Hi, everyone--
Several articles in the L.A. Times, and our local Orange County Register indicate
the energy secretary will announce a proposal to provide compensation to workers in
nuclear weapons production during the Cold War, which may have caused illnesses in
thousands of workers. The Clinton administration will announce proposed legislation
that would compensate many of them for their medical care and lost wages.
Energy Secretary Bill Richardson detailed the legislation in an interview in which
he depicted the workers as victims of the Cold War and the rush to produce nuclear
weapons. The workers suffered from cancers and lung diseases after exposure to beryllium,
asbestos, mercury, uranium and other materials, under safety standards set by the Energy
Department and its predecessor, the Atomic Energy Commission.
Energy Department officials have estimated that compensation for those exposed to
beryllium, some of whom suffer from a chronic, incurable, obstructive lung disease,
will be about $15 million a year at its peak...an estimated 500 to 1,000 have beryllium
disease or will develop it.
The government also will study how to compensate people exposed to asbestos and
radioactive materials. Radiation poses a particular challenge, because it causes
diseases like leukemia and cancers that also have other causes, and the amount of
radiation needed to cause a disease is in dispute. (Just what we need, another study.)
Several people involved in the formation of the policy said the Energy Department had
originally favored including people exposed to radiation and other threats, but that
the White House had demanded further study. Clinton is expected to announce today
(July 15, 1999) that the National Economic Council will lead an interagency study,
to be completed by April, (which April?) on whether other illnesses should be included.
Congress has just come back, and the legislation proposed by Sen. Wellstone and Rep. Lane
Evans, pending before the recess is, for all practical purposes, dead in the water.
For all of those exposed to radiation during the nuclear testing, now is the time to
contact your representatives and request that the veterans exposed to detritus
(fragmented debris) from the bombs (of any kind), also be compensated without the
necessity of another study. We've been studied to death, and that is literally true--how
many are left??? Get on the stick and do it now!!!!
APPLICATIONS FOR COLD WAR RECOGNITION POUR IN
(Orange County Register, July 18, 1999)
Some 200,000 Americans have applied for the Defense Department's new certificate. The
debut of the certificates in April produced so much interest that federal officials have
been scrambling to keep up with requests. Some 22 million military veterans and federal
government civilian personnel who served during the 46-year standoff are eligible.
MEDAL LEGISLATION
Medal legislation sponsored by Sen. Phil Gramm, R-Texas, has passed the Senate.
A similar bill by Rep. Rick Lazio, R-N.Y., is pending in the House.
The Cold War spans the period Sept. 2, 1945, the date Japan surrendered to end World War
II, to Dec. 26, 1991, when Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as Soviet president and the Soviet
Union fell apart.
APPLYING FOR THE NEW COLD WAR CERTIFICATE (NOT THE MEDAL)
Who is eligible:
All members of the armed forces and federal government civilian personnel who faithfully
served the United States during the Cold War era. Individuals requesting a certificate
will certify that the character of their service was honorable.
Acceptable documents for proof of service:
Any official government or military document with recipient's name, Social Security or
Serial number/foreign service number and date of service is acceptable.
How to request a certificate:
Mail or fax a letter with proof of eligibility to:
Cold War Recognition, 4035 Ridge Top Road, Fairfax, VA 22030-7445.
Fax: (800) 723-9262.
Additional information:
Telephone (703) 275-6279, or use the Website http://coldwar.army.mil/
The Associated Press
Pat Broudy
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