Military Families the Ghost in Our Defense

The Ghosts in our defense are the military families behind the military service members. They are the backbone of our defense and not recognized. The military family housing problems are irreconcilable and have been for decades. The old housing with hazardous substances involved direct exposures to the families over the years. The new housing constructed by the Department of Defense and the public private ventures (PPV) only exacerbated the problems with hazardous substance exposures. The recognition that the construction of homes on land with organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and the health effects to the families is discussed. The truth and propaganda associated with the facts of direct exposures to the carcinogenic OCPs can be confusing. The reality of the fear of reprisal, discrimination, and retaliation is the reality of the families. The ability to speak up or to bring attention to the health effects of exposures is hampered by the demand for the burden of proof by the families. Is the spreading of contaminated topsoil in and around the homes safe? Where is the supporting information for the propaganda that it is safe? Of course, the families do not have the wherewithal to provide such evidence and we find that the scarce information and data for the direct human exposures to be unreliable or not available. The future concern for the mistreatment of the families is the impact to the readiness of the nation’s defense.