Is This The Cause Of Gulf War Syndrome?

A U.S. servicemember dons his gas mask for a chemical environment training at Camp Atterbury, Ind., on April 6, 2011. Defense Department

Study: Wind Blew Deadly Gas To US Troops In Gulf War -- USA Today

WASHINGTON -- U.S. bombings of Iraqi munitions factories in January 1991 released a plume of sarin gas that traveled more than 300 miles to affect American troops in Saudi Arabia, although military officials claimed at the time that chemical alarms triggered by the gas were false, a study released today shows.

The Jan. 18, 1991, bombings of the munitions plants in Nasiriyah and Khamisiya blew a plume of sarin gas high above a layer of cold, still air -- also called the boundary level -- and into a swift wind stream that carried the gas to Saudi Arabia, said the study conducted by researchers Robert Haley and James Tuite and published in the journal Neuroepidemiology.

The gas plumes, the researchers said, can be blamed for symptoms of Gulf War illness, the mysterious ailment that has affected more than 250,000 veterans of the war.

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My Comment: 20 years later .... we are now finally getting some answers.

Report On Gulf War Syndrome Released

Up To 250,000 Gulf War Veterans Have 'Unexplained Medical Symptoms' -- Washington Post

As many as 250,000 veterans of the first Gulf War "have persistent unexplained medical symptoms" whose cause may never be found, although genetic testing and functional brain imaging may eventually shed some light on the problem.

That is one of the conclusions of a new review of research on the constellation of physical complaints originally known as "Gulf War syndrome" experienced by many soldiers soon after the United States drove invading Iraqi forces out of Kuwait in early 1991.

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My Comment: 20 years since the war .... and a report that examines Gulf War Syndrome is finally released. Are there any answers .... not really .... but it is a refocus on an issue that unfortunately plagues many of our veterans.

VA To Reopen Gulf War Vets' Files

From Time Magazine:

(WASHINGTON) — The Veterans Affairs Department says it will take a second look at the disability claims of what could be thousands of Gulf War veterans suffering from illnesses they blame on their war service, the first step toward potentially compensating them nearly two decades after the war ended.

VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said the decision is part of a "fresh, bold look" his department is taking to help veterans who have what's commonly called "Gulf War illness" and have long felt the government did little to help them. The VA says it also plans to improve training for medical staff who work with Gulf War vets, to make sure they do not simply tell vets that their symptoms are imaginary — as has happened to many over the years.

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My Comment: I can now hear the collective sigh of relief from thousands of vets and their families.

Panel Finds Widespread Gulf War Illness

A U.S. soldier stands in front of a French armored vehicle in the Saudi Arabian desert on Feb. 9, 1991. Michel Gangne / AFP - Getty Images file

From Rome News Tribune:

WASHINGTON - At least one in four U.S. veterans of the 1991 Gulf War suffers from a multi-symptom illness caused by exposure to toxic chemicals during the conflict, a congressionally mandated report being released Monday found.

For much of the past 17 years, government officials have maintained that these veterans -- more than 175,000 out of about 697,000 deployed -- are merely suffering the effects of wartime stress, even as more have come forward recently with severe ailments.

“The extensive body of scientific research now available consistently indicates that ’Gulf War illness’ is real, that it is the result of neurotoxic exposures during Gulf War deployment, and that few veterans have recovered or substantially improved with time,” said the report, being released Monday by a panel of scientists and veterans. A copy was obtained by Cox Newspapers.

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