Gulf War illness is real, says federal report.

[JackRiddler]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/11/17/gulf.war.illness.study/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

By Alan Silverleib
CNN




WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An extensive federal report released Monday concludes that roughly one in four of the 697,000 U.S. veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf War suffer from Gulf War illness.

That illness is a condition now identified as the likely consequence of exposure to toxic chemicals, including pesticides and a drug administered to protect troops against nerve gas.

The 452-page report states that "scientific evidence leaves no question that Gulf War illness is a real condition with real causes and serious consequences for affected veterans." The report, compiled by a panel of scientific experts and veterans serving on the congressionally mandated Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses, fails to identify any cure for the malady. It also notes that few veterans afflicted with Gulf War illness have recovered over time.

"Today's report brings to a close one of the darkest chapters in the legacy of the 1991 Gulf War," said Anthony Hardie, a member of the committee and a member of the advocacy group Veterans of Modern Warfare.

"This is a bittersweet victory, this is what Gulf War veterans have been saying all along," Hardie said at a news conference in Washington. "Years were squandered by the federal government ... trying to disprove that anything could be wrong with Gulf War veterans."

MORE AT LINK.

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More than fifteen years to get to a simple acknowledgement of the truth. Fifteen years of criminal denial by the military, the government, and a small but influential portion of the scientific establishment who make a living by catering to the myths required by power.

Do you understand what the article says?

US forces suffered 180,000 casualties through poisoning in the 1991 Gulf War. (How many on the Iraqi side?)

Some great, painless, glorious victory we were told that was!

And for being casualties and saying so, they were mocked as hysterics and told to fuck off. No recognition, no health benefits.

It's a small thing, but I wonder if some of the resident denialists of this particular "conspiracy theory" will be issuing their own revisions and apologies.

[librechik]

1. next week: Gulf War illness is NOT real! other govt report.

Lather Rinse repeat as necessary as the decades pass and soldiers fall.

[Fearless]

2. Umm... duh.

I don't think I'm out on a limb making that statement.

[greyl]

3. This should be big news. Many lawsuits were dropped because of lack of evidence.

People here were actually denying GWS was real?

[tavalon]

7. Yeeaah, that's not how it works

See, first the government flat out denies it, then they wait out the victims until no one is interested anymore and then they act like it's old news, common knowledge, and it's just buried.

My family is involved in a similar issue that's been flat out denied and they tried waiting out the victims and now that most of the lawsuits have been dropped, they act like it was well known that this was one of the causes. I knew they would handle it that way and it's been extremely frustrating to watch them do it.

I lost my faith in my government over the fiasco. I'm not in the least surprised to see this. Remember, they did the same thing with Agent Orange.

[greyl]

11. Hope dies hard. ;) nt

[valerief]

4. I'm surprised they didn't wait to release this until they were all dead.

Assholes. Of course, it's real. Jeez.

[Olney Blue]

5. Of course it was real.

[reorg]

6. So does this mean the affected veterans will get benefits now?

Or that the government will have to look into this, say, finance a few more studies?

[SpiralHawk]

8. Bushes and republicons trashing our sons and daughters in uniform

Ptoooey on republicon treatment of our men and women in uniform...and our veterans.

[mhatrw]

9. kick! n/t

[sray2007]

10. Of course it was real.

Of course it was real.

[DissedByBush]

12. "a drug administered to protect troops against nerve gas"

These were the "PB pills" (pyridostigmine bromide) they gave us. My unit just gave everyone a full supply and saw us take the first one. After that they didn't make sure we took any more, so I didn't. I think this is a reason I don't have GWS.

Everyone I know who has GWS says they took the pills.