Senator Reid Discusses Veterans with Asbestos Disease

Yesterday I mentioned our brave veterans who have been exposed to asbestos, and the difficulty they have encountered in seeking compensation for that exposure. Steven Mitchell served ten years in the U.S. Navy as a boiler man. He worked in the engine and boiler rooms on several ships handling asbestos insulation on a daily basis. After leaving the Navy, he returned to work on his family farm raising wheat.

Steven was diagnosed with mesothelioma and spent his last days in a V.A. Nursing Home. Due to the intense pain, he was constantly administered morphine. Just before he died, he no longer even recognized his daughter.

We have seen the case of Philip Schreyer, who began helping his country with the war effort in 1942 at the Ford Motor Company’s Willow Run B-24 bomber plant. This plant was producing a bomber an hour during its peak operation, and many asbestos products went into each section of the bombers. Later that year, Mr. Schreyer joined the Navy serving as a radio man aboard the USS Wyoming until 1946. The USS Wyoming shot off more rounds than any other ship during War World II. Every time a round was fired dust would come down off the insulated pipes like “snow”. Little did Mr. Schreyer know that this dust falling on him was deadly asbestos.

Phil survived World War II, an injury aboard a warship that ended his Navy career, and a hunting accident that cost him his leg. He did not survive asbestos exposure. In 2002 he learned he had mesothelioma and was told by his doctors that he would not survive this disease. The doctors were right. On January 20, 2005, Phil Schreyer, who had survived so much, lost his final battle with mesothelioma and died.

Information courtesy of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization

Looking for more asbestos information? Use the following links to find what you're looking for: