Afghanistan burn pits killed a decorated general, doctor says. He likely won't be the last. If this might cover any one you know then get checked ASAP. Brig. Gen. Michael T. Heston was not the first and he likely will not be the last to fall to a toxic enemy that strikes long after the bullets have stopped flying. Heston dedicated his entire adult life to serving his community and his country. He was assistant adjutant general of the Army National Guard in Vermont and a 26-year Vermont State trooper. A former Marine, the decorated general served a collective 33 years in the military. He never backed down from an opportunity to serve, his wife June told Connecting Vets. “Mike’s troops loved him,” June said, tears in her voice. “He was a true warrior. His loss to this country is huge.” That life of service ended for Heston on Nov. 14, 2018, when unseen wounds from his Afghanistan deployments caught up to him, June said. A few years after his final deployment, where Heston and his soldiers lived and worked a few hundred yards from burn pits belching black smoke, he began experiencing severe back pain. Ash from a burn pit fell on aircraft and caused malfunctions, Heston once told June. So the Army moved it closer to where he and his soldiers slept. “He made a sacrifice he didn’t know he was making,” she said. Misdiagnosis after misdiagnosis followed. His wife June said one doctor told the couple “We don’t know what it is, but it isn’t cancer.” After 10 months and nearly 30 doctors’ visits, Heston had lost a “tremendous” 75 pounds, could barely eat and was exhausted all the time. Then the deadly diagnosis came. “The military failed him. The doctors failed him. I said, 'I feel like he's dying and I'm the only one who sees it,’” June said. Heston had stage IV metastatic pancreatic cancer that was inoperable. He began chemotherapy immediately. It was only after June and her husband read a news story about Amie Muller, a young member of the Minnesota Guard diagnosed with similar cancer, that they began to consider that his illness could be service-connected. Courtesy of June Heston. ‘That can’t be real.’ Dr. Thomas Abrams, an oncologist and Harvard professor of medicine, said he remembers when he first heard the term “burn pits.” “I had no idea about burn pits when I met the general,” he told Connecting Vets. “It boggled my mind because clearly it’s going to present a health hazard. I just remember saying, ‘What are you talking about? Burn pits? That can’t be real. You realize that’s crazy, right? It’s almost unfathomable to think this was something we did. I wouldn't want to be breathing it for five minutes, let alone breathing it chronically for months and years on end. It doesn’t pass the sniff test.” Abrams specializes in gastrointestinal cancer at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and is a nationally recognized expert in the care, treatment and epidemiology of pancreatic cancer. He would be by Heston’s side through the 18 months of his treatment before the general stopped responding and entered hospice care for the short remainder of his life. Genetic testing showed that there was nothing in Heston’s makeup that suggested he was predisposed to this type of cancer. “It’s really hard to ever determine what causes cancer in any patient,” he said. “It takes a great deal of investigative might to say for certain that a toxic exposure was the cause.” But it’s been done before, Abrams said, with science conclusively linking cancers to Agent Orange and other toxic exposures. “It stands to reason that chronic airborne exposure to the products of combustion of numerous sources could certainly have some impact in causing cancer,” he said. “It would be foolhardy to say that something as drastic as a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week exposure to things burned out in the middle of a pit would not have some impact on health.” Studies have already shown that burn pit exposure causes pulmonary health issues, Abrams said. There is “certainly some precedent to the fact that airborne toxic exposures can induce cancer,” he said. “You take all of these volatile organic chemicals and you put them in a giant stew and you breathe them in … which can have wide-ranging effects in the body,” including to the endocrine, gastrointestinal and nervous systems. “It’s not good for the human body and it’s not a stretch at all to think this could have effects on the genes and could eventually lead to cancer.” Heston fought his cancer for two years before losing the battle. He was 58. Courtesy of June Heston. Two other men who served in Afghanistan with Heston died in 2016 and 2017 of prostate cancer -- Mike Cram and Jeff Sollace. Another man who served with them was diagnosed with cancer upon his homecoming, but his diagnosis came early enough to save his life, June said. Of the remaining 14 men who served directly alongside the general, June said at least eight have shown signs of potential cancers. The Department of Veterans Affairs maintains that research thus far does not show evidence of long-term health problems from burn pit exposure, though VA and the Defense Department recognize exposure can cause short-term health concerns. Abrams, though, says he saw enough signs to link Heston’s cancer to toxic exposure, and he penned a letter just after Heston’s first round of chemotherapy telling the VA as much. “Gen. Heston has none of the genetic, medical, dietary or behavioral risk factors commonly associated with pancreatic cancer,” Abrams wrote in the letter. “Based on the prolonged carcinogenic exposures (metals, chemicals and smoke from burn pits) sustained over the course of Gen. Heston’s deployments and the timing of those deployments relative to the onset of his pancreatic cancer, it is in my professional opinion more likely than not that Gen. Heston’s pancreatic cancer is due to prolonged environmental exposures sustained over the course of his deployments to Afghanistan.” That letter was among evidence submitted by June and Heston for his VA disability claim. That claim was granted. “Of course it could have played a role,” Abrams told Connecting Vets of toxic exposure and Heston’s death. “I think that there is certainly some precedent that airborne toxic exposures can induce cancer and whether or not proof is in the offing, I think it is absolutely essential this issue be recognized as a service-connected illness. This is not something that I feel requires the years and years of investigation to really conclusively link this exposure to a cancer or to write a letter in support of service benefits. It was the least we could do for someone who’s devoted the better part of their lives to the service of the United States.” Courtesy of June Heston ‘Canaries in the coal mine’ Heston missed the opportunity to see his son graduate college. He missed the chance to walk his daughter down the aisle. “The journey we planned together is now just a difficult memory,” June said, in tears. For Abrams, Heston and veterans like him are only the beginning of signs of long-term illnesses from toxic exposure in post-9/11 veterans. "Mike and the other patients are the canaries in the coal mine," Abrams said. "I think we're going to see more and more of these patients with cancers of all stripes. These are the first cancers we’re seeing. If they are truly linked to the exposures, as is my belief, I think we’re going to see more and more." While the Department of Veterans Affairs continues to maintain that there is no evidence burn pits lead to long-term illness, veterans continue to file claims related to the exposure. In the last 13 years, there have been nearly 13,000 VA medical claims made related to burn pits. Of those 2,000 have been approved. The VA admits that there are toxins in the smoke and gasses released by the pits, but stops short of saying that smoke has long-term effects, insisting that most health concerns from exposure are temporary. “Many soldiers just give up trying,” June said of lengthy claims processes, multiple denials and a complex burn pit registry system. Heston added himself to the burn pit registry after it was created in 2014, hoping to help the men and women behind him. “He always said they wouldn’t create a registry unless they knew there was a problem,” June said. Courtesy of June Heston. June has joined the ranks of a growing number of surviving family members advocating for change to prevent other veterans and their families from suffering the same way. She said she still “backslides” into grief, but she and her children “know Mike is still with us and keeping us strong.” So she keeps telling his story, hoping she will be the last widow forced “to talk about what we are not doing for our service members and veterans.” “Mike did everything right,” June said. “We never gave up. And he fought and fought until he couldn’t fight anymore.” Abrams has treated many patients since Heston’s death, but he treasures the military challenge coin Heston gave him and thinks of the general often. “He had an enormous will and strength that he mustered to survive for his family,” Abrams said. “He’s the kind of patient that you just can’t shake from your mind. He’s an American hero.” Need help with toxic exposure? Click here for a list of resources and information on VA and Defense Department registries. Read more of the Connecting Vets Toxic Inferno series: Toxic exposure could soon kill more service members and veterans than suicide, advocates say ⅓ of a decorated Iraq War platoon now suffering from exposure to war’s lethal leftovers Afghanistan burn pits likely killed a decorated general, doctor says. He won’t be the last. America’s ‘sacred obligation.’ 3.5 million troops exposed to possibly lethal airborne toxins since 9/11 Reach Abbie Bennett: abbie@connectingvets.com or @AbbieRBennett. Want to get more connected to the stories and resources Connecting Vets has to offer? Click here to sign up for our weekly newsletter. Courtesy of June Heston. Tags: Toxic Inferno Toxic Exposure Burn Pits Been there, done that, HK_User, 36 minutes ago Edit Delete Report #1 + Quote Reply Write your reply...
Yep, nuke reactor in back of hanger, wash parts in TCE, stand under nuke tests, live next to burn pits, work around radar sets with major pulse energy, put out fires once a week in fire class using foams now known dangerous, insecticides used on clothing, herbicides on vegetation, exhausts from jet engines, both hydrocarbons and noise at test cells, soldering teflon and other coatings, shots for all kinds of weird diseases and being exposed to even wilder stuff. In retrospect I don't know why we have lucked out and had as few problems physically as we have had. Won't even try to add PTSD, other mental or addiction problems, problems with social relationships when one member is gone for extended periods. In my mind the human cost, many paid for by the soldier and his family, far exceed the trillions of dollars we have spent on the military. All of us older people have friends or family that went into the service and were never really able to handle life afterwards. At 81, I remember those in the 1940's and after who were still suffering from WW1, poison gas, shell shock, addictions, antisocial behavior, etc.
Have/had a GP who was at Battle of Belleau Wood. He was gassed a bit later, died in 1968, His wife was drawing a whole $10 as survivor benefits in 1986 when she died. The Importance of the Battle of Belleau Wood - War on the Rocks
This will get me a lot of hate, but I am skeptical of many "I got sick from serving" claims. I myself am 100% rated by the VA from injuries suffered in Iraq and only had minimal headaches during the process which went fast. I go to the VA hospital for checkups, dental, and any other non-emergency care needed. On three occasions I have overheard patients from Vietnam, Gulf, and Iraq/Afghanistan wars openly discussing how they were going to "file a claim" whenever the VA announces a new criteria for illnesses. Watching a vet with an oxygen tank chain smoking outside tell his buddies his lung issues are from working on Navy ships seems far fetched. Maybe it was the two pack a day habit he had for the last thirty years, or the chronic alcoholism, or pill addiction, or any number of other reasons. Veterans should get extra consideration when seeking help, but the same people who claim their service caused their illness often times turn their nose up at civilians with the same illness asking for help. Even while I was serving I had soldiers talk about how they were going to claim "Gulf War Syndrome" even tho nothing was wrong with them. I was told that it was "just in case they ever get sick", which means "I'll have the government pay for everything". Just because I am not sick does not mean I don't think others haven't become sick from their service, only that I've seen too many claim service connection when it was just their life decisions or just bad luck. You would almost think that nobody ever got cancer except those who serve.
No hate from this way . I know what you're saying . But , in my opinion , they can file a claim for say " Gulf War Syndrome " ,, doesn't necessarily mean they are seeking compensation for that ,, altho , I know there are quite a few filing for just that reason . It's like I have filed for, or got on a list for being stationed on Camp Lejuene back in the 80s , not for compensation , but because they had contaminated water on base , dating back to the 50s , I believe . But just getting on that list in case I start having problems associated with that issue . Which at this point , I don't even think they even know what some of the issues could be . But I do know a few guys that are getting compensation for stuff that they do not deserve . and this comes from knowing someone working in the offices that knows what to say , to get the compensation . Basically lying to get it . It's kind of like food stamps ,, if you know the person giving them out, they're going to make sure you get all you can get . And that's all I'll say about that .
If you really want to know the facts of claims then I suggest you join the DAV and become a certified Chapter Service Officer. I did. Anyone can file a claim but proving service connection can be difficult. Then a Doc must verify the condition and set a percentage. The real kicker is many are not approved but go about as "disabled vets" for the empathy factor. If a vet will not show their VA letter then it may be time for their DD214. I carry my VA Letter all the time as well as a copy of my DD214. If politely ask I will produce VA Level of Disability and DD214 as well as my DOD card. In my case I am a Vietnam Vet and only when I got congestive heart disease and a mitral valve prolapse surgery did I make my claim. This process happens with older vets, usually with a near death event and then they seek help. Others of more recent wars are more aware. I will never file a false claim.
