Baker bill to expand recognition for service deaths from chemicals
Gov. Charlie Baker believes not all service-connected injuries deserving of recognition are immediately visible — they can also be caused by exposure to harmful toxins like Agent Orange, or by sustaining mental illnesses in the field.
“There are injuries and wounds related to military service that are not immediately apparent, or which do not necessarily take place on the field of battle, but are no less real,” said Maj. Gen. Gary Keefe in a Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs hearing Tuesday.
Baker’s bill to establish a “Medal of Fidelity” would be awarded to the next of kin of a service member or veteran who died from service-connected post-traumatic stress disorder, the aftermath of a service-connected traumatic brain injury, or a “disease, condition or injury related to the exposure to harmful toxins, herbicides, agents or materials.”
Those eligible would have had to serve after Dec. 6, 1941, or the start of U.S. involvement in World War II following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. The honorees would be determined by a commission composed of Keefe and two field grade officers, who would then make recommendations to Baker for the awards.
The Medal of Fidelity mirrors the existing Medal of Liberty, which since 2009 has been presented to the families of Massachusetts veterans who die of physical combat injuries.
“The Medal of Fidelity is an important opportunity to honor the brave men and women and their families who have served not just the Commonwealth, but the nation,” Baker said in a statement when he refiled the legislation before Memorial Day this year.
State Sen. John Velis, D-Westfield, asked whether the Medal of Fidelity would encompass burn pit victims, many of whom died of cancer after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and breathing in fumes from items like paint, medical supplies, munitions, petroleum and human waste.
Keefe said burn pit victims, as well as those exposed to chemicals like Agent Orange used in the Vietnam War and those who sustained illnesses after responding to 9/11, would be included.
The legislation would also encompass those who die after service from mental illnesses caused by service. One study estimated that 18 veterans die from suicide per day in the U.S.