The March 6 edition of Warrior Connection as an extraordinary
discussion between Dr Gary Null and Warrior Connection co-hosts Major
(retired Army ) Doug Rokke, Ph.D., Major (retired USAF) Denise Nichols,
MS, RN, and former USMC grunt / Chaplain / Author Ray Clark about the
documentaries on Gulf War illness and homeless veterans that Gary has
done. (garynull.com)
Read Gary's two new articles about "GULF WAR ILLNESS."
Part 1; Gulf War Syndrome: US Veterans Suffering from Multiple Debilitating Symptoms
By Dr. Gary Null
Global Research, February 19, 2016
Region: USA
Theme: Science and Medicine, US NATO War Agenda
After
their service in the Gulf War conflict from 1990-1991, hundreds of
thousands of our country’s veterans began suffering from multiple and
diverse debilitating symptoms including neurological and respiratory
disorders, chronic fatigue syndrome, psychological problems, skin
conditions and gastrointestinal issues.
This cluster of
symptoms came to be known as Gulf War syndrome. Independent
investigations, including those conducted by many of the Gulf War
veterans themselves, showed multiple causes behind Gulf War syndrome,
including experimental vaccines and medications; exposure to depleted
uranium (DU); toxicity from biological and chemical weapons, oil fires,
and other environmental contaminants.
Yet for nearly two
decades, the official word from the Veterans Administration (VA), the
Department of Defense (DoD), and the White House was that Gulf War
syndrome did not exist. The result? Countless returning military
personnel struggled for years to have their physical illnesses
recognized as something other than psychological.
The latest
official statistics compiled by the VA show that 25%-30%, or as many as
250,000 Gulf War veterans have suffered from this life-threatening
spectrum of illnesses. (1) The number of deaths attributable to Gulf War
syndrome remains elusive, however, the US government has failed to
address this critical matter. A VA report released in 2014 weighs in on
the disturbing oversight:
No comprehensive information has been
published on the mortality experience of U.S. Gulf War era veterans
after the year 2000. The 14 years for which no mortality figures are
available represent more than half of the 23 years since Desert Storm.
Mortality information from the last decade is particularly crucial for
understanding the health consequences of the Gulf War, given the
Epidemiological Research latency periods associated with many chronic
diseases of interest. Despite specific recommendations over many years
from both the current Committee and Institute of Medicine panels,
federal research efforts to monitor the mortality experience of
1990-1991 Gulf War veterans remain seriously inadequate. (2)
How
has the federal government managed to avoid taking responsibility on an
issue that profoundly impacts the lives of hundreds of thousands of our
veterans? Such is the power of the military-industrial complex and the
political machine in Washington DC. It seems that as long as the
government can deny its role in exposing our soldiers to unproven and
toxic vaccines, medications, biological and chemical weapons and
depleted uranium, it wouldn’t have to provide medical care to the
victims of Gulf War illness. This is, quite simply, one of the largest
medical scandals and coverups in American history. For nearly two
decades, the American media supported the official position that Gulf
War Syndrome was only in the heads of our veterans, while legions of
vets and their families were hung out to dry and die. The
administrations of George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and
Barack Obama, have been complicit in the plot, and therefore stand
accused of massive human rights violations. Yet American media denies it
completely.
In this special two part investigation it will become
clear that these claims are not wild conspiracy theories or
anti-government ra