died...he was there at the hospital and later at the funeral. He also has strong reason to believe that the cause of Beau's fatal brain cancer had to do with the toxic fumes emanating from "Burn Pits" during his deployment in Iraq (see link)...i.e. the place where his young life started its death spiral six years later...
Joe has spoken of this belief for years now...partly to assuage Beau's death, but also to use that personal experience to fight for assistance now for other veterans who are suffering similar health effects from those burn pits (e.g. "PACT ACT")...and hopefully to see that changes are made in that practice so that future servicemen/women are spared such a fate.
Fortunately for Baron, he has no empathy or awareness of other people's suffering and so he has no problem whatsoever attempting to convince others that the reality of JB's experience and efforts are fictionally based...BVZ is an odd duck, but he's our odd duck and we learn to live with him...again and again.
Link: https://www.cancer.org/healthy/cancer-causes/chemicals/burn-pits.html