SECNAV Names New Zumwalt-Class Destroyer USS Michael Monsoor
Secretary of the Navy, Donald C. Winter announced last night at a Navy SEAL Warrior Fund Benefit Gala at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, the name of the newest Zumwalt-class Destroyer will be USS Michael Monsoor. Designated as DDG- 1001, the name honors Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Monsoor, a Navy SEAL who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in Ramadi, Iraq, on Sept. 29, 2006.
Winter discussed the qualities, values, and dedication to duty that Navy SEAL’s exemplify, including the extraordinary acts of Michael Monsoor.
“Tonight I would like to single out one of those heroes from the community of Navy SEAL’s,” Winter said. “Those who served with Michael Monsoor will remember him always as a consummate professional who faced terrorist enemies with aplomb and stoicism.”
Good.
Burn Pit On US Base In Iraq Said To Pose Health Risks. The Air Force Times (10/28, Kennedy) reported, "An open-air 'burn pit'" at Joint Base Balad, the "largest" US base in Iraq, "may have exposed tens of thousands of troops, contractors and Iraqis to cancer-causing dioxins, poisons such as arsenic and carbon monoxide, and hazardous medical waste, documentation gathered by Military Times shows." Health risks "from breathing chemicals and smoke" generated by the burn pit "were discussed in April at a meeting of the Defense Health Board." Mark Brown, the "director of the Environmental Agents Service in the Office of Public Health and Environmental Hazards for the Department of Veterans Affairs," attended that meeting, and he told the Times, "You couldn't get away with this kind of waste disposal" in the US. Brown went on to say the VA has already heard concerns about burn pits from returning veterans, but Defense officials "say burn pits do not pose serious health risks."