Crimes Raise Questions on Gulf War Illness

[thedrifter]

&lt;&lt; Subj: Crimes Raise Questions on Gulf War Illness <br />
Date: 11/15/02 9:44:20 PM Eastern Standard Time <br />
From: MurphyHunt <br />
To: VetCenter <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
WASHINGTON (Nov. 15) - The Beltway sniper,...

[thedrifter]

Sunday, November 10, 2002 12:00AM EST <br />
<br />
Mysterious illnesses plague gulf war vets <br />
<br />
By MARTHA QUILLIN, Staff Writer <br />
<br />
<br />
FAYETTEVILLE -- If they would give him a fresh Air Force uniform, former ...

[thedrifter]

Legion Impatient on Gulf War Illness Progress


WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The leader of the nation's largest
veterans organization praised the Department of Veterans Affairs for
announcing Wednesday it will spend up to $20 million on research into Gulf
War veterans' illnesses in FY 2004.

"VA still has a long way to go to solve the problems of sick Gulf War
veterans," American Legion National Commander Ronald F. Conley said. "This
is a step in the right direction. I understand $20 million is more than
double the amount VA has spent on Gulf War illness research in any previous
year. The thousands of veterans who developed unexplained illnesses, after
fighting for their country in the Persian Gulf, are worth every penny.

"It's crucial to get to the bottom of what is making these veterans sick,
which seems to be taking longer than it should. It's also very important
that VA provide Gulf War veterans with timely and efficient medical treatment
and just compensation for their service-connected disabilities.

"I am very proud that The American Legion is represented on VA's Research
Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses. It's prudent for VA to
take the panel's recommendations seriously, and to focus on areas of research
that have been previously unexplored such as neurological factors. The
American Legion recommends VA focus its research on finding medical
treatments that will alleviate veterans' suffering as well as on figuring out
the causes of that suffering.

"It's been 11 years since the end of the Gulf War. It's time for a change in
the direction and in the intensity of the research. Ideally, this approach
will lead to a breakthrough. The government needs to show those troops
sacrificing for freedom today that our government is ready, willing and able
to treat whatever conditions they might develop."

Founded in 1919 in Paris, The American Legion has 2.8 million members.


SOURCE American Legion
http://www.prnewswire.com

11/04/2002 11:44 EST

Sempers,

Roger