March 20, 2023, marks the 20-year anniversary of the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).
OIF, commonly known as the Iraq War, was authorized when Iraq was found to be in breach of a United Nations’ Security Council resolution that “prohibits stockpiling and importing” weapons of mass destruction. The coalition began with preemptive airstrikes on Saddam Hussein’s presidential palace and military targets, followed by nearly 70,000 ground troops and 15,000 warships in the region.
U.S. Marines and honored guests lay a wreath in remembrance to the fallen Marines and sailors of 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment (2/5) memorial service in the San Mateo Memorial Garden aboard Camp Pendleton, Calif., Oct. 11, 2014. This service marked the 10th anniversary of all 2/5 Marines and sailors lost in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Ismael E. Ortega/Released)
On Dec. 15, 2011, after nearly nine years of conflict, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other top U.S. military leaders observed the official end to OIF. According to the Department of Defense, nearly 4,500 U.S. military personnel were killed and nearly 32,000 wounded in the Iraq War.
VA estimates that more than 3.6M Veterans served in the Post-9/11 era.
Many Operation Iraqi Freedom Veterans have health problems due to toxic chemicals, shrapnel, explosions, other head trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). VA’s health care and other resources are accessible to eligible OIF Veterans.
“We honorably served and did what was asked of us. But what we experienced in Iraq did not stay in Iraq. VA stands ready to care for you with anything related to your Iraq deployments. Thanks to the PACT Act, many more Veterans and conditions are eligible for care. Do not wait until your impact is visible. If you were in Iraq, you were likely exposed to burn pits. Come in now for a toxic exposure screening. After 20 years of serving Iraq Veterans, no one knows how to care for you better than VA,” said Tanya Bradsher, VA’s chief of staff, U.S. Army and Iraq War Veteran.
U.S. Army soldiers with the Forward Support Company, 2nd Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, deliver guard towers that the Iraqi national police used in the city of Samarra, Iraq.
All Iraq Veterans should consider applying or reapplying for the health care and benefits they have earned. Visit www.va.gov/PACT, call 1-800-MyVA411, or find a local facility to get started. Download the Accessing new toxic exposure health care and benefits guide to consider your options.
As we commemorate the 20-year anniversary of OIF, Veterans and their families can help spread the word about the benefits many OIF Veterans have available to them. Download and print PACT Act outreach materials and fact sheets.
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Trying to get help on the PACT has been a run-a-round for me. I had an appointment at the VA; the nurse asked me if I had been in Iraq for OIF, I said yes. She said “when you see your doctor, he will screen you.” Didn’t happen. Then I went to the Veterans Service Office; he told me that I needed to contact my doctor in order to get screened. Try getting a call in to my doctor just for a PACT screening? Never mind, forget it. I either have to drive 80 miles round trip to the nearest VA, or 200 miles round trip to see my provider. Waste of time.
The original name of this campaign was Operation Iraqi Liberation but somebody realized that acronym would be OIL! Little too close reality!
I served OIF 2006, I encourage veterans to get strong advocate that has experience dealing with the VA,DAV, Vietnam veterans organization, keep and copy all records, Most of all don’t give up,it is difficult to overcome, adjust and adapt stay positive semper Fi Tom
How is this help available when DEERS still will not unlock my records so I can update my record and get the help and benefits promised! Is it all just talk and pandering?
I came to the aid of OIF before it even began. In 2003 I opposed troops be
deployed and Saddam wasnt threat like claimed. He wasnt.
Warned the CDC and FDA they were not ready for contagions in the blood
supply. That troops deploying should not give blood coming back. That
the blood supply was not being screened for Leishmaniasis. Still isnt.
In 2004 I came to the aid of the troops that contracted Leishmaniasis which
DOD would not report. 114 cases, 212 cases, 400 cases, 1,100 cases – it kept
going up month after month in DOD briefs. The debate over skin lesions and if it
was Visceral raged on. Testing was sporadic and badly done.
Then came mutated Acinetobacter Baumannii and troops started dying of that.
Bought the domain name Acinetobacter.org and was world famous for drawing
attention to that. Only to find it played down. Now its in every ICU in America and
impossible to get rid of.
Watched as EOD engineers ran into left over from the Gulf War and got nasty
little surprises all the time. Nobody backed them up either. These became IED’s
and they played them down. Never sure how may were chemical or mixed in.
When the Burn Pit legislation passed, I was the first going after VA about the
Burn Pit registry website not being up at the dead line. A year passed and
they were in no rush to get it up.
8 years later, Im on the scene fighting over the fact that 317,000 registries only
lead to 30,000 exams. Burn pit registry website is exclusionary and uses tricks
to keep vets locked in the area selection part of the qualification pages.
Im the first critic of the PACT act after all the problems and loopholes it revealed
after its deployment. Only to find DOD and VA totally evasive about it.
I will say this, OIF troops came to there own aid at VA and they are the ones
internally trying to fix it. Some of them will go every bit as far as me and
even risk there jobs if they see a wrong being done. So the Temple VAMC in
Texas is so lucky to have a bunch of these folks. VISN 17.
PACT act may help some of these folks, its not helping near enough. VA needs
to go the added step like putting a Toxic Exposure Pathology Center to offset
the Environmental Wealth and War related Illness and Injury Study center
loopholes that I and others have run into. That VA does not take tissue collection
serious enough. Without that, really can prove toxic exposures.
Ive been on the OIF troops side since day 1, and know they have been forgotten
and betrayed. So many that lost limbs, severe trauma, and worse. Living in
America almost as refugees rather than honored veterans. Fighting for scraps
and struggling every day just to live. Now crippled by long Covid and POTS.
PACT act is not doing enough, and it needs revision. Improvement.
They need specialty clinics and programs, not generic ones. This cant be done
with VA is is. Genesis portal and ILER are not enough. EH and WRIISC are not
up to the job. Standard labs and procedures are not enough.
Cant just say its better now, you have to prove and show it. Millions of lives
have waited a decade or more for help. DOD and VA failed them, and me.
Yet we found no WDMs…. just another lie from our government to surpress third world countries and make the politicians richer.