Science Rules The Day For Gulf War Veterans In Their Battle With The VA

Healthy brain (top) shows response to pain from heat on the forearm. Different regions (bottom) respond to that heat in vets with Gulf War syndrome two. Photo: UT Southwestern Med. Ctr.

The veterans of the Gulf War 1990-91 have mighty support from scientific breakthroughs that have occurred with the backing of Ross Perot that started in the early years after they returned from the Gulf War in 1991. Mr Perot met with a group of Navy Seabees in the early 90’s that had returned sick and faced strong opposition from the government that was suppose to support their veterans.

Mr Perot being a Navy man believed his Navy veterans and stood up for them! Mr Perot knowing that scientific proof would be needed, turned to his hometown medical university, to get the help that would be needed in the long battle ahead. Dr Robert Haley, UTSWMED, was the researcher, doctor that was assigned to do the hard work. This week at the Annual Toxicological Association Meeting his work for the veterans finally is being spotlighted.

Janet Raloff’s article in Science News explains the significance of this breaking medical news to the public at large, to physicians and medical professionals, and to the veterans of the Gulf War 1990-91 that have waited almost two decades for vindication. The imaginery of the brain scans is evidence of the Real damage to the brains of our countless Gulf War 1990-91 veterans. This shows some of the REAL PHYSIOLOGIC DAMAGE that the veterans have stated was there all this time. If only, their doctors, researchers, government officials, and agencies had believed in them instead of employing delay and denial techniques of using stress and psychosomatic reasoning as the basis for their complaints.

Denise Nichols, a Gulf War Veteran, retired RN, MSN states this is why she stood up as a Nurse officer to be a fighter for herself and other gulf war veterans, her patients that she was assigned in the Gulf War to protect and care for in theater. She just didn’t know the War after the War would take 19 years and counting. She knew that the Gulf War Veterans, including herself, were not being diagnosed or provided the right medical care that would be needed to maintain their health, recover, and maintain a quality of life.

She states that the “best hope is for the leading scientist, doctors, and researchers in this country to now become fully engaged in this Medical War to find treatment and save the veterans lives and improve their quality of life without further delay.” The VA Research Advisory Committee is asking the Congress to provide 25 million dollars to the DOD Congressional Directed Medical Research Program for Gulf War Illness Research for FY2010 and she hopes the Congress meets that goal.

Anthony Hardie,a Gulf War Veteran, Bronze Star Medal Recipient, and member of the VA Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Illness states “that this graphic imagery is a representation of the unremitting pain and suffering of tens of thousands of our Gulf War Veterans-Pain and suffering for which there is still no treatment.”

David Winnett, a Gulf War Veteran and a Mustang Marine Officer with gulf war illness, states that “We need a few more Marine Officers to step forward to help get medical answers and to help lead the way for getting the medical claims of these troops left ill on the battlefield handled throughly in an expedited manner. These troops and their families have been broken financially and left to battle on their own and that is a tragedy that needs utmost attention. SEMPER FI.

Jim Bunker, a Gulf War Veteran Artillery Officer, who experienced symptoms of a nerve agent on the battlefield, states that “the Gulf War Veterans are calling his office in large numbers for help on their claims everyday.” He states that “urgent retraining and supervision of the rating officers at the VA is imperative.”

These ill Gulf War Veterans and other Gulf War Veteran Advocates need the nation’s attention now.

Science indeed is ruling the day for the battle that the Gulf War Veterans have fought for 19 years since the Gulf War 1990-91. The article in Science News Daily by Janet Raloff clearly is showing the scientific and medical world the proof of the pain that this group of veterans and their families have experienced. This is the same research that the VA recently cut off funds at the beginning of the third of five years. The support in what the VA had touted in front page news as a VA COLLABORATIVE CENTER several years ago with funding of 15 million dollars for a 5 year effort.

The VA had promised the veterans after they stopped this program this past summer at a critical junction for the research timetable that they would take the remaining money(15 million for five years) and place it in comparable research. At the Recent VA Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Illness on March 2, the VA Research headquarters announced that 11 million dollars would be spent on TESLA7 imaginary equipment in California. Where 5 miles down the road that equipment is already available! The VA has broken the promises made on Gulf War Research and made a public relations blunder or even out and out lied, Surprised?

IT is interesting that despite the veterans plea to the Capitol in Washington,DC to have joint Senate and House VA Committee Hearings to hear from all parties on this critical issue for the Gulf War 1990-91 Veterans that they have been met again with the Tin Ear, Stone Heart, and Blindfolded Eyes. The veterans of the gulf war 1990-91 are indeed fighting a war after the war against the old 3 Monkey Routine. The media who covered them in the nineties seem to also have gotten a virus of the Three Monkey Syndrome and have been sluggish in their response.

They, the Gulf War Veterans 1990-91, were promised since the first hearings on this issue of Gulf War Illnesses on the hill in 1993 that “NO STONE WOULD BE LEFT UNTURNED.” It seems we have a pile of stinking stones that have built up over 19 years and the Gulf War Veterans of 1990-91 will not allow this pile of stones to stop them or affect the country’s newest veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom from getting the best diagnostics, medical care, treatment, and/or fair compensation.

Backed up by the Vietnam Veterans who had pledged “Never Again” they are issuing a call to all of us in the US to demand action. The action being is for each citizen of the US to call, email, and fax the Senators, US Representatives and yes, the White House to tell them this is not what we represent as a country that Supports Our Veterans. Make them “WALK the WALK” with real action not words or promises or as the troops call it “Smoke and Mirrors” and hold their feet to the fire.