Vietnam Veterans of America urges hearing, passage of Veterans' Right to Know Act

WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The Veterans' Right to Know Commission Act, introduced today by Reps. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) and Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.), will, when enacted, "bring the first true measure of justice to potentially tens of thousands of veterans who were subject to toxic exposures in the performance of their military duties, which may have negatively impacted their health," said John Rowan, national president of Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA).

In the 1960s and early 1970s the government exposed veterans to various agents during exercises know as Project 112/SHAD (Shipboard Hazards and Defense). The bi-partisan bill, which has been endorsed by the major veterans' service organizations, "should be embraced by every member of Congress who believes that veterans have a right to know if the biological agents, simulants, tracers, and chemical decontaminating agents used during the Project 112/SHAD may have a long-term impact on their health," Rowan said.

"We are indebted to Reps. Rehberg and Thompson for their leadership and commitment in what is a shining example of real bipartisanship," said Jack Alderson, chair of VVA's Project 112/SHAD Task Force. "It is our hope that others in both houses of Congress will agree that creating a commission to look into the potential health effects related to these tests is the right thing to do."

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Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) is the nation's only congressionally chartered veterans service organization dedicated to the needs of Vietnam-era veterans and their families. VVA's founding principle is "Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another."