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GULF WAR VETERANS' SERVICE LEAVES LASTING
IMPACT
ON THEIR HEALTH -- They had to go outside the
system to
get confirmation of their ailments from private
doctors.
Story here...
http://www.theledger.com/
apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/200704
02/NEWS/704020368/1004
Story below:
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Gulf War Veterans' Time Leaves Lasting Impact
on Their Health
By Gary White
The Ledger
Bobby George says he is an obvious example of cause and effect.
George, an Auburndale resident, says he was a healthy man when he headed
to Saudi Arabia in 1990 as a member of the Florida National Guard's
325th Maintenance Company. Upon his return 10 months later, George's
body began breaking down.
Now 57, the former runner and karate instructor has been confined to a
wheelchair for years as a result of myopathy, a condition that makes his
legs weak and rubbery. He also has chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease, forcing him to use a respirator. George's lungs are so
sensitive he can't even bear to wear aftershave, and he hasn't been able
to work in years.
George ascribes his many medical problems to Gulf War Illness, sometimes
called Gulf War Syndrome, the names for an array of ailments reported by
veterans of the first Gulf War. George and several other Polk County
residents in the Lake Wales-based 325th Maintenance Company served
during Operation Desert Storm, the military name for the action directed
against Iraq after its invasion of Kuwait in 1990.
Gulf War Illness has been a source of controversy since shortly after
the 700,000 servicemen and women started returning from the Middle East
more than 15 years ago. Their medical complaints range from breathing
problems, dizziness, fatigue and joint pain to Lou Gehrig's disease and
cancer. Federally funded studies have found a 150 percent higher rate of
illnesses among Gulf War veterans than soldiers not deployed, but the
latest Institute of Medicine report found no evidence of a cluster of
particular symptoms unique to those who served in the Persian Gulf.
George, a former mechanic at a hospital, blames his health decline on
several experiences in the Persian Gulf. Shortly after its arrival, his
unit was assigned to paint military vehicles a sandy color to match the
desert conditions. George and fellow guardsmen say they were not given
the necessary protection against breathing fumes from the carcinogenic
paint.
He also cited exposure to exploded chemical warheads on Iraqi missiles
and to weapons detonated after they were discovered by American troops.
Auburndale's Myron James, another member of the 325th, talked of passing
oil wells set afire by Iraqis. James, now 49, described seeing the
carcasses of sheep and camels, their deaths unexplained, during a
mission in Saudi Arabia.
Scott Harrison of Bartow, who also served with the unit, said he wonders
about the pills the guard members were given at the start of their
mission to protect them in case of chemical attacks. Harrison said he
and many other guardsmen became lightheaded, dizzy and nauseated after
taking the pills. The unit, like thousands of other troops, also
received injections of anthrax vaccine.
Some have blamed subsequent health problems on those vaccinations,
though the military has denied such a connection.
Whatever the causes, James and Harrison have endured medical travails
since returning from the Persian Gulf. James is on 13 medications and
requires a ventilator to help him breathe at night. He continues to work
as a landscaper but worries his frequent medical absences could endanger
his job.
Harrison, now 42, said he began noticing physical problems soon after
his return in 1991. He lists his ailments as asthma, high blood
pressure, sleep apnea, joint and muscle pain, and recurrent bronchitis
and flulike symptoms that interfere with his job as a certified nursing
assistant.
Like George, James and Harrison say they had no health problems before
their time in the Persian Gulf. In addition to their physical ailments,
all three men report psychological disturbances resulting from their
service. Harrison said he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and
post-traumatic stress disorder and endures flashbacks to a scud missile
attack that occurred while he was on guard duty. James said he is
subject to panic attacks.
The Department of Defense acknowledges that members of the 325th
Maintenance Company were exposed to hazardous paint known as CARC
(chemical agent resistant coating) without proper protective gear.
"CARC paint is a unique situation," said Dr. Michael Kilpatrick, deputy
director for Force Health Protection and Readiness for the Department of
Defense (DOD). "It certainly was an occupational exposure, and
individuals of that 325th Unit have been identified and I think if they
were to show up at a VA (clinic) … with medical problems the response
should be very supportive for them because they rushed to do a job
without the proper protection."
George, James and Harrison say they have had difficulties getting the
military to recognize their medical woes. George said he was denied
service-related disability payments through the Army for four years.
George and other veterans say they had to go outside the system to get
confirmation of their ailments from private doctors. Harrison, for
example, said it took 12 years before the VA determined his medical ills
were related to his service.
"I didn't really get a lot of help from the VA in the beginning,"
Harrison said. "They said there was nothing there. That's when I had to
go outside to a non-VA doctor to get proof. … It makes it harder. You're
feeling isolated and alone, that nobody cares and I'm just in the world
by myself trying to work through this problem."
Another member of the 325th, Bill Carpenter of Frostproof, has endured
problems with breathing, muscle function and memory loss since returning
from the Gulf. He worked for a while with the Desert Storm Justice
Foundation, a nonprofit organization that advocated for veterans with
health problems and now works informally to help fellow vets pursue VA
claims. The group has since been dissolved.
George now keeps himself occupied communicating with other vets by phone
or on the computer and puttering around in his shed. He said he has
given up hope of ever getting out of his wheelchair, let alone running
or practicing karate again.
"I won't walk again until they get the chemicals out of my system, which
won't happen," George said. "It still gets to me sometimes."
Gary White can be reached at
gary.white@theledger.com or at 863-802-7518.
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Larry Scott --
