EXPOSURE: Surviving Historical Ft. McClellan
Preface
I want to make it clear that this book is all about circumstantial evidence (inferences) and the HISTORICAL Fort McClellan (FMC or FTMC), Alabama based primarily on information found on publicly accessible government websites. FMC was different than most U.S. Army bases because it was the home of the U.S. Army Chemical Center and School for decades. You will read about the checkered past of the Chemical School that certainly had the potential to expose military members to a plethora of offensive chemical weapons and/or various hazardous materials to include ionizing radiation over a period of decades. However, smoking guns as of 2020 are likely only to be found with the Alabama National Guard as they practice firing artillery and small arms on Pelham Range. Readers are encouraged to make their own assessment of the evidence presented.
This is a story about historical FMC from the perspective of one person who is a former military police trainee, MP staff sergeant, retired federal supervisory criminal investigator, and current licensed private investigator. Basically, I am telling a story using publicly accessible historical documents and news accounts related to the former FMC, Anniston Army Depot (AAD), and the city of Anniston. For the most part, I tell the story using the government's own words. The reader can validate the content with access to the Internet – except perhaps my personal experiences and opinions and those of other persons interviewed. I will point out that I didn't really go beyond my own experiences insofar as tracking people down. The story is contained to what I have researched from the FMC documentation, my basic and MP School training experience, my first MP duty station, and a portion of my civilian law enforcement experience.
I have focused on the post-World War II years through the post's closure in 1999 with an emphasis on the thriving years – the 1970s and 1980s. I have stitched together clues, facts, and tidbits of information much like I would in a criminal investigation to develop probable cause in an affidavit for a search or arrest warrant and, in most instances, without the benefit of exculpatory evidence. Oftentimes though, the circumstances will fall under the heading of "reasonable suspicion" where the reader may develop a hunch or have to form their own opinion as to what actually transpired.
The individual reader can be the judge and jury to decide if there is compelling circumstantial evidence that suggests that military members and civilians were "at least as likely as not" or "more likely than not" exposed to environmental hazards that caused or aggravated medical conditions based on their service at FMC or whether the information amounts to a random batch of coincidences and personnel were "less likely than not" exposed and affected by hazardous substances.
The historical FMC is adjacent to the city of Anniston, Alabama and lies within Calhoun County. Additionally, let's remember that FMC was closed by a combination of the Department of Defense and procedures outlined by Congress. The Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Committee established under The Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990, PL101-510 defined the process by which DoD installations were closed and/or realigned.
According to open-source news reporting in 2011, more than $3.2 billion had been spent remediating the hazardous environments created on, in, and around Anniston – including the Monsanto, Solutia, Eastman plants, AAD, and FMC; yet this statement is posted on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) website "There are currently no adverse health conditions associated with service at Fort McClellan."227 One might ask what was "remediated" or otherwise cleaned up. And why spend an estimated $3.2 billion on clean-up? Could this be a case of the end justifying the means? Is the tail wagging the dog? Is the answer in the timeline? Or does it just boil down to funding – or lack thereof – to address the FMC veterans?
By all accounts, the Anniston / Calhoun County of today is a region of progressive communities with strong economies that still retain their small-town Southern charm and friendliness; hazardous contaminants are in the distant past for the most part.
The Fort McClellan Health Registry Act (H.R. 3666) was introduced to Congress in 2017; however, the bill made very little progress.
Unfortunately, as of early 2020, the member of Congress who sponsored the bill, Paul D. Tomko, did not respond to my multiple inquiries. There appears to be little to no future for this particular piece of legislation.