McCaskill -- One Missourian's Story of Sacrifice and Silence

It’s never too late to correct an injustice.

That’s been a driving principle for me over the past few months, as I’ve investigated a stunning failure on the part of our government, and have worked to address that failure on behalf of one Missouri veteran.

During World War II, 60,000 U.S. servicemen were forced to participate in experiments in which they were intentionally exposed to the chemical agent mustard gas. Four thousand of those men received the highest levels of exposure in “chamber” tests.

One of those who endured this horrific experience was 18-year-old private Arla Harrell at Camp Crowder in Neosho, Missouri. Harrell had joined the military after both of his parents had died, in order to provide for his younger siblings.

Since the testing over 70 years ago, Harrell has suffered from multiple chronic ailments, including several that have been medically linked to his exposure to mustard gas. However, because the experiments were highly classified, he was forced to take an oath of secrecy that prevented him from discussing his experience with his family, or even his doctor, for decades. 

By the early 1990s the experiments had been declassified, the oath of secrecy had been lifted, and the Department of Veterans Affairs had set up a system to provide healthcare and benefits to servicemen who had been exposed. While that should have been a new beginning, to turn the corner on this mistreatment for Arla Harrell and thousands of others, what I’ve discovered after a year-long investigation is that the veterans who applied for this care were caught in a broken system for decades—and the vast majority of them died without ever having received the recognition and resources they needed.

Over the past fifteen years, 90 percent of these veterans’ applications for benefits were denied. Of the 1,500 benefit claims the VA received in the last 15 years, only 40 veterans total are receiving any medical care or compensation.

Arla Harrell trained at a Missouri facility where strong evidence indicates that mustard gas experiments took place. He also suffers from several chronic conditions that result from mustard gas exposure. But despite multiple applications for care and benefits, he has been repeatedly denied.

I’ve led dozens of investigations to hold government and corporations accountable to Missourians—but I’ve never seen a group that was more mistreated than these brave men.

We have to act now before it’s too late. That’s why I’ve introduced the Arla Harrell Act—legislation that would mandate a quick review of previously denied claims, lower the near-impossible bar these servicemen and their families had to clear in order to get care they need, and establish the simple acknowledgement from our government of the horror they were forced to endure.

I won’t rest until Arla Harrell and the servicemen who sacrificed alongside him get the recognition and care they deserve.

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is the daughter of a World War II veteran, and a senior member of the Senate’s Armed Services Committee.