Support the Troops (4/365) Blog action day for Climate Change

Today is blog action day, when bloggers around the world all coordinate to draw attention to a single issue. The topic this year is climate change.

Read more at blog action Day

http://www.blogactionday.org/

I'll have to focus my discussion on a very specific climate: the atmosphere floating over Joint Base Balad in Iraq.

When I visited in 2005 and 2007, the majority of our waste was burned in an open pit. A column of noisome smoke would bellow fort from this pit 24 hours a day. When the wind came from the North from midday on to evening, the clouds of smoke would lay low over the hospital and fill our halls with the stench of burning plastic and soot.

This brings me to my suggestion on how to help the troops: We can all do our part to demand the best conditions for our troops serving far away.

One hero of mine is Debbie (Ms. Sparky) who is tireless in her mission to call attention to poor living conditions for the troops, and calling for prompt improvements.

http://mssparky.com/category/burn-pits/

Congress is investigating into claims that the burn pits are responsible for troop illness.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/02/26/defense.burn.pits/index.html
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/62545-lawmakers-move-to-protect-troops-from-toxic-materials

As is the VA.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/17/burn.pits/index.html

Here is a site where troops have posted their own stories on how burn pits across Iraq and Afghanistan have affected them:

https://sites.google.com/site/burnpits/Home

Our dedicated troops are risking their lives for us. We owe it to them to make their bases safe.