home

Leaked Report: Gulf War Syndrome Is Real

A highly credible report substantiates the existence of Gulf War syndrome .

Thousands of veterans of the 1991 war suffer from unexplained poor health. Servicemen and women from the US, UK, Canada and France who took part in the operation to drive Saddam Hussein's forces from Kuwait have reported one or more symptoms, including memory loss, chronic fatigue and dizziness.

...The findings are in a report by the influential Research Advisory Committee on Gulf war veterans' illness, leaked to the New York Times. Committee chief scientist Professor Beatrice Golombe said that exposure to certain substances in the Gulf may have altered some troops' body chemistry. ...The US report said the troops' problems were definitely caused by exposure to toxic chemicals rather than stress or psychiatric illness. Potential sources include Iraqi nerve gas and drugs given to the troops to protect them from chemical weapons.

The original October 14 New York Times article on the study is here. It says "an estimated 100,000 Gulf War veterans, or about one in seven, suffer war-related health problems."

The report recommends spending $60 million to study the problem. How much more will it cost to provide adequate and effective treatment to the returning soldiers? And will Bush spend it? Our provision for war returning veterans has been pretty dismal since Vietnam.

Here is John Kerry's position on veterans rights. Also, here's an article on the Bush administration's refusal to spend money testing veteran's blood for the illness even after Congress authorized it. John Kerry supported the testing. Read his 2003 letter to Rumsfreld asking for help for these vets (html).

< Yaser Hamdi, Former Alleged Enemy Combatant, Speaks Out | Guantanamo Employees Confirm Harsh Treatment of Detainees >
  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft