Veteran Families for Education and Awareness

06/18/2026

Thanks for sharing this Burn Pits 360 Veterans Organization.

https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/9/6/249?sfnsn=mo&fbclid=IwY2xjawSgOl5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETEwVXFranJyeG0zQ3RHellzc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHktB3P1zPKC8fJJh87xuKCNQazziqWWXZSalRTNrXqp_u0LaD1MTAzYGuoWd_aem_44Kk4NfAd2IJYk7f14nGZA

Military burn pits used during post-9/11 U.S. military deployments functioned as uncontrolled combustion systems and were widely utilized to dispose of large volumes of outdoor waste by burning. Burn pits involved heterogeneous waste materials burned under variable temperature and oxygen conditions....

06/10/2026

🚨 Military Aviators and Families: Your Experience Matters 🚨

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) is currently collecting perspectives for its Military Fixed-Wing Aircrew Cancer Incidence Study.

This is your opportunity to help ensure the committee hears directly from those who lived the mission.

NASEM is seeking input on:

✈️ Military service as fixed-wing aircrew
🩺 Cancer diagnoses and health outcomes
☢️ Potential exposures associated with military aviation
🧪 Chemicals, compounds, fuels, solvents, radiation, and other occupational hazards
📋 Additional factors you believe the committee should consider
🗣️ Individuals interested in speaking with the committee
🤝 Experts, researchers, and stakeholders who may contribute to the study

Whether you have been diagnosed with cancer, experienced unusual health concerns, served in high-exposure environments, or simply believe there are occupational risks that deserve further examination, your perspective can help inform this important study.

The committee cannot investigate what it does not know exists.

📌 To submit your perspective:

Visit the NASEM Military Fixed-Wing Aircrew Cancer Study page
Click "Call for Perspectives"
Complete the submission form

The attached graphic shows exactly where to find the submission link.

Together, we can help ensure the experiences of military aviators are heard and considered as this study moves forward.

Direct Perspective Link: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8858768/Call-for-Perspectives-Official-Template-2026

NASEM ACES Page: https://www.nationalacademies.org/projects/HMD-BPH-25-04

06/05/2026

Not specific to military but of interest to the aviation community: Release and Public Briefing for the Report on Assessing Radiation Exposure, Health Outcomes, and Mitigation Strategies for Flight Crewmembers

Register for this event from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

04/21/2026

Served at Ft. McLellan from 1979-1999? The VA is holding an information gathering session on May 4 from 9:20-2:30pm as part of a study on health outcomes, including a survey and a mortality analysis.

Register here: https://events.nationalacademies.org/46601

To provide written input, please complete this form by May 15: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8747597/Fort-McClellan-Call-for-Perspectives

Register for this event from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

04/21/2026

Gulf War Exposures and Health Concerns: A Class for Veterans
April 23, at 1pm ET.

Register here: https://veteransaffairs.webex.com/weblink/register/rea24d1e9fdcdd8524bba59a00cbc6e0a

04/20/2026

New Updates to the Incinerator Webpage

VFEA has several new additions to the Atsugi webpage.

At the top of the page, you’ll find a newly published Navy‑produced video from approximately 2000, a part of the U.S. government's lawsuit against the incinerator operator. At the time, the incinerator was described as “the Navy’s most pressing environmental issue,” and the video clearly documents the dangers the complex posed.

Further down the page, we’ve added several FOIA‑obtained photographs showing fumigation conditions on base — the visuals are powerful and worth viewing.

Also new is an “Atsugi Records” link at the top of the page, which opens a detailed timeline of events along with the supporting records and documentation.

We encourage everyone to take a look and share the page with anyone who may benefit from the information.

More to come — stay tuned!

From 1980 to 2001, toxic emissions from the neighboring Shinkampo/Enviro-Tech incinerator complex (Atsugi Incinerator) polluted the air at NAF Atsugi, Japan, leading to an increased risk of cancer and non-cancer diseases for base residents and personnel. Learn about the government's response, closur

04/09/2026

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39766495/

Military aviators are at increased risk for neurobiological injury, including glial and axonal damage, oxidative stress, and early neurodegeneration. These findings emphasize the importance of proactive monitoring and further research to understand the long-term impacts of high-altitude flight on br...

04/09/2026

https://navalsafetycommand.navy.mil/Media/News/Article/4452226/prevalence-of-neurologic-mental-health-illness-in-us-naval-aviators-a-retrospec/ Link to report in comments.

04/02/2026

https://www.airandspaceforces.com/air-force-cancer-study-testicular-cancer-hodgkin-lymphoma/

The Air Force had found increased rates of testicular cancer and Hodgkin lymphoma in the ICBM community compared to other job specialties.

03/27/2026

JAMA Network: "TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY AND SUBSEQUENT RISK OF BRAIN CANCER IN US VETERANS OF THE IRAQ AND AFGHAISTAN WARS: CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this cohort study of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, moderate/severe TBI and penetrating TBI, but not mild TBI, were ASSOCIATED WITH THE SUBSEQUENT DEVELOPMENT OF BRAIN CANCER."

This cohort study assesses whether traumatic brain injury is associated with subsequent diagnosis with brain cancer among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.