On Wednesday, Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.) and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) introduced H.R. 5858, the Military Pilots Cancer Incidence Study Act. This important legislation would require DOD to enter into an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study and report on the incidence of cancer diagnosis and mortality among military pilots compared with other service members. In a press release, Luria stated, “I am introducing the Military Pilot Cancer Incidence Study Act, so DOD and the VA understand the scope of the problem, identify service-connected illnesses, and address them appropriately. We owe it to these brave service members to know what health risks they assume and ensure we screen and treat early, so they live longer and healthier lives.” The VFW thanks Luria and Kinzinger for introducing this legislation and for their efforts to expand health care and disability benefits for veterans.
New Research Project Honors the History and Legacy of Black Soldiers in WWII
Ten years ago, in the Netherlands, a research effort was started that compiled the oral histories of Dutch people who survived World War II. Through this project, researchers learned about the hundreds of black American soldiers who were tasked with burying nearly 20,000 soldiers killed in action in the middle of winter. These soldiers labored in 12-hour shifts for months, burying their fellow, yet segregated, soldiers in makeshift, wartime cemeteries, and conducting makeshift services. These wartime cemeteries would become the Netherlands American Cemetery at Margraten. From this research, The Black Liberators Project was born.
POW/MIA Update
U.S. Navy Steward’s Mate 2nd Class Jesus F. Garcia, 21, was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor. Interment services are pending.
U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Ernest L. Roth, 20, was assigned as a pilot with the 359th Bombardment Squadron, 303rd Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force in Europe. On May 19, 1944, he was piloting a B-17G bomber while on a bombing run over Berlin when the plane was hit by flak and crashed. Six of the 10 crew members, including Roth, were killed in the crash. Interment services are pending.
U.S. Navy Seaman 1st Class Lyal J. Savage, 19, of Dexter, New York, was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor. He will be buried June 27, 2020, in his hometown.
U.S. Navy Fire Controlman 1st Class Robert L. Corn, 24, of Baker City, Oregon, was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor. He will be buried May 1, 2020, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Till next week, praying for all service members.
– Charles Castelluccio
