Military Minute 07 Mar 24

I’m Papa Penguin and this is your Military Minute.

“We believe that there is not sufficient evidence to consider the possibility of a cancer clustering to justify further investigation” isn’t a phrase out a history book.

It’s the Air Force denying that their missile silo crews are working in environments swimming with HAZMAT.

Clusters of young healthy airmen developing cancer while working in contaminated missile silos warrants a closer look….right?

First the horror story of Robert Frost.

He was a sheet metal worker who got sick while working at Area 51. His doctors knew it was from some sort of hazmat exposure but didn’t know what exactly.

When asked for the information, the government invoked the state secrets privilege and refused to answer.

Robert Frost died at the age of 51.

https://www.aclu.org/documents/background-state-secrets-privilege#:~:text=The%20state%20secrets%20privilege%2C%20when,cause%20harm%20to%20national%20security.

(insert this in text: permits the government to block the release of ANY information in a lawsuit that could cause harm to national security)

And you thought qualified immunity was bad.

The smart money is on the Air Force stalling until enough of their own have died to make extending benefits a fiscally sound idea.

And it’s anybody's guess if they’ll ever get around to cleaning up this mess.

Maybe the motto for Air Force Missileers should be changed to “Mission first, cancer always”

And that’s your Military Minute.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/03/07/they-stood-sentry-over-americas-nuclear-missile-arsenal-many-worry-it-gave-them-cancer.html

https://www.pogo.org/analysis/government-confirms-area-51-but-answers-still-secret