nearly half of the 697,000 Gulf War I Veterans are now ill and why over 200,000 of those servicemen/women have requested disability, but have received no adequate diagnosis or treatment, from either the Department of Defense (DOD), or Veteran’s Affairs.

The DOD recently has been forced to announce the “mystery” deaths of Gulf War II soldiers and that at least 100 other men and women have become ill.

One of the most surprising statements to come from The Power Hour interview conducted on “The Genesis Network” was that while the son, Josh Neusche, was a healthy young soldier on June 26, 2003, when he reported that he was going to serve on the secret hauling mission, by July 1, 2003, he was in a coma, and that day was suddenly classified by the military, as medically retired from the Army without Josh or his family’s consent.

Actually, this may be the reason for the ill health. Uranium was used in this conflict as well.

http://www.rimbaud.freeserve.co.uk/dhap99f...9f.html#PREFACE

Depleted uranium weapons used by the U.S.-led forces in the war have left battle sites throughout Iraq contaminated with abnormally high levels of radiation.

Dan DeLong / P-I A war-damaged Iraqi tank rests along the highway next to a school on the outskirts of Baghdad. Depleted uranium weapons were used in populated areas in Iraq. Although there is no firm consensus, nuclear experts and laymen alike generally agree that depleted uranium, which is toxic as well as radioactive, is at the very least a potential cause of cancers and birth defects. Some Iraqi physicians and others blame depleted uranium weapons used in the 1991 Gulf War for a major increase of cancers and birth defects that occurred a few years later. It is also a prime suspect for the Gulf War Syndrome that has sickened and killed thousands of U.S. veterans.

The Pentagon and United Nations estimate that U.S. and British forces used 1,100 to 2,200 tons of armor-piercing shells made of depleted uranium during attacks in Iraq in March and April -- far more than the estimated 375 tons used in the 1991 Gulf War.

U.S. tanks, Bradley fighting machines, A-10 attack jets and Apache helicopters routinely used depleted uranium rounds, but in the recent war, the ammunition was used in and near heavily populated areas, not just in the desert.

“NEW evidence that Gulf war syndrome exists and was caused by radiation poisoning will be revealed today by a former American army colonel who was at the centre of his government's attempts to diagnose the illness.
Dr Asaf Durakovic will tell a conference of eminent nuclear scientists in Paris that "tens of thousands" of British and American soldiers are dying from radiation from depleted uranium (DU) shells fired during the Gulf war. “

“Riley, who served as a captain in the United States Air Force and flew on C-130 missions in support of Operation Desert Storm, never served in the Gulf. Yet, she says, she became ill in 1991 with symptoms like those of Gulf veterans. She and others charge they were ``guinea pigs'' for experimental uses of vaccines.

The Department of Defense acknowledges some 90,000 veterans have symptoms ranging from headaches and joint pain to more serious problems, according to Lt. Col. Dian Lawhon, of the department's Office of the Special Assistant for Gulf War Illnesses. About 20,000 veterans in this group have undiagnosed illnesses.

One instance of the release of sarin gas has been confirmed , Lawhon said. One vaccine was used in an attempt to protect some troops from possible exposure to a deadly nerve gas. Its use for this purpose was ``investigational,'' according to Lawhon. Long-term effects of sarin gas and the vaccine are not known. About 150,000 troops received anthrax and about 8,000 troops, mostly special forces, received treatments meant to protect them against botulism.”

The American Gulf War Veterans Association estimates 300,000 of the 700,000 troops serving at the time of the Gulf War conflict are sick as a result of their military duty.
``The American public is not aware at all of the severity of the illness and the numbers of people ill,'' says Joyce Riley, a spokesperson for the veterans group.

The group has concluded that some veterans are suffering from a communicable disease that has been passed on to spouses and children, according to Riley, who planned to speak on the issue today at the Capitol.

And here is a very disturbing article which looks at the Anthrax vaccines which were used on coalition troops;

http://www.vaccinationnews.com/DailyNews/O...GulfWarSynd.htm

This whole topic scares the bejebus out of me. Lost one uncle to agent orange from vietnam. 2 family members where in GW1, and 3 are actually in Iraq now, with only 2 of them being "combat" troops, though this time there are no safe areas, the helo pilot doesn't go into the "contaminated" areas I hope. Real scary stuff, but they are all healthy so far!

It scares me, too CR I'm glad to hear your relatives out there haven't suffered any illl effects. Sorry about your uncle.