Memorial Day is the time when we honor those who served our country and paid the ultimate price for our freedom. The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation honors those men and women who lost their lives as a result of their service, including those who served in the military and succumbed to malignant mesothelioma.
“In honor of those who have fallen victim to mesothelioma and for those who have been exposed and may develop mesothelioma in the future, the Foundation dedicates our efforts to continuing to fund peer-reviewed medical research that we hope will lead to prevention, early detection, more effective treatments and eventually a cure,” said General H. Steven Blum, a member of the Board of Directors of the Meso Foundation.
One third of mesothelioma patients are veterans, and were exposed to asbestos during their time of service. Those who serve in the military often go on to careers in the public sector serving as policemen, firemen and first responders where they again suffer the insult of asbestos exposure.
General Blum last served as Deputy Commander, U.S. Northern Command in addition to serving as Vice Commander, U.S. Element North American Aerospace Defense Command. Prior to these last positions he served as the 25th Chief of the National Guard Bureau. He retired from both the Army and National Guard in 2010.
In addition to Gen. Blum, Dr. David S. Ettinger, another member of the Meso Foundation’s Board of Directors, also served in the military as Chief of Medicine at the Munson Army Hospital, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, from July 1971 to June 1973.
Gen. Blum and Dr. Ettinger, on behalf of the entire mesothelioma community, thank all those men and women who have served and will serve in the future.
