Special to The Star
| In the PCB issue, people who were here for only a short time, usually three or four years, and sometimes repeatedly, did not have a chance, or did not know, to apply for these lawsuits. Please remember, many of us who were in the military lived off base. Our family lived in Saks for four years with five children. And yes, the military is very sloppy. The Anniston Star says the military can’t be so sloppy as to endanger people not connected with the chemical corps. My husband moved us off base because he was a chemical officer and he was afraid for us to drink the water because of what he knew was buried on Fort McClellan. He knew it was buried in the 1950s, in containers that could not still be sound, and that no one knew where it was — careful records were not kept at that time. Unfortunately, we lived on base almost a year before he found that out. They were so sloppy that he used to come home after teaching decontamination at the chemical school and say, “This is going to kill me.” He was right. He died from cancer at 47. I have no recourse because I have no proof that is the actual cause of his cancer. My daughter died at 19 from seizures that had an “unknown cause.” All of her tests were negative, but she died during a grand mal seizure. My other two daughters have each had a child with birth defects — one had a child with spina bifida; the other had one child with a hole in her heart, and another with a digestive abnormality. My sons decided not to have children. I am now unable to work because of numerous health problems. How many other military families have suffered these tragedies? None of us were ever told of PCB dangers off post and chemical leaks on post, and none of us will ever have any recourse for our losses. We have no proof of what caused the ruin in our lives. Evidentially, this is the great reward we received for serving our country. When the country asks those serving in the Armed Forces to be willing to give up their life for their country, they mean it literally, and they mean the entire family. We are given no information about any community in which we serve, and we have no knowledge of the risks we face. When it is over, no one cares. The community won’t help because we are the military’s responsibility. The military denies responsibility. Taxpayers do not want to pay the high cost. So in the end, after giving all, we are truly alone in our loss and pain. Ellen Myer Holcombe is a resident of Lineville. |
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