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In 1990 the United States deployed 700, 000 soldiers into and around the region of the middle east known as the Persian Gulf. The U. S. wanted to stop the progression of Iraqi forces who were invading the oil-rich neighboring country of Kuwait. When Iraq Surrendered to the Allied forces on March 5 th they had been completely swept out of Kuwait. The United States only lost one-hundred-forty-eight men while Iraq's losses where estimated around 100, 000 men.
Little did the United States know that the effects of this war effects would be much more extensive than one-hundred-forty-eight soldiers lost in battle. Ever since the war ended the Veteran Association and the Pentagon have been getting reports of reports of many varying illnesses. These illnesses have fallen onto the soldiers who bravely fought in the Gulf War. I believe that the Gulf war Syndrome does indeed exist.
Furthermore I believe that the United States is just as much responsible for giving their soldiers this disease as the Iraqi nerve gas, oil fire smoke and post war stress. Lots of evidence has been presented yet many in this world don't believe that this syndrome exists. Many experts believe that these illnesses (Gulf War Syndrome) don't exist. Including a ranking doctors in the pentagon. Dr. Stephen Joseph says this about the blight, "We found that there was no single hypothesis that could explain the symptoms of such a large # of people.
The soldiers are suffering from stress related problems. Of the diseases they contracted, such as cancer or Lou Gehrigs disease, would have occurred whether or not the soldiers had gone to the gulf. ", . (Brumley p 8) Dr. Joseph is a highly prestigious doctor working on the syndrome for the pentagon. He graduated from Harvard and has been assigned to many high profile jobs in the pentagon. The U. S.
government doesn't know what to believe so they granted a fifty million dollar grant to pay for illnesses believed to be caused by a mysterious syndrome. Although many don't believe it this syndrome does exist and it has many different causes. Of the 700, 000 men and women who served in the Gulf war 170, 000 them have been hospitalized since 1991. 10, 000 of them filed disability claims. And it is estimated that 35, 000 (Cary, Peter p, 33 - 34) more will fill out these disability claims. This average is much higher than the average number of hospitalizations of civilians. Many people say that gulf war syndrome doesn't exist, but how can you ignore these statistics.
After the end of the Gulf War the United Nations mandated the destruction of all Iraqi biological and chemical weapons. During the disarming of these Iraqi weapons it was found that the Iraqi forces had three times the amount of chemical weapons that was previously thought owned. One of the secret locations of some of these chemical weapons was a large bunker complex around the city of Kamisiyah. This bunker, bunker 55, (Lui M 56 - 57) was blown up by the 37 th Engineering battalion. Many soldiers who served in this battalion now complain of chronic weakness, diarrhea, insomnia, vomiting blood, and severe headaches. One of the soldiers Sgt.
Tullhius was quoted by The New York Times he said "I do believe I'm truly Fucked from there on (blowing up bunker 55) " (Shannon, Philip, p 15) One of the other men in the 37 th battalion was Lt. Edward Meeks, Philip Shannon recorded on the January 2 nd, 1997 New York Times " I was feeling a little queasy before we blew up that bunker but afterwards I felt as if I was going to die." (Shannon, Philip, p 15) In the nearby 58 th armored squadron Spc. Melissa Coleman was on duty she said to World Press Review " Before this war I was in the top 1 % the armies health. Now I can't even walk around the block without needing to sit down afterwards. " (Fowler, Rebecca p 9 - 10) Afterwards she was asked what she believed caused her chronic fatigue she said " Although the oil fumes didn't help nor did the pills we where given but I do believe that it was the Iraqi chemical weapons that really did a job on us. " If it wasn't the chemical weapons that did most of the soldiers in than most experts believe it was the drug Pyriodostigmine Bromide. "This drug is used to stop the spasms of nerves which occurs when someone inhales nerve gas" (Barnes p 415). Before the war this drug was given to over 250, 000 soldiers.
When the doctors prescribed this drug it had not been approved by the FDA and very little was know about it. In later years the F. D. A. found that the dug Pyriodostigmine Bromide can cause horrible side effects such as "cramps, excessive vomiting, excessive salivation, diarrhea and slow heart rhythms." (Barnes p 415) These side effects are comparable to most of the symptoms of Gulf War Syndrome. During the Gulf War over 40 billion dollars of damage was reported to Kuwaiti oil field.
Strong winds off the Persian Gulf this toxic smoke hundreds off miles away affecting soldiers, sailors and marines. Oil fire smoke is toxic and has several side affects. There where hundreds of reports off sailors and soldiers passing out due to this smoke. Another cause of high mortality after The Gulf War and indeed any war is post war stress. Compared to the amount of car accidents of the average person a soldier, marine or sailor who served in the Gulf War is 2 times more likely to get in a car accident. This is comparable with the car accident rate after the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
Post war stress is just another one of the causes that added to the death and injury toll of the Gulf War vets. The scientist who led the investigation for the Pentagon on the unexplained illnesses said "some of my findings may have been revised because of the Defense Department not sharing all the information that they posed" (Schmitt, Eric p 1 New York Times 1997 January 8 th) After Dr. Ledeberg said that he went on to say that, "He found no information to suggested that low doses of nerve gas can cause harmful effects years away from exposure, " (Schmitt, Eric p 1) Yet it Dr. Ledeberg didn't have all the information like he said than how can he draw a complete conclusion? Over 80 million dollars and 9 months have been put a lot research but, after all of that no solid conclusion has been reached. Late last year the pentagon issued a statement stating that there was such a thing as Gulf War Syndrome yet they only issued a measly 50 million dollar grant to fund the injuries and deaths caused by this illness.
The Clinton Administration agreed to compensate for the Health Care problems of Gulf War Veteran who have unexplained illnesses. Some soldiers have tried to use this off but only 526 of the 10, 142 claims have been granted. Ledeberg throws into question many of the Pentagons committees finding he says in an interview with the New York Times " If I had to do it all over again I would have spent more time digging out all of the details. " Later the Pentagon trying to discredit some of Ledeberg's accusation said. " They had full access to everything that we had" (Liu, M p 56 - 57 Newsweek 1997 January 12) The U. S. also never looked at studies done by a Israeli lab that proved that in Humans and Primates low doses of nerve gas can cause many complications eventually leading to death. It seems to me after all of this investigating they have not looked at all of the information and therefore cannot get a complete and final answer to what causes Gulf War Syndrome.
In 1991 the U. S. entered 700, 000 into the gulf war and although 148 of them died due to combat, questions have been raised about why so many of our countries finest are falling sick. Some people try to discredit these allegations by saying that these problems don't exist.
I believe that they do exist because of the anti nerve pills given to the soldiers, chemical and biological weapons owned by the Iraqi's, petroleum smoke from the nearby oil fires and post war stress. I also believe that the U. S. Government did a poor job of handling this problem. Men and woman who volunteer their lives for pride and for their country have been severely mistreated by the U. S.
Government and deserve a apology. WORKS CITED Barnes, Elizabeth. 1992 Nursing Drug Handbook. Houston: Heath 1992, Brumley, Al. " Frontline Targets Gulf War Syndrome." Dallas Morning News. 1998 Jan 20: 8 Bullman, Tim. " Mortality among U. S. Veterans of the Persia." New England Journal of Medicine 20 1992: 45 - 47. Cary, Peter. " The Gulf War's Grave Aura." U.
S. News and World Report 1996 July 8: 33 - 34. Common, Ed MD. " Disease and Suspicion after the Persian Gulf War." New England Journal of Medicine. 20 1992: 67 Fowler, Rebecca. " Sick Veterans." World Press Review. 1996 May: 9 - 10. Liu, M. " Tracking the Second Storm." Newsweek 1994 May 16: 56 - 57 Schmitt, Eric. " Special White House Panel Rejects Chemical Exposure as Coarse of Gulf war Illness." New York Times. 1997 January 8 th: 1.
Shannon, Philip. " Once Healthy, Her Pain is Reminder of Gulf War Service." New York Times 1997 January 2: 3.
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Research essay sample on Gulf War Syndrome U S Government
