Even though veterans of the first Gulf war have ended their perilous fight in Desert Storm, their battle is far from over. This time, the battle is an individual one against physical health.
Many veterans from the first Gulf war suffer from illnesses that are claimed to have a specific correlation to what happened in the war. Such veterans believe this condition should be classified as a specific disease called the Gulf war syndrome. According to a report, there is a substantial amount of Gulf war veterans who are ill with multi-system conditions that cannot be attributed to wartime stress or psychiatric illness.
The culprit behind this Gulf war syndrome: nerve gas and its antidotes.
During the war, soldiers' tents, and even some soldiers were sprayed directly with locally bought insecticides to ward off disease-infected sandflies and mosquitoes. Soldiers were also advised to take pyridostigmine, a drug meant to block the effects of nerve gas, which may result in some of the same symptoms caused by the gas.
The report also concluded that approximately 30 percent of Gulf war veterans suffer from a combination of symptoms including:
For more than a decade, the United States government had denied the possibility of the Gulf war syndrome and blamed the illnesses on post-traumatic stress disorder. However, the authorities decided to change their views and acknowledge the possibility of a disease linked to chemical exposure in the Gulf. Thus, those who suffer from a disability or death that can be proved to reflect service in the armed forces may now be awarded military pensions.
Studies have also shown that symptoms linked to the Gulf war syndrome appeared in Gulf war veterans only (and not in non-Gulf veterans who were tested).
Still, critics argue that there is no such syndrome and the factors that could have affected those who fought in the Gulf war could be attributed to:
Although the United States government has chosen to accept the Gulf war syndrome, the British government still stands firm in the belief that there is not a link between chemical exposure and this illness.
New Scientist November 3, 2004
With one out of every seven soldiers who fought in the first Gulf War receiving disability payments, it is encouraging to see some of the first steps being taken towards validation of the Gulf War Syndrome that so many veterans acquired.
However, disability payments will in no way make up for the damage that has been done.
There also appears to be a relation between the vaccines given to the troops and the Gulf War syndrome. If you recall, I previously posted a story about my concerns that Gulf War II soldiers could be facing troubles due to chemical exposures and needless vaccinations for anthrax.
Moreover, deaths, stillbirths, miscarriages, physical defects and sicknesses are all being blamed on the anthrax immunizations that were given to the soldiers who served in Iraq. Britain experts now fear the thousands of British troops who received the vaccinations will face difficulties with having children.
This is one of the most senseless vaccines ever given to soldiers. If you haven't already read Dr. Nas' article describing how this vaccine was developed and released, please DON'T do so unless you prepare yourself to be righteously angry.
In addition to chemical exposure and harmful vaccines, some researchers like Dr. Garth Nicholson, believe that mycoplasma infections also play a role in occurrence of problems seen in the Gulf War veterans.
Nicholson has used some very elegant tools, such as PCR DNA techniques to provide some very compelling evidence of the causal relationship between mycoplasma and many chronic illnesses.
Although nothing can turn back time and take back what these veterans once endured and sacrificed for our country, I am hopeful that a major change is underway. It is impossible to change what has already been done; however, perhaps the acknowledgment and treatment of the Gulf War syndrome may help ease some of their pain.
Related Articles:
Vaccine-Free French in Gulf War Healthier than Allies U.S. Reports Disease Link to Gulf War Multiple Vaccines May Contribute To 'Gulf War Syndrome' The Curse of the Gulf War Babies The Woman Behind The Anthrax Vaccine Exposure U.S. Reports Disease Link to Gulf War
Vaccine-Free French in Gulf War Healthier than Allies
U.S. Reports Disease Link to Gulf War
Multiple Vaccines May Contribute To 'Gulf War Syndrome'
The Curse of the Gulf War Babies
The Woman Behind The Anthrax Vaccine Exposure