Thousands of American soldiers returned from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan with severe illnesses. They are not the victims of ruthless enemy warfare, but of decisions made by their own military commanders. These soldiers, afflicted with everything from respiratory diseases to rare cancers, were sickened by the smoke and ash swirling out of the “burn pits”, where both the military and private contractors incinerated mountains of trash. According to soldiers who served there, every type of waste was disposed of and burned, including batteries, appliances, vehicles, plastics, dead animals … even human body parts. Ash laden with hundreds of toxins and carcinogens blackened the air and coated the clothes, dining hall, work areas and living area of soldiers.