Former military intelligence analyst Elba Barr has been trained to connect the dots – training she now uses to search a mountain of medical records.
“There has been something huge every year since 2013, medically speaking,” Barr told CBS News senior research correspondent Catherine Herridge.
While Barr was deployed in the Middle East and Africa after 9/11 to track down Al-Qaeda, there is no doubt that the most poisonous and dangerous place was Karshi-Khanabad, or K2, a former Soviet air base in Uzbekistan, a starting point for secret missions to Afghanistan.
“K2 was a base to me that should never have been a base… dangers, signs everywhere of where your dangers were,” she said.
The 41-year-old mother of two blames the four months she spent at K2 for her chronic reproductive health problems.
“I had cervical problems, continued to have severe pain and endometriosis. I had to have a partial hysterectomy. Last year I had both my ovaries removed and they discovered stage 1 cancer,” Barr said.
Barr is one of more than 200 female K2 veterans who flooded a Facebook page where members discuss contamination and health issues.
The nonprofit that tracks K2 cases says that 40% of former base female service workers report at least one miscarriage themselves, 8% report breast or uterine cancer, and 30% report ovarian cancer or related problems. This information horrified Barr and brought her to tears.
Half a year CBS News investigation revealed soil saturated with jet fuel, oil and lubricants, radiation warnings and previous use of chemical agents.
Mike Lechlitner, a Department of Defense employee, was involved in the early tests of the base. He said new information has revealed a lot about the base.
“We have been informed that the Soviets had a chemical weapons disinfection unit next to our camp.”
Images obtained by CBS News show that the base was also a dump for used chemical armor, including protective equipment such as face masks used to block chemical agents. Those face masks were found in “tent city” where troops worked and slept.
Credit to Phillip Sandell
Barr said the CBS News investigation changed her life and gave her clarity on the root cause of the medical problems she had faced for years.
“ For the better part of ten years I’ve wondered, ‘Am I going crazy? … and that’s what [the CBS News investigation] did. It validated all the problems, a decade of problems. “
Barr is now opening up to her children about her exposure to toxins.
‘I have no doubt that I will die young. You assume that I am not. I live 100% on borrowed time. It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when, ”Barr told Herridge.
Despite the data, the Department of Veterans Affairs sees no link between K2 and disease. Barr wants leadership strengthened, and despite the suffering of her and other veterans, she is confident they will serve again.
And if you ask us, we’ll do it again in an instant. We’re just asking that we’ve upheld our end of the deal and it’s up to the VA and it’s up to the Department of Defense to hold up theirs. ‘
Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller drafted an executive order that would open the door to medical assistance and financial support for K2 veterans. The executive order was in its final stages when the Capitol was overrun rioters last Wednesday. The K2 veterans group is hoping it will still be signed by President Trump, although they will contact the Biden administration in case there is no action before inauguration day.