Check out this recent coverage of Nels and his opposition to experimental drug testing on veterans from the Frankfort Times:

The treatment of the country’s soldiers has come into question and the two men vying for Indiana’s Fourth District Congressional seat are among those calling for an in-depth investigation.

The Washington Times reported on Tuesday that U.S. military veterans have been recruited for government testing of pharmaceutical drugs associated with severe side effects.

“Everyone in the country should be concerned,” Indiana Fourth District Congressional candidate Democrat Nels Ackerson told The Times Thursday. “Any abuse of our veterans is a shame and an outrage.”

According to The Washington Times report, the tests included use of the anti-smoking drug Chantix. The article alleges Veterans Affairs doctors waited three months before notifying veterans about potential side effects such as suicide and neuropsychiatric behavior.

Former U.S. Army sniper James Elliot, 38, was recruited for the Chantix testing, for which he was paid $30 a month. He suffered a mental breakdown months into the study, The Washington Times report states. It further indicates he had previously been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after a 15 month tour in Iraq.

“Lab rat, guinea pig, disposable hero,” Elliot told the Washington paper of his experience.