[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 98 (Friday, June 26, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1610-E1611]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2010

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. KURT SCHRADER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 24, 2009

       The House Is Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2647) to 
     authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2010 for military 
     activities of the Department of Defense; to prescribe 
     military personnel strengths for fiscal year 2010, and for 
     other purposes:

  Mr. SCHRADER. Madam Speaker, I want to take a moment and thank 
Chairman Skelton and Ranking Member McHugh for their tireless work on 
behalf of the men and women of our Armed Services. I would also like to 
congratulate Congressman McHugh and wish him luck as he transitions to 
his new post as Secretary of the Army.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Skelton en bloc 
amendment which includes legislation I introduced requiring the 
Department of Defense to notify any member of the Armed Forces who is 
exposed to a potentially harmful material or contaminant and inform 
them of the health risks associated with that exposure. In the case the 
exposed soldier is a member of a reserve component, the Secretary of 
Defense will be required to notify the State military department.
  Back in March I spoke with one of my constituents, Larry Roberta, a 
member of the Oregon National Guard who is suffering the health effects 
of being exposed to toxic chemicals on the battlefield. In 2003, while 
serving in Iraq, Oregon National Guard Members like Larry were 
unknowingly exposed to Hexavalent Chromium while assigned to protect 
contractors rebuilding a water treatment facility near Iraqi oil 
fields. The problem with chemicals like Hexavalent Chromium is they can 
cause severe illnesses that may not appear until months or years after 
the exposure.
  Their exposure to this cancerous agent was withheld from them while 
they were in the theater, and many of our soldiers are still unaware 
the symptoms they are experiencing may be related to a toxic exposure. 
Fast forward six years and the Oregon Guard is still having a difficult 
time tracking down all the soldiers they feel may have been exposed.
  The estimated number of exposed Oregon soldiers is in the hundreds--
many of these soldiers are still unaware they may have been exposed to 
toxic substances that are impacting their health. Had there been a 
notification

[[Page E1611]]

requirement and protocol in place it is very likely these soldiers 
would be identified, aware of their situation, and able to seek the 
appropriate care they need.
  We're within days of sending 3,000 of Oregon's finest to the Middle 
East. This amendment provides them with added security and protection 
they need, and frankly deserve. I'd like to thank Chairman Skelton and 
Ranking Member McHugh for their support to address this critical issue 
that has impacted so many of Oregon's citizen soldiers, and I urge my 
colleagues to support the adoption of this important amendment.

                          ____________________