Don't Let the Sunset on Gulf War Veterans

Desert Storm veterans are members of forgotten war as viewed by the VA and
Deployment Health Affairs CLOSED programs.

WASHINGTON -- Sixteen years after the Persian Gulf War, 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.
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 a VA-Research Advisory Committee.

"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 said they're taking the illness seriously, funding
clinical and other research, and are committed to ensuring that veterans get
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."

To access the conference
Public comments will be received day before the MEETING,
Individuals wishing to speak must register not later than 48 hours before the MEETING.
www.va.gov/gulfwaradvisorycommittee

VA - Advisory committee on Gulf War Veterans
Department of Veterans Affairs
Office of Policy and Planning (008A1)
810 Vermont Ave, Washington, DC 20420

202-461-5758 To access the TELEconference
lelia.jackson@va.gov - Lelia P. Jackson, contact