WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is considering an executive order to help veterans who became ill after they deployed to a toxic base in Uzbekistan after the 9/11 attacks.
Thousands of service members deployed to Karshi-Khanabad, Uzbekistan, or K2, living in tents above ground that was saturated with solvents and fuels that formed a “black goo” under their feet. A year ago, McClatchy exclusively reported on the illnesses now facing K2 veterans, who have had difficulty getting the Department of Veterans Affairs to recognize and cover their medical costs.
The executive order would help those veterans by adding Uzbekistan to the VA’s registry of locations with known burn pit exposure, according to two sources familiar with the order. It would also allow K2 veterans to get access to depleted uranium screenings as they seek medical care from the VA for a variety of illnesses they now face, the sources said.
