2 Mass. soldiers among those suing on 'burn pits'

The suits -- among at least 32 filed nationally -- accuse military contractors Halliburton Co. and KBR Inc., of burning everything from plastics and tires to human remains in the large open-air pits.

Massachusetts National Guard Capt. Jeffrey Cox of Salem served in an Army Reserve medical unit in Iraq in 2005 and 2006. He says he developed a chronic cough due to the exposure to the burn pits, which he likens to the "Agent Orange of the Iraq War."

Cox sued along with Jeffrey Garland of Barnstable, who served in the Army National Guard in Iraq in 2003.

KBR says it follows military regulations on waste disposal. Halliburton did not immediately comment on the lawsuits.