Jon Stewart Advocates for Veterans Affected by Post-9/11 Uranium Exposure

WASHINGTON — Comedian Jon Stewart is urging the Biden administration to address a loophole in a large veterans aid bill which excluded some of the first U.S. troops who responded post-Sept. 11 and became ill after being deployed to a contaminated base in Uzbekistan.

Special operations forces were sent to Karshi-Khanabad, or “K2,” in Uzbekistan within weeks of the 2001 attacks. K2, a former Soviet air base, was utilized by U.S. forces to hit Taliban targets in Afghanistan during the early stages of the war. The base was laden with Soviet-era debris such as demolished bunkers, missile parts, and notably, highly radioactive uranium powder.

The origin of the uranium powder remains unclear, but it has alarmed those who served at K2. Since then, thousands of K2 veterans have developed complex medical conditions, some linked to radiation exposure.

“Imagine you’re stationed inside the meth lab on ‘Breaking Bad,’” Stewart stated in an interview, describing the toxic environment at K2.

The PACT Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2022, tackled many health concerns for veterans but failed to cover radiation exposure at K2.

K2 veterans have long sought assistance from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), but the VA has not yet taken action, citing ongoing studies and awaiting further Pentagon information to establish whether radiation exposure at K2 should be covered.

“All presumptive conditions established by the VA require factual rationale,” said VA spokesperson Terrence Hayes.

Two decades have passed since troops were first sent to K2, and despite the PACT Act’s passage, K2 veterans remain confronted with the very claim denials the act aimed to resolve.

Data acquired by the Associated Press shows K2’s soil recorded uranium radiation levels up to 40,000 times higher than natural uranium, according to Arjun Makhijani, a nuclear fusion expert. This posed significant contamination risks, particularly concerning when considering activities like earth moving.

The data was collected in November 2001 by former Army Sgt. Matthew Nicholls, part of an environmental health team sent to K2 after local Uzbek workers fell ill while preparing the site for U.S. forces.

After the team’s findings, the military marked a “enriched uranium contamination site” on a classified map, advising against tent construction there. However, soil had already been redistributed by bulldozers, resulting in tents being set up nearby contaminated areas.

“Uranium exposure can damage kidneys, raise bone cancer risk, and impact pregnancies,” Makhijani noted.

Despite these findings, the base continued to be used for four more years, with over 15,000 troops rotating through until 2005.

Mark Jackson, a K2 veteran, has sought medical help for severe health issues since the PACT Act passed, but none have been covered by the VA. He and Stewart will join forces in Washington to expedite the VA’s actions.

Hayes mentioned the VA is conducting thorough research to identify evidence of radiation exposure, handling the matter with urgency.

The Pentagon has stated their monitoring doesn’t indicate enriched uranium’s presence and is reviewing K2 veterans’ materials.

Without complete data, K2 veterans are organizing themselves and have recorded over 1,500 health conditions, including cancers and neurological issues, among the 5,000 veterans they have contacted.

Jon Stewart, known for advocating for 9/11 first responders and veterans exposed to battlefield toxins, sees the PACT Act as an immense improvement. Still, he believes a simple adjustment by VA Secretary Denis McDonough could fulfill the act’s intent for K2 veterans.

Stewart is concerned that K2 veterans are running out of time, facing continued struggles against a seemingly adversarial system to receive their deserved benefits and healthcare.

“The worst part about it is, those years when they’re sickest, being spent in anxiety and struggle against a system that’s somehow set up to be antagonistic,” Stewart noted. “But that seems to be the uphill climb that everybody has to go through to try and get either the benefits or the health care that they’ve earned.”