Georgia veterans sickened by toxin exposure to finally get more care and benefits

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October 10th, 2022

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Robert B. Brown, with Combat Camera Unit, Regimental Combat Team 6, watches over the civilian firefighters at the burn pit as smoke and flames rise into the night sky behind him in Camp Fallujah, Iraq. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Samuel D. Corum. June 1, 2007 Flickr/Cpl. Samuel D. Corum.
U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Robert B. Brown, with Combat Camera Unit, Regimental Combat Team 6, watches over the civilian firefighters at the burn pit as smoke and flames rise into the night sky behind him in Camp Fallujah, Iraq. (Cpl. Samuel D. Corum/Flickr)

Hundreds of thousands of Georgia military veterans have been exposed to toxic chemicals in war zones — exposure that made them sick. But for decades, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs did not recognize that most of the illnesses were caused by their service. That’s about to change, as the VA prepares to enact the biggest boost to veterans care in decades.  

When Air Force Reserves veteran Marie Williams had trouble breathing after returning from Iraq, she had a feeling she knew why. 

For her entire 2009 deployment, she was stationed near a massive open pit that burned day and night.

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