Thanks in large part to celebrity Jon Stewart and his coalition of Sept. 11 first responders, the "mystery illness" long affecting Middle East war veterans has triggered at least a shred of the attention it deserves. Finally, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reversed its long-standing position that had rejected the link between chronic illness - at least those that are respiratory - and exposures to burn pit emissions.
In a New York Times article published last month, the scientists who first uncovered the issue shared disheartening stories of their work being stymied and even "censored" for years by the VA. Veterans who themselves pleaded with the VA described being met with "stonewalling" and bureaucratic sluggishness. For the ill, each rejected plea means the loss of a precious commodity - time.