Testimony: 1 in 4 Gulf veterans remain ill

Some are concerned about those currently fighting in Iraq.

MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

WASHINGTON — Sixteen years after the Persian Gulf War ended, more than 1 in 4 of those who fought remain seriously ill with medical problems ranging from severe fatigue and joint pain to Lou Gehrig’s disease, multiple sclerosis and brain cancer, the chairman of a congressional advisory committee testified Tuesday.

But even as more is learned about what’s now called Gulf War Veterans Illness, the Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs remain in virtual denial about its causes and have been slow to offer treatment, said James Binns, the head of the research advisory committee on the disease.

“This is a tragic record of failure, and the time lost can never be regained,” Binns told the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “This government manipulation of science and violation of law to devalue the health problems of ill veterans is something I would not have believed possible in this country until I took this job.”

Pentagon and VA officials defended their approach to studying and treating the illness, saying they’re taking it seriously, funding clinical and other research and are committed to ensuring that Gulf War veterans receive needed care.

“Veterans who report health problems are definitely ill,” said Michael Kilpatrick, the Defense Department’s deputy director for force health protection and readiness programs. “However, they do not have a single type of health problem. Consequently, these veterans have to be evaluated and treated as individuals.”

Current war

Though the focus was on the earlier Gulf War, concerns hovered over the hearing that those now fighting in Iraq might face similar problems.

Fifteen percent to 20 percent of those who’ve fought in Iraq recently are returning with “ill-defined” medical symptoms, Kilpatrick said. He didn’t elaborate.

Among those testifying was Julie Mock, a 40-year-old mother of two from Seattle who served along the Iraq-Kuwait border with a medical unit. In early 1991, the alarms of chemical detectors went off repeatedly, she said.

“We ingested expired pyrostigmine bromide tablets; we wore gas masks with expired filters, inhaled dust and sand in the air that was thick with the black of burning oil,” she said. “I experienced respiratory difficulties, my skin grew hot with red rashes and I began to suffer from debilitating headaches.”

Four years ago, Mock was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Her voice choking with emotion, Mock told the committee that her oldest son has Tourette’s syndrome and a handful of other neurological problems. Her youngest son has some of the same disorders.