2 Of Every 5 Gulf War Vets Are On Disability

[thedrifter]

Of Every 5 Gulf War Vets Are On Disability
209,000 Make VA Claims
161,000 Receive Payments
2003 WorldNetDaily.com
1-28-3


As the U.S. contemplates another war on Iraq in the coming weeks, most
Americans expect relatively few casualties among the U.S. troops ñ just like
the first Gulf War.

The Gulf War was remarkable, as U.S. conflicts go, for the strikingly low
number of U.S. dead and wounded ñ 148 killed and 467 wounded.

But the truth is nearly two of every five of the approximately 540,000 Gulf
War vets are on disability as a result of illnesses they believe they
sustained during that conflict.

About 161,000 Gulf War veterans are receiving disability payments from the
U.S. government. About 209,000 have filed VA claims.

A report made public earlier this month details which chemical weapons Iraq
declared and the companies they claim supplied them. The disclosure is
providing ammo for vets who say they have Gulf War Syndrome ñ a mysterious illness many believe is connected to the use of chemical weapons by Iraq.

More than 5,000 veterans are plaintiffs in a lawsuit that accuses companies
of helping Iraqi President Saddam Hussein build his chemical warfare
arsenal.

The plaintiffs are among the tens of thousands who came down with Gulf War Syndrome, a debilitating series of ailments that can include chronic
fatigue, skin rashes, muscle joint pain, memory loss and brain damage.

Now, plaintiffs' attorneys have acquired, for the first time, what they
believe is strong evidence of which companies supplied Iraq the chemicals
that might have been used to produce mustard gas, sarin nerve gas and VX.

The supplier list is included in Iraq's 1998 weapons declaration to the
United Nations, parts of which were resubmitted to weapons inspectors last
month. The Iraqi list names 56 suppliers of chemicals and equipment to
process them. A majority are based in Europe.

The lawsuit, originally filed by plaintiff attorney Gary Pitts in a civil
court in Brazoria County, Texas, in 1994, alleges that companies knew
"products and/or manufacturing facilities supplied ... were to be used to
produce chemical and biological weapons."

The suit seeks at least $1 billion in damages for medical expenses, lost
wages, pain and suffering.

Germany is home to the top suppliers listed in Iraq's 1998 U.N. declaration.
The Netherlands and Switzerland each are home to three companies on the
list. France, Austria and the United States each are home to two. The declaration says Singapore was the largest exporter of chemical weapons precursors.

Neither American company listed ñ Alcolac International, based in Baltimore,
and Al-Haddad Trading, based in Nashville, are still in business. Alcolac
paid a fine in 1989 under U.S. law for one charge of exporting thiodiglycol,
a chemical that could be used to make mustard gas, but that shipment was
destined for another country.

If indeed that many U.S. soldiers were really sickened as a result of
exposure to chemical weapons in Iraq, U.S. casualties were nearly as high as those claimed by Iraq.

Baghdad put its losses at 75,000 to 100,000 soldiers killed in action and
35,000 to 45,000 civilians killed by allied bombing. U.S. officials
estimated 100,000 Iraqi soldiers killed and 300,000 wounded, and 2,500 to 3,000 Iraqi civilians killed by bombing.


Sempers,

Roger

United We Stand
God Bless America

Remember our POW/MIA's
I'll never forget!

[firstsgtmike]

Obvious questions are:

How many Iraqi's are suffering from Gulf War Syndrome?

What effect, if any, does that have on Iraq's military capability?

[leroy8541]

you have just aked the question I have been pondering for the last six years yu always hear about the brits the canadians and of course our own I have been wondering how many of the "nationals and kuwaitis are sick?if you find any information i would like to know. alot of the Iraqi and kuwaiti soldiers were about my age and in my current health status could not be any danger to anyone in a firefight somedays can hardly walk. if they are not sick it had to be the meds they were distributing to the troops. some one needs to be researching this matter or they already know. if it was in fact chemicals i.e. sarin gas mustard whatever tere is no way their military can be a threat if they are not sick it had to be the meds.

[Marine-of-1861]

just for something to do ? hell no thats because the threat was there and we know he used that crap on us.

put your self In my shoes, I was In the top 15 percent on the Pft and I am lucky if I can run around my house today.

Remember CNN did NOT Capture every thing that happenend,
I never seen any news reporters when I was there.

people dont want to belive we are sick ! I got a rash that Keeps on reacuring and cant control It.
I break out In sweats....I get dizzy spells.
we were exposed to so many different things over there,oil fires with sulpher In every breath you take you suck it In.
we did not know this would be a battle we would be fighting once returned home.

VA does not want to help us,its the older vets that ignore us that help- out In the VA. I can tell you that we were exposed to bad stuff and now we are paying for It while America and most post vetrans also Ignore our problem.

VNM vets suffered the agent orange and I belive that, that was Thirty years pryor to the Gulf War also.
So whats so hard to understand ?
I belive that sites were contaminated with chemicals that were stored In areas and then removed and we go into that area and we became Exposed.

So much for ramblin on.

SEMPER FI

I have digestive problems and going to Va tomorow what good It will do I dont know.
we dont want something for nothing ! we just want to get back to some kind of normal way of life and the way we are going I doubt very serious that will ever happen.
Plus I see non combat vets up at Va all the time wanting something for nothing, Airforce to Army and Navy vets,come on what did they ever do ?fall off a set of stairs ?