Washington D.C. -On Thursday, July 9, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. (EDT), Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Rep. Mark Green, Republican Member of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, will hold a press call to discuss newly declassified Department of Defense (DOD) documents regarding Camp Stronghold Freedom at Karshi-Khanabad (K2) Air Base in Uzbekistan, which U.S. servicemembers were deployed to between 2001 and 2005.
Reps. Maloney, Lynch, and Green will be joined by K2 veterans Master Sergeant Paul B. Widener, Jr. and Special Agent Mark Jackson, as well as Ms. Kim Brooks, spouse of Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Brooks.
WHO: Reps. Maloney, Lynch, Green, and K2 Veterans and Family Members
WHAT: Press Call on Newly Declassified K2 Documents
WHEN: Thursday, July 9, 2020 at 11:00 AM
Media please RSVP to OversightPress@mail.house.gov by Thursday, July 9, 2020 at 10:00 AM for dial-in information.
BACKGROUND:
On Jan. 13, 2020, Chairwoman Maloney and Subcommittee Chairman Lynch sent letters to the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) requesting information about press reports that U.S. servicemembers and special operations forces who deployed to K2 after Sept. 11, 2001, were reportedly exposed to cancer-causing hazards.
On Feb. 27, 2020, the Subcommittee on National Security held a hearing with two veterans who were previously deployed to K2 and have each suffered from cancer, as well as the spouse of another K2 veteran.
That same day, Chairman Lynch and Rep. Green introduced H.R. 5957, the K2 Veterans Toxic Exposure Accountability Act of 2020, which directs the Secretary of Defense to assess the toxic exposure of American military servicemembers deployed to K2 from 2001 to 2005 and address the health conditions caused by this exposure.
On March 4, 2020, Oversight Committee Chairwoman Maloney, Chairman Lynch, then-National Security Subcommittee Ranking Member Jody B. Hice, Rep. Green, and former Rep. Mark Meadows sent letters to DOD and VA to press both agencies for information as part of the Committee’s investigation.
On April 22, 2020, VA confirmed it is taking multiple steps to address the concerns of K2 servicemembers and veterans, including designing a new study to investigate health trends among K2 Veterans.
