The megaphone that changed a nation now lives at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Latino

The megaphone that once rallied thousands of toxic-exposed veterans and their families on the steps of the U.S. Capitol has a new home: the Smithsonian’s permanent collection.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino has formally accepted a donation of artifacts from Burn Pits 360, preserving a pivotal chapter in both Latino and American military history. The acquisition, accessioned as a Gift of Captain Le Roy Torres and Rosie Lopez Torres, founders of Burn Pits 360, marks a milestone not just for a single organization but for a movement that refused to be silent. 

What’s in the collection 

The donation includes 11 objects that chronicle more than a decade of grassroots advocacy on behalf of service members exposed to toxic airborne hazards. Among them: the iconic Burn Pits 360 megaphone; the official permit from the “Fire Watch” sit-in at the U.S. Capitol; six Fire Watch campaign posters; framed copies of the Honoring Our PACT Act and the Airborne Hazards Open Burn Pit Registry Act; and advocacy apparel emblazoned with the movement’s rallying cries — #GetLoud, The War that Followed Us Home, I advocate for the invisible, and Honor your Oath.

Together, they tell the story of how a Latino family from San Antonio and Robstown, Texas, turned personal tragedy into one of the largest expansions of veterans’ healthcare in American history.

From a kitchen table to the Capitol

Burn Pits 360 began at home. After Captain Le Roy Torres returned from deployment in Iraq, he was diagnosed with constrictive bronchiolitis and toxic brain injury — injuries linked to his exposure to the open-air burn pits the U.S. military used at installations overseas. When the answers didn’t come, and the care didn’t either, he and his wife Rosie started looking for them themselves.

What began as a family’s search for accountability grew into a national grassroots movement. For years, Burn Pits 360 built a network of veterans, surviving families, medical experts, legal experts and advocates who shared their stories publicly and refused to let the issue be buried. That work helped lead to the passage of the SFC Heath Robinson Honoring Our PACT Act — legislation that extended health care and benefits to millions of veterans exposed to toxic hazards during their service.

“This story belongs to all of us.”

For co-founder Rosie Lopez Torres, seeing the Smithsonian preserve this chapter is deeply personal. “This donation represents far more than objects in a display case. It represents the strength of our ancestors, every veteran we lost, and every family who refused to stay silent. What began as kitchen-table conversations in a Latino household grew into a movement that mobilized America and helped change history,” said Rosie. “For a Latino family from the west side of San Antonio, Texas and Robstown, Texas, to see our story preserved by the Smithsonian is not only humbling — it is a powerful reminder that Latino history is American history, and that this story belongs to all of us.”

Captain Torres echoed the message, pointing to the community that made the victory possible. “Veterans fought for this country, and then they had to fight their own government to be seen. But they did not fight alone — families stood beside us, and together we mobilized a nation. Rooted in the legacy of our ancestors, their advocacy became a force that could not be ignored. These artifacts are proof that when people come together, change is inevitable. This belongs to our children, grandchildren, every service member, every surviving family, every advocate — and to every American who stood with us.”

Latino history is American history

The acquisition reflects the National Museum of the American Latino’s mission to document and preserve the contributions of Latinos to the history, culture, and development of the United States. Latino service members have served in every American conflict since the Revolutionary War and represent one of the fastest-growing demographics in the U.S. armed forces — a legacy the Torres family’s artifacts now help anchor in the nation’s permanent record.

The donated materials will be preserved in the museum’s permanent collection, with future exhibition plans to be announced by the National Museum of the American Latino.

Thank you

No single family, and no single organization, earns a place at the Smithsonian alone. This moment belongs to the veterans who testified when it was painful. To the Gold Star families who kept showing up. To the advocates who made the calls, signed the petitions, and turned out at rallies in the rain. To the journalists who listened, the lawmakers who acted, the 9/11 firefighter Advocates such as Joseph Mc Kay, John Feal, Jon Stewart, our Veteran family at Grunt Style, Tim Jensen, Will Wisner and the everyday Americans who shared the story until it could no longer be ignored.

To every supporter who has walked this road with Burn Pits 360: thank you.

The megaphone is yours, too.