Burn Pits 360 artifacts honored by Smithsonian Museum of the American Latino

A South Texas organization that helped push for expanded health care for veterans is being recognized on a national stage.

Burn Pits 360, founded in Robstown, is being honored by the National Museum of the American Latino in Washington, D.C., with artifacts from the movement now becoming part of the museum’s collection.

The recognition highlights the group’s work in helping pass the PACT Act in 2022, a major piece of legislation that expanded health care access for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits.

Items tied to the grassroots movement, including a megaphone used during protests, represent a yearslong fight that began in South Texas and grew into a nationwide effort.

“It’s surreal to me, right? Like I never envisioned that day, but it goes back to the days of like me being that military wife and spouse that couldn't understand how our government turned its back on us,” said Rosie Torres, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Burn Pits 360.

Torres and her husband, Le Roy Torres, started the movement about 16 years ago after he returned from serving in Iraq with a lung disease as a result of burn pit exposure.

Artifacts donated to the museum also reflect key moments in their advocacy, including five nights spent sleeping on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to push for legislative action.

“PACT Act is named after Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson, and we arranged for his widow to attend the State of the Union that night. And that's the night that President Biden announced his full support for legislation to be passed,” Torres said.

The law removed a major burden from veterans seeking care, not just in Texas but across the country.

“What it said is you no longer have to prove that you had exposure while you were at these locations, and as a result of that you no longer have to run around and try and play lawyer, advocate, scientist, researcher,” Torres said.

Torres said the effort began at her kitchen table with extensive research and continued with support from the city of Robstown that provided the building which became their office.

“Now, over two million veterans and survivors are getting compensation for those diseases,” she said.

In a statement to 3NEWS, the museum said the collection reflects a broader national impact.

“Led by Rosie and Le Roy, but joined by thousands other across the country, this work demonstrates that Latino history is American history, with a lasting impact on millions of veterans,” the National Museum of the American Latino said.

Torres also thanked the Coastal Bend community for its support.

“It was these Latinos from Texas and that you can do it too like you know just when you believe in something that big,” Torres said.

The museum said that next steps for the artifacts are still in the works.

"Although the museum does not currently have plans for an exhibition, these objects will remain part of NMAL’s permanent collection and will be available for future exhibitions, public programs, publications and research," the National Museum of the American Latino said.