A retired Indiana National Guard commander whose lung cancer triggered a federal suit against a defense contractor has died, Guard officials said.
An Indiana National Guard spokeswoman said Lt. Col. James Gentry, 52, of Williams, Ind., died of lung cancer last week and his funeral was set for Tuesday in New Albany, Ind., The Indianapolis Star reported.
Gentry served in Iraq, where he claimed he and his soldiers were exposed to a lethal carcinogen while guarding workers for U.S. defense contractor KBR Inc. In a suit that has grown to include 47 plaintiffs, Gentry accused KBR of allowing troops to operate in an area it knew to be heavily contaminated with the carcinogen sodium dichromate, an industrial chemical normally used to remove pipe corrosion, the newspaper said.
“KBR did not knowingly harm troops,” the Texas company said in a statement.
“(Gentry) was a very good person who cared for his soldiers and his family,” Indiana National Guard public affairs officer Lt. Col. Deedra Thombleson told the Star. “He came forth and talked about the issues, hoping it would draw attention to what he and his soldiers had gone through.”
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