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The U.S. Government established the military to protect its interests. Many areas have gone unchecked for too long. In the evidence to follow it is clear that the safety of the U.S. military is at the bottom of the Government’s priority list.
Before getting into the Gulf War Syndrome, it is important to bring up the subject of Agent Orange and its use in the Vietnam War. Agent Orange is a highly toxic defoliant used to rid the enemy of its hiding places. The government thought that getting rid of the leaves that hid the enemy would provide a much-needed advantage and ultimately a win for them. They could not have been more wrong. The exposures to those deadly chemicals, with scientific names too long to mention here, were very harmful and caused a pattern of sickness in the returning vets and their families. On the subject of the affects of Agent Orange and the rise in birth defects in Vietnam, Vu Trong Huong director War Crimes Investigation said, “We have over 50,000 children that have been born with horrific deformities; the link is clear (Keith).
A quote by the Government’s spokesperson Madeline Albright, clearly defines the Government’s position in all questionable exposures, “we need more facts ... There is need for more scientific research on this subject before factual statements can be made to the effect agent-orange had in Vietnam (Keith).
It is amazing that Government representatives are able to say these things to the public and sleep at night. It prospered then and is prospering now for lying about exposures and creating smoke screens covering up the reality of their negligence; and their blatant disregard for human life and desire for more power.
It has been 30 years since the Vietnam War and people still suffer. The famous saying, “if you don’t learn from the past you are damned to repeat it,” fits well here. We are in the third repeating scenario. The first Gulf war that started in 1991 was considered by many a raving success, but to what expense? The U.S. Government’s outright denial of any wrong-doing and its role in covering up and putting roadblocks in the way of medical and scientific investigations illustrates what kind of political system American’s have created.
The U.S. Government sent its troops to war with one thing on its mind. To Win! The U.S. Government pushed aside immunization research, neglected important protective measures, and much like predictions made in the book, 1984, written by George Orwell, outright lied to its people about the inherent dangers of the situation they were about to be put in.
“Immunizations were given to U.S. military personnel as a preventative measure against known biological agents they could encounter while serving in the war. Before the war, military personnel were subjected to mandatory inoculations including a preliminary version of the anthrax vaccine. Upon arriving in Iraq, they were subjected to further exposure including additional vaccines and harmful substances like depleted uranium, insecticides, pesticides, and smoke from the burning oilfields of Iraq and Kuwait” (Hallinan).
Gulf war syndrome is characterized by a set of common symptoms suffered by returning veterans of the Gulf War. The most frequent symptoms reported as chief complaints were: fatigue, headache, memory problems, sleep disturbances, skin rashes, joint pain, and shortness of breath. (Riley) Gulf War veterans and immediate family members were affected by the soldiers’ exposure to these harmful substances. It is not known how contact between family members and the soldiers spread the illness. (Riley) Immunizations were a good idea if there was adequate research to determine the safety of their use. There is no official government explanation however, for the unnecessary exposure to the myriad of harmful substances the soldiers were exposed to while in combat.
The Government’s role in the Gulf War Syndrome epidemic was one of complacency and denial of liability. In a Report issued by David Corn, he illustrates the Government’s tactics and unwillingness to admit wrongdoing. “Colin Powell was dismissive of early studies showing a link between Gulf War service and illness. Today, the Veterans Administration recognizes Gulf War Syndrome. Of the 700,000 Americans dispatched to the Persian Gulf in 1991, 183,000 filed medical claims with the VA, and are suffering a wide variety of systemic illnesses. As of the end of 1999 the Pentagon recognized that 436,000 of these soldiers had entered areas that contained depleted uranium, but without acknowledging that these exposures caused any harm” (Corn).
In the first Gulf War, the United States fired 860,590 Depleted Uranium Ammunitions (DUA). While the military keeps claiming that the DUA’s are harmless, tank crews protected by DUA armor get the equivalent of a chest x-ray every 20 to 30 hours. According to foreign policy analyst, Conn Hallinan, "The Army’s own Chemical Command concluded back in 1991 that troops exposed to DUA should wear protective masks, respirators and clothes, ‘at a minimum.’ Fighting in such gear is almost impossible, which means it was unlikely used much” (Hallinan).
An article posted on a website details the dangers and the ease of obtaining the raw materials for DUA’s: “The US military uses depleted uranium ammunitions because it allows a more effective penetration of bullets and warheads through metal surfaces. Depleted uranium is very dense. It is 2.5 times heavier than iron and 1.7 times heavier than lead. Upon impact, it explodes and burns at 10,000 degrees C burning everything as it turns to dust. The dust of depleted uranium is like an aerosol spray of fiberglass like dust. When inhaled it poses a serious health hazard because it gets imbedded into the lungs and gives off low dosages of radiation over long periods of time resulting in cellular changes resulting in numerous health related problems such as cancer, sterility, birth defects and brain damage” (Walk).
The Problem with DUA’s according to the World Health Organization is that at least 350 tons of DU was dropped in Iraq at the first Gulf War by US and British military. Since the first Gulf war, Leukemia rates in the affected areas increased 600% and According to the UK Atomic Energy Authority "If less than 10% of the particles released by Depleted Uranium are inhaled it would result in 300,000 possible deaths" (Walk).
Dr. Rosalie Bertell, author and President of the International Institute of Concern for Public Health (IICPH), in collaboration with National Institutes of Health (NIH) on the Gulf War Syndrome, had this to say about DUA’s, “I learned many things about the uranium bullets in the process of this research: DUA’s, after piercing the object, can burst into flame. They are fragmentary, and cannot be removed from the body. The DUA’s are more-dense than a lead proof vest, or a light armored car or tank. Because the ‘enemy’ might also use them, the military made uranium armor as a protection. DUA’s were cheap because the depleted uranium was a waste product of the nuclear-bomb program and were radioactive, which meant that even handling them was risky, but no one seemed to be worrying about this” (Bertell).
The primary mission of the U.S. Government, on the surface, was to protect its military and to accomplish its agenda regarding Iraq. The problem lies in the fact of the negligence in the care of veterans when they returned home. The following excerpt reveals that not only did the U.S. Government refuse to help veterans when they came home, but also was directly responsible for dispensing the illness-causing agent to the enemy. Many soldiers came home to discover there was a treatment for their illness. They found that an antibiotic called Doxycycline was the most effective. The United States military would not allow military members under their control to have it, or VA hospitals to dispense it.
Captain Joyce Riley, an ex-marine, came home from the Gulf War and discovered that she too was sick. She launched an investigation into the possibility of the Government’s role in her illness. While deep in her research, she received an unexpected call from a Special Forces commander who had been retired for one year. He said, ‘I have had it. I came home. I served my country. I got my blood sent to Dr. Nicholson for free testing and got my prescription for Doxycycline. I went to have it filled and not only was my military ID card revoked, but they would not allow me to have the Doxycycline to save my life.’ She felt the desperate desire to get the word out to her fellow military personnel that they were not crazy. She was determined to convince them to fight for justice. Her response to a crowd of over 1,000 sick military families was this, “the disease is contagious, and now the wives and children are getting it. It is going to affect the general population. That is why it is so important to understand how serious this is. It is not just the United States. It is a worldwide program. There were 28 countries that served with the United States in Iraq. All 28 countries now report that their men and women are also sick. But Drs. Garth and Nancy Nicholson, the researchers I was sent to for help, revealed that a Houston company was involved in the manufacture of a biological weapon that was sold to Iraq and was later used on American soldiers in the Gulf War” (Riley).
The Government continues to this day, to deny its involvement or even the existence of the Gulf War Syndrome. The following report details the Government’s involvement and knowledge of the soldiers’ exposure while serving. Issued in 1994 the following excerpt reveals that the government once again lied in a major way.
“The Reigle report is evidence that biological and chemical weapons were used on our troops. It was presented to the United States Senate, "The Reigle report uncovers U.S. Shipment of Biological Warfare Materials to Iraq prior to Gulf War". The release went on to say, "There is evidence of transmission to family members. I am deeply troubled that the United States permitted the sale of deadly biological agents to a country with a known biological warfare program." There is no blood ban stopping Gulf War veterans from donating blood to the general blood supply that the general population uses. Reigle also sent a letter to Secretary of Defense, Perry on Feb 9, 1994 and talked about the exposure of Gulf War veterans and the transmission of the disease to spouses and children. He found out that we had been exporting these biological substances through ATCC. Every Senator that was in office in 1994 knows this information. Reigle also said to Secretary Perry that, "without proper treatment and testing, their condition will worsen. They cannot wait. Many are now destitute, with their savings spent on medical care not provided by the government” (Riley).
Captain Riley is outraged by the betrayal of her fellow Government. The more information she finds, the more frustrated she becomes. The following excerpt illustrates her point, “the Department of Defense refuses to acknowledge any part of the problem. Their blanket denials are not credible. To my mind, there is no more serious crime than an official military cover-up of facts that could prevent more effective diagnosis and treatment of sick U.S. veterans. It is an astonishing example that the Defense Department is going to deny reality. The Veterans Administration is not treating Gulf War veterans. Their only involvement is monitoring their blood to see how well the biological warfare agents worked” (Riley).
It is clear that the United States Government has some major explaining to do. Why would a government create biological weapons, send them to a country that is a known enemy, and then later go to war with that very country. Then the Military followed this by standing idly by while their own military personnel were exposed to those very same weapons. Then adding insult to injury, the U.S. Military refused to administer reasonable medical treatment. I am dumbfounded. This government denies that there is a “Gulf War Syndrome.” How stupid does one have to be to not be aware that there is a disease related to service in war-torn Iraq? The previous excerpt clarifies that the government is seeking to use its own people for experimentation. I am outraged to think that I am part of a society that allows such a government to exist.
What do we have to look forward to? If you were to take Orwell’s predictions in his classic novel, 1984, the future looks pretty bleak. Are we headed in a direction that will lead to our destruction? On the other hand, are we in a position to do something about this? It really is sad to say that the government is committing atrocities like those that are discussed in this paper every day! Its reach is overwhelming and I cannot begin imagine how I could do anything about its ways. From my perspective, there is no aspect of my life that is not manipulated in some way or another by the government and its sub-governments. I can surely say that I will be an educated voter this year and will be an active leader in getting people to vote. As I see it, voting really does not guarantee us success, but it will provide us an avenue to get our message to the Government that it needs to listen to its people and stop hurting them.
Works Cited
Bertell, Rosalie. “Gulf War Syndrome, Depleted Uranium and the Dangers of Low-Level Radiation” 02 Jun 2004 < http://www.ccnr.org/bertell_book.html>
Corn, David. “The Loyal Opposition: An Army of Victims.” Tom Paine.com. 12 Jan 2001. 28 May 2004
Hallinan, Conn. “Toxic Munitions and Deadly Vaccines: American Soldiers Endangered By Their Own Instruments of War.” Tom Paine.com 27 Nov 2002. 28 May 2004
Riley, Joyce. “Gulf War Syndrome: Biological Warfare Conducted on U.S. Military Members, and Corporate Bio-Genocide Levied on the Planetary Population” 15 Jan 1996, 23 May 2004
“Walk for peace: Depleted Uranium Crisis in Southern Iraq” 02 Jun 2004
Works Consulted
“Gulf War Syndrome: Not All in Your Head!” Vietnam Veterans Against the War, 02 Jun 2004
“Human Experiments” http://www.worldnewsstand.net/health/humanexperiments.htm> 20 May 2004
Parkins ,Keith “The Legacy of Agent Orange” Jul 2000 02 Jun 2004
