{"id":32756,"date":"2020-07-10T19:46:30","date_gmt":"2020-07-10T19:46:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/07\/10\/silent-protest-planned-at-highly-toxic-george-afb-to-remember-miscarriages\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:24:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:24:48","slug":"silent-protest-planned-at-highly-toxic-george-afb-to-remember-miscarriages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2020\/07\/10\/silent-protest-planned-at-highly-toxic-george-afb-to-remember-miscarriages\/","title":{"rendered":"Silent protest planned at highly toxic George AFB to remember miscarriages"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Veterans, family members and dependents who lived at the now-closed George Air Force Base in California will hold a silent protest and memorial at the former base\u2019s hospital Sunday morning to remember miscarriages and stillbirths caused by the facility\u2019s extreme contamination<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The survivors plan to place hundreds of baby shoes and a plaque in the parking lot of the former medical facility to honor the children lost after their mothers were exposed to highly toxic substances<\/a> at the base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were unknowingly exposed to numerous toxins<\/a> that have had devastating health outcomes,\u201d the Military Accountability and Transparency Alliance, a group which includes and advocates for former residents of the base, said in a release. \u201cThe Air Force has yet to respond to these very serious issues concerning veterans and family members of the base. Despite their deafening silence, the families are holding the memorial ceremony in order to bring healing and closure to the thousands that suffered losses through the years of operation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

George, located near Victorville, California, was declared a Superfund site by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1990, and closed in 1992. Efforts are still under way to clean up 33 hazardous wastes there, including old jet fuel in the water supply and excessive amounts of perfluorooctane sulfonate or perfluorooctanoic acid, also known as PFOS and PFOAs. Trichloroethylyn, which attacks the nervous system, blood, kidneys, heart and immune system, also remains in the water and soil due to industrial solvents used to de-grease and clean jets there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For decades, female service members stationed at George suffered medical complications, including fertility problems, birth defects, stillbirths and miscarriages. Women were told \u2014 including, in some cases, by their doctors \u2014 \u201cdon\u2019t get pregnant\u201d at the base.<\/p>\n\n\n\t