From CNN, Los Angeles Times and elsewhere:

A new federal report concludes that Gulf War Syndrome is a real and debilitating condition suffered by more than 175,000 American veterans, or roughly one in four who served in the 1990-1991 conflict.

Gulf War Syndrome is characterized by memory and concentration problems, persistent headaches, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, chronic digestive problems, respiratory symptoms and skin rashes. No effective treatment or cure has been found.

The report was chartered by Congress because many members thought veterans were not receiving adequate care. It says the condition was probably caused by exposure to toxic chemicals and anti-nerve gas vaccinations.

See also: Op-ed: A grateful nation needs to do more — By Tim Rutten in the Los Angeles Times

An excerpt:

The American nation owes a debt of honor to all who serve and have served in Iraq and Afghanistan and, particularly, to those who received disabling wounds. Nearly 200,000 injured veterans of the Persian Gulf War have had to wait almost two decades to have the reality of their mysterious wounds acknowledged. They require help and compensation, as does this new generation of warriors

Even in these troubled economic times, our veterans are entitled to first place in the line of creditors with a claim on our nation’s conscience.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 19th, 2008 at 3:47 pm and is filed under chronic illness, veterans. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.