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Larry Roberta is one of 21 Oregon Army National Guard soldiers who have filed a lawsuit against the military contractor Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR). The lawsuit concerns the soldiers' exposure in Iraq to hexavalent chromium, a chemical referred to by some as "Iraq's Agent Orange". The veterans claim it has caused them numerous health problems. Six years after returning home from Iraq, the once-healthy Roberta is unable to walk, and also suffers from chest pain, migraines and high blood pressure.

Lawyers for KBR argue that the federal government, not the company, is responsible for compensating the sickened soldiers. 

In fact, recently released documents show that in 2003 KBR told the Pentagon that it would not provide contracting services in Iraq unless the Army covered the potential costs of any soldier injured or killed working on a KBR project. The U.S. District Court judge is now deciding whether or not the case should proceed.

Have you been following the KBR trial? Are you a war veteran, or a family member of one? Have you served as a contractor for the military?

Sixteen Indiana National Guard soldiers have sued the Houston-based defense contractor KBR, saying the company knowingly allowed them to be exposed to a toxic chemical in Iraq in 2003. The soldiers were providing security for KBR during repairs of a water treatment plant in southern Iraq shortly after the US invasion. The suit claims the site was contaminated for six months by hexavalent chromium, “one of the most potent carcinogens” known to man. It alleges that KBR knew the plant was contaminated but concealed the danger from civilian workers and soldiers. We speak with one of the soldiers and with the lead attorney in the case.