Last week we lost another missileer to cancer, Major (ret) Mike Poppert who served at both Warren and Malmstrom.Mike's career included Peacekeeper crew, Malmstrom staff, USSTRATCOM, and the ICBM Program Office!  Mike’s son, Capt Ryan Poppert (pictured here with Mike) is encouraging Mike’s friends to post some message on his tribute wall at: https://www.woodlawnfhcc.com/obituaries/Michael-Poppert?obId=33740531

Last month at our National Meeting the Missile Cancer Study was front and center in the topics we discussed.  We were fortunate to hear from the Air Force and the Torchlight Initiative.  Col Greg Coleman, AFGSC/SG and Col Rik Speakman, Commander of the USAF School of Aerospace Medicine presented an update on where the study stands. (click here for their slides).  Danny Sebeck spoke on behalf of the work being conducted by the Torchlight Initiative (click here for his slides).  We are working on getting a video of both presentations posted soon.

The key points that I took away from the Air Force presentation are: 1) The Air Force is working hard to ensure personnel that dispatch to the field do so in a safe environment. 2) The Air Force will continue testing and cleaning as long as they believe this is an issue.  3) Unsafe practices such as burning in the tunnel junction have been halted. 4) The Air Force has yet to make an official link between the missile field and higher than normal rates of cancer within the ICBM community. 5) The Air Force study is hindered by lack of accurate health reporting prior to 2001.

At the same time, I learned from the Torchlight Initiative that we have a lot of work to do to ensure our fellow missileers impacted get the attention and care they deserve. It appears that getting the care you need depends on which VA you go to and that isn’t the way it should be. In a 2001 USAF study, only eleven cancer cases were identified over a five-year period.  The Torchlight Initiative has identified over 560 cancer cases in less than two years! It’s up to each of us to self-report—get your primary care provider to identify your medical issues and where appropriate tie them to items like PCB exposure.  Torchlight believes we need to take bold actions together to learn from our mistakes, learn lessons, and provide our force with the tools it needs to fight.  Please refer to the documentation provided at www.TorchlightInitiative.org.

My main takeaway is that USAFSAM is focused on the current environment, while Torchlight is looking at the historical footprint of illnesses and environmental hazards in the ICBM community. The Air Force efforts have only happened in the past few years so those who served in the past need to pay attention!  What I also learned is that maneuvering through the VA system is still a challenge.  A couple of members who have worked in the VA system have stepped up and offered their help and we will share more on that in future dispatches and newsletters.

As highlighted in Danny Sebeck’s presentation, there is a lot of work to do—we will keep you posted on the things we learn on this issue and offer assistance