Army intelligence analyst Elba Barr is trained to connect the dots, training she now uses to go through a lot of medical records.
“Every year there has been something massive since 2013, for medical reasons,” Barr told CBS News senior research correspondent Catherine Herridge.
While Barr deployed to the Middle East and Africa after 9/11 to track down Al Qaeda, there is no doubt that the most toxic and dangerous place was Karshi-Khanabad, or K2, a former Soviet air base in Uzbekistan, a starting point for classified missions in Afghanistan.
“K2 was for me, a base that should never have been a base … dangers, signs everywhere where your dangers were,” he said.
The 41-year-old mother blames the four months she spent at K2 for her chronic reproductive health problems.
“I had cervical problems, I continued with severe pain, endometriosis. I had to have a partial hysterectomy. Last year I had both ovaries removed and found stage 1 cancer to appear,” Barr said. .
Barr is one of more than 200 K2 veteran women who flooded a Facebook page where members discussed health and pollution issues.
The nonprofit organization that tracks K2 cases says 40% of former service women who were at the base report at least one miscarriage, 8% report breast cancer, or uterine and 30% report ovarian cancer or related problems. These data horrified Barr, leading her to cry.
A period of six months CBS News Research revealed fuel-saturated soil for aircraft, oil and lubricants, radiation warnings, as well as prior use of chemical agents.
Defense Department employee Mike Lechlitner participated in the base’s first tests. He said the new information has revealed a lot on the basis.
“We have learned that the Soviets have had a chemical weapons decontamination unit next to our camp.”
Images obtained by CBS News show that the base was also a dump of used chemical weapons equipment, including protective equipment, such as face masks that were used to block chemical agents. These masks were found in the “tent city” where troops worked and slept.
Courtesy of Phillip Sandell
Barr said the CBS News investigation changed his life, giving him more clarity about the cause of the medical problems he had faced for years.
“I’ve spent almost ten years wondering,‘ Am I going crazy? … And that’s what [the CBS News investigation] did. He validated all the issues that were worth a decade. “
Now Barr opens up to his children about his toxic exposure.
“I have no doubt I’ll die young. Suppose not. I live with a borrowed time, 100%. It’s not a question of whether, it’s a matter of when,” Barr told Herridge.
Despite the data, the Department of Veterans Affairs does not recognize any link between K2 and the disease. Barr wants the leadership to increase and, despite the sufferings of her and other veterans, she is confident they would serve again.
“And if you ask us to, we’ll do it again at a heart rate. All we’re asking is that we confirm the end of the deal, which is in the VA and the Department of Defense to maintain its.”
Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller drafted an executive order that would open the doors to medical aid and financial aid for K2 veterans. The executive order was in its final phase when the Capitol was flooded riot police Last Wednesday. The K2 veterans group is expected to remain signed by President Trump, although they are contacting the Biden administration in case there is no action before the opening day.