are still serving today in harm’s way and we cannot forget them,” Biden added. “The American people are forever grateful and in awe of what you’ve accomplished.”
Biden recalled the heroism of his late son, Beau Biden, who left his family behind to serve a yearlong tour of duty in Iraq.
“Jill and I learned what it to meant pray every day for the safe return of a loved one,” Biden said. “So many of you have done that.”
Biden also announced a new federally funded effort to better understand, identify and treat medical conditions suffered by troops deployed to toxic environments.
The effort centers on lung problems suffered by troops who breathe in toxins and the potential connection between rare cancers and time spent overseas breathing poor air, according to the White House.
Biden has occasionally hypothesized about a potential link between Beau Biden’s death from an aggressive brain cancer after returning from Iraq and his exposure to toxins in the air, particularly around so-called burn pits where the military sets fires to dispose of waste.
Troops who return from overseas with breathing problems are found to have no higher rate of lung illness than the average But those deployed with the U.S. military are in peak physical condition, stronger and more fit than average Americans. To come back unable to make it upstairs without getting winded or unable to lift anything without breathing heavily is highly unusual.
The new rules will allow veterans to make claims within 10 years of service, and the government has changed how it determines what symptoms count and why.
Meanwhile, a group of Democratic lawmakers is reviving an effort to pay the families of Black service members who fought on behalf of the nation during World War II for benefits they were denied or prevented from taking full advantage of when they returned home from war.
The new legislative effort would benefit surviving spouses and all living descendants of Black WWII veterans whose families were denied the opportunity to build wealth with housing and educational benefits through the GI Bill due to racism.
