[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 157 (Thursday, December 8, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2493]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E2493]]
        RECOGNIZE THE PLIGHT OF SHAD VETERANS: IT'S ABOUT TIME!

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BOB FILNER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 8, 2005

  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I urge support for H.R. 4259, the ``Veterans 
Right to Know Act'', recently introduced by my colleague, Congressman 
Mike Thompson. This bill requires an investigation into chemical and 
biological weapons tests, especially those carried out from 1962-1974 
on our nation's servicemembers.
  In this time of war, it is prudent that we redouble our efforts to 
ensure that the nation is willing and able to protect our troops 
deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. To that end, it is imperative that we 
learn from the past--and one of the great lessons to be learned is that 
of Project 112 and SHAD.
  Project 112 was a Department of Defense program of weapons testing 
and SHAD (Shipboard Hazard and Defense) was a part of the larger 
Project 112. SHAD involved a series of tests that were conducted to 
determine the vulnerability of U.S. warships to attacks with chemical 
and biological agents. Although service members were not test subjects, 
they were on board the ships during the tests.
  So far, almost 6000 unknowing military personnel have been identified 
as having been involved in Project 112, exposed to Vx Nerve Gas, Sarin 
Nerve Gas, E. coli and other toxins and carcinogens. The illnesses 
occurring at too early ages among many of these veterans seem to be 
more than a coincidence.
  I want to commend our veterans for their diligence in bringing this 
matter to the forefront. Once again, it is our veterans who had to 
advocate on their own behalf to get the government to release 
information about harmful exposures so they could better understand 
their health issues and illnesses. The Department of Defense denied the 
tests up until 2002.
  We have learned a lot since 2002 when these tests became public 
knowledge, but there is still much to learn. That is why this bill, 
H.R. 4259, is so important. We need an independent effort to diligently 
pursue all avenues to discover every veteran who was affected by this 
testing and to provide each one with appropriate treatment and 
benefits. In addition, we need to ensure that steps are taken to 
prevent and improve the documentation of potentially harmful exposures 
during the current wars. The lives of our veterans depend on our 
diligence.
  H.R. 4259 is endorsed by the Vietnam Veterans of America, the 
American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Disabled American 
Veterans, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the Military Officers 
Association of America, the Paralyzed Veterans of America and the 
Blinded Veterans Association. Won't you join them? Please let 
Congressman Thompson know that you want to co-sponsor H.R. 4259!

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