Cold War Veterans Blog

Veterans of Modern Warfare Testifies Before Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans

Mock Urges Immediate Relief for Ill Veterans Suffering from Neurotoxic Exposures

(Seattle, WA) - On Wednesday, January 14, 2009, Julie Mock, President of the veteran's service organization Veterans of Modern Warfare, testified at length before the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans.

"Now is the time to provide relief to Gulf War veterans who are essentially suffering from the neurotoxic effects of the human experiment of pyridostigmine bromide".

In November 2008, the Research Advisory Committee (RAC) on Gulf War Illness formally acknowledged that Gulf War Illness is real. "Scientific evidence strongly and consistently indicates that two Gulf War neurotoxic exposures are causally associated with Gulf War Illness: 1) Use of pyrodostigmine bromide (PB) pills given to protect troops from the effects of nerve agents and 2) pesticide use during deployment" stated Lea Steele, Scientific Director of the RAC.

During her testimony, Ms. Mock advocated for presumptive service connections, including health care and compensation, for Gulf War veterans who are suffering from chronic multi-symptom illnesses which include clusters of symptoms such as: extreme fatigue, widespread pain, respiratory problems and chronic severe headaches. She also insisted that the Veterans Administration mine its records data base to determine the rate of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and demyelinating disorders among veterans of the 1991 Gulf War.

Many ill Gulf War parents have self-reported various physical deformities in their children born post war, to include hydrocephalus, kidney and bladder issues, and double aortic arches among them. Children suffering from significant neurological conditions are also being reported. Autism spectrum disorders, severe speech apraxia, Tourette's Syndrome and bipolar disorder without familial genetic links are among those reported.

"We ask that this Committee and the scientific community consider the potential of the biological consequences of our exposures." Mock said.

Mock also asked the Committee to advocate swiftly by recommending a five year delimitating date extension that will allow Gulf War veterans a window of opportunity to file claims for undiagnosed illneses, as there is yet no treatment protocol for Gulf War illness, initiation of an exam protocol and registry for children and a primary web site resource for Gulf War vets, their families and providers that would be inclusive of studies and data from researchers, DoD and VA resources, and VA health care standardization updates.

Veterans of Modern Warfare is a veteran's service organization with locally based national chapters. They service veterans, active duty military, National Guard and Reserve components who have served our Nation since August 2, 1990.

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