Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Emergency VA Education Benefit Program

Secretary Shinseki Announces Ability to Sign Up for Emergency Education
Benefit Payments on VA Web-Site this Friday

Vans to Help Veteran-Students

WASHINGTON (Sept. 30, 2009) - Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K.
Shinseki today announced further outreach to Veteran-students eligible
for a special emergency payment of their education benefits. Veterans
can now apply online beginning Oct. 2. Veteran-students can also request
courtesy transportation to VA regional benefits offices.

"Our Veterans went the extra mile for their country," Shinseki said.
"One of our top priorities in transforming VA is to be, first and
foremost, the advocate for Veterans."

Last week Shinseki announced that on Friday, Oct. 2, VA's 57 regional
benefits offices will begin providing on-the-spot emergency payments up
to $3,000 to students who have applied for their education benefits but
who have not yet received a government payment.

Citing the distance many Veterans would have to travel to apply in
person at a VA benefits office, Shinseki announced Veterans can also
apply online at www.va.gov <http://www.va.gov/> , starting Oct. 2. The
online application will guide Veterans through the process to supply
needed information. Shinseki noted that online applicants will receive
their emergency payments through the mail after processing.

"VA is adapting to meet the financial needs of our Veteran-students who
are on campus," Shinseki said. "They should be focusing on their
studies, not worrying about financial difficulties."

Students without their own transportation can also request free van
service, provided by volunteers, to carry them to the nearest benefits
office. To obtain this service, Veterans would have to call their
nearest VA medical center and ask for the "Volunteer Transportation
Coordinator." Transportation will be on a first-come, first-served,
space-available basis. Veterans can find a map and list of medical
centers at http://www2.va.gov/directory/guide/division_flsh.asp?dnum=1.

Whether traveling by personal vehicle or volunteer van, VA officials
suggest students check their mail boxes and banking accounts before
leaving home, since some Veterans will find their checks have already
arrived. VA would like to recognize the volunteers and Veterans Service
Organizations for partnering with the Department to ensure that
Veterans' needs are met.

The emergency checks are an advance on each student's education
benefits, and the amount will be deducted from future benefits payments.
Checks will be written at the regional offices for Veterans who bring a
photo ID and evidence of their enrollment. VA officials emphasize that
$3,000 is the maximum payment, with many Veterans receiving smaller
payments based upon their likely monthly education benefits.

A map and list of the participating VA regional benefits offices is
available on the Internet at
http://www2.va.gov/directory/guide/division_flsh.asp?dnum=3.

--
Sent from my mobile device

Dissent was called "patriotic" by liberal Democrats during the Bush years. Now, we are told it's "racist."




Blog owners note: found this on google thought I would share it. Joe Wilson has been a great friend to American Cold War Veterans speaking at our breakfast in DC in 2008. He has been vilified for his dissent in alarming way I believe. It might not have been the most appropriate forum when this comment shouting incident happened but the visceral attacks he has endured in its aftermath has been shockingly loud and mean spirited . The race card part of this incessant nasty chirping has been the most laughable and probably the most transparent. I guess when the left is attacking a white Congressman from S.C. its on the first page of the playbook . This is still the good ole USA not good ole USSR last time I checked there was a little thing called free speech and if you want to say his conduct was rude and disrespectful to the President that is fine but taking a leap to calling him a racist is ridiculous. All the left has done has made Rep. Wilson a hero in his own party with their over the top reaction. I hear he might be a Presidential candidate in 2012 now. I hope he does run it will be interesting to see especially if the Obama admin. is ineffective. Enjoy this little letter to the editor from http://www.app.com and give a quick read.



Dissent was called "patriotic" by liberal Democrats during the Bush years. Now, we are told it's "racist."

We abandon our NATO Allies, and embrace our enemies who seek to exact revenge for Cold War losses.

Rep. Joe Wilson was wrong to shout his outburst at President Barack Obama in that forum. But his message was on target. The president is still lying about the costs and taxes of health care.

Also troubling is his hesitation to support the troops in Afghanistan. Obama campaigned that this was the good war. He continually drove home the point we should pull out of Iraq and focus on Afghanistan, even saying we should invade Pakistan, our ally. Now he balks at the military commanders' request for more troops.

I can now understand my father's frustration, a Vietnam veteran, with President Lyndon Johnson's decision in Vietnam.

Johnson was too influenced by the lies of media elites, like Walter Cronkite, and the lies of the Tet offensive. More perplexed than Americans were the North Vietnamese leaders who thought all was lost for their cause after their Tet failure.

Will history repeat itself? Will Obama pull "an LBJ" on Afghanistan?

Joe Tuohy

STAFFORD

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Secretary Shinseki Orders Emergency Checks to Students Awaiting Education Benefits

Secretary Shinseki Orders Thousands of Checks to Alleviate Student
Financial Burden


WASHINGTON – Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced
the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has authorized checks for up
to $3,000 to be given to students who have applied for educational
benefits and who have not yet received their government payment. The
checks will be distributed to eligible students at VA regional
benefits offices across the country starting Oct. 2, 2009. "Students
should be focusing on their studies, not worrying about financial
difficulties,"

Secretary Shinseki said. "Education creates life-expanding
opportunities for our Veterans." Starting Friday, Oct. 2, 2009,
students can go to one of VA's 57 regional benefit offices with a
photo ID, a course schedule and an eligibility certificate to request
advance payment of their housing and book allowance. Because not all
these offices are located near students, VA expects to send
representatives to schools with large Veteran-student bodies and work
with Veteran Service Organizations to help students with
transportation needs.

A list of those VA regional offices is available at
www.vba.va.gov/VBA/benefit..s/offices.asp. "I'm asking our people to
get out their road maps and determine how we can reach the largest
number of college students who can't reach us," VA's Under Secretary
for Benefits Patrick Dunne said. "Not everyone has a car. Not everyone
can walk to a VA benefits office." Although VA does not know how many
students will request emergency funds, it has approximately 25,000
claims pending that may result in payments to students.

The funds VA will give to students now are advance payments of the
earned benefits for housing and books. This money will be deducted
from future education payments.

VA officials said students should know that after this special
payment, they can expect to receive education payments on the normal
schedule -- the beginning of the month following the period for which
they are reimbursed. "This is an extraordinary action we're taking,"
said Shinseki. "But it's necessary because we recognize the hardships
some of our Veterans face." More than 27,500 students have already
received benefits for housing or books under the new Post-9/11 GI
Bill, or their schools received their tuition payments.

--
Sent from my mobile device






The U.S. Marines will land Wednesday in Carson City. Veterans of the Marine Detachments of the USS Curtiss, AV-4, have selected Carson City as the site of their 11th annual reunion.

The members will gather in Carson City to reminisce of their service during the Nuclear tests during the Cold War. Many events in and around the area are planned. On the last night of their reunion, a formal banquet will be held to honor and remember their fallen brothers who are no longer with them.

The Marines will headquarter at the Gold Dust West Casino during their stay in Carson City. Maj. Paul Morigeau, USMC retired, of Carson City, is the USS Curtiss Marines reunion host and coordinator.

From 1947-57, the Marines comprised the Nuclear Security Force for the Pacific Nuclear Weapons Tests conducted in the Marshall Islands and other locations in the pacific Ocean. During this span of time, the United States and Russia were shrouded in secrecy with mysterious code names such as “Sandstone,” “Greenhouse,” “Ivy,” “Castle,” “Wigwam” and “Redwing.”

Monday, September 28, 2009

VA Staffs Office for Survivors of Vets, Service Members

Shinseki: "Voice of Survivors" Will Strengthen Existing Programs

WASHINGTON (Sept. 28, 2009) -- To strengthen the programs of the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for the survivors of the nation's
Veterans and military personnel, the Department has staffed an office to
serve as their advocate, with a charter that includes creating or
modifying programs, benefits and services.

"Taking care of survivors is as essential as taking care of our Veterans
and military personnel," Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki
said. "By taking care of survivors, we are honoring a commitment made to
our Veterans and military members."

The office serves as the primary advisor to the secretary on all issues
affecting the survivors and dependents of deceased Veterans and service
members. It will monitor VA's delivery of benefits to survivors, make
appropriate referrals to VA offices for survivors seeking benefits and
explore innovative ways of reaching survivors who are not receiving the
VA benefits for which they are eligible.

VA benefits for eligible survivors include educational assistance, home
loan guaranties, health care insurance and Dependency and Indemnity
Compensation, a monthly payment to the survivors of some people who die
on active duty and some seriously disabled Veterans.

More than 554,000 spouses, dependents and other survivors of Veterans
are receiving VA benefits. That figure includes nearly 5,000 spouses of
World War I Veterans, 90 spouses and 94 children of Spanish-American War
Veterans, and two children of Civil War Veterans.

The establishment of this office was authorized in the Veterans Benefits
Improvement Act of 2008.

--
Sent from my mobile device

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Bloomberg Strikes Out With Veterans Endorsements




ACWV does not endorse candidates but we will point out Bloombergs record in NYC is as poor as one could possibly imagine.
Also we will point out a veterans group source in NYC has warned us about the Bloomberg campaign trying to blunt this article by reaching out for any kind of veterans endorsement including a dubious or some would say "FAKE" veterans group that City Council Speaker Quinn used for her slush fund scandal.



http://www.nydailynews.com/news/election_2009/2009/09/27/2009-09-27_veterans_awol_from_mayor_bloombergs_list_of_endorsements.html

Veterans groups AWOL from Mayor Bloomberg's list of endorsements

Adam Lisberg

Sunday, September 27th 2009, 4:00 AM

Mayor Bloomberg appears to have a veteran problem.

As of last week, his campaign counted more than 400 endorsements - but just one of them was from a veterans group. And that group doesn't even exist.

The "Panamanian and Ethnic American Veterans Political Action Committee," which has its own page on Bloomberg's Web site, has never filed any paperwork, made any donations or endorsed a candidate - besides Bloomberg.

Rev. Guillermo Martino, a Panamanian-American Vietnam veteran who heads the Tabernacle of God's Glory in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, said the 125-member group wants to build a community center for its fellow Panamanian immigrants.

"At the beginning, we weren't doing anything politically," Martino said last week. "This year, they came over and asked us to give them our support."

He said a Bloomberg campaign worker told them the mayor could help them get a building for their center - but did not offer any specifics, or offer it as a quid pro quo.

"There were promises that we felt in our heart," Martino said. "He's going to help us to obtain the building. We believe it, and we will stand on that."

So does he think Bloomberg has helped veterans?

"I have not seen it, no. I'm looking forward that he will start," Martino said. "We are looking forward to him learning from whatever mistakes he made in the past."

Funny thing is, some veterans active in real organizations say the same thing - that Bloomberg hasn't reached out to soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, hasn't done enough to help homeless or addicted vets, and hasn't gone out of his way to help veterans get jobs and housing.

"We haven't had much in the way of proactive help from the mayor," said Edward Daniels, who chairs a group called the Incarcerated Veterans Consortium.

He was invited to a "Veterans for Bloomberg" meeting at the campaign's headquarters earlier this month, but after hearing a presentation about Bloomberg's record, he said he walked out unimpressed.

Critics say the Mayor's Office of Veterans Affairs, which Bloomberg elevated to a commissioner-level department two years ago, rarely starts new initiatives and tends to piggyback on the work of other groups.

And Bloomberg has been to only one servicemember's funeral in more than three years.
Some veterans back him: Stephen Kaufman, an Air Force vet who attended the "Veterans for Bloomberg" meeting, said he lent his support after hearing his plans for more outreach and counseling in a third term.

"He's very subtle, but he's getting it done," said another attendee, Joe Graham, president of the Manhattan branch of the Vietnam Veterans of America. "I think he's terrific for vets."

As Bloomberg campaigns for a third term, he is actively soliciting votes with groups like "Asians for Bloomberg" and "Women for Bloomberg" and "Urban Young Professionals for Bloomberg." But you can scour his Web site and never find mention of an organized "Veterans for Bloomberg" - just a phantom group of Panamanians.

alisberg@nydailynews.com
MCAGCC — In front of Vietnam veterans and active-duty Marines, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday signed into law an assembly bill calling for March 30 of every year to be known as Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day in California.




PRESS RELEASE








Gov. Schwarzenegger Signs “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans” Day Bill





Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today joined Assemblymember Paul Cook (R-Yucca Valley) at the Twentynine Palms Marine Base to sign AB 717 which establishes an annual "Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day" on March 30.

"Our Vietnam veterans fought for our freedoms, kept America safe and dedicated their lives to this nation," said Governor Schwarzenegger. "We are forever thankful for their unwavering strength and courage while fighting in the Vietnam War. By signing this legislation we join together to express our gratitude, remember their service and say ‘welcome home.'"

AB 717 encourages all public schools in California to observe "Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day" on March 30 and conduct exercises recognizing the contributions of all those involved in the Vietnam War. The U.S. Census Bureau reports there are 8.2 million Vietnam-era veterans throughout the U.S.

In addition to today's action, the Governor has shown a strong commitment to California's military personnel and veterans. Throughout his administration, the Governor has:




  • Led the efforts for groundbreaking on three new veterans' homes in West Los Angeles, Ventura and Lancaster-the largest investment of this kind in state history. Two additional homes are in the planning stages in Redding and Fresno.

  • Signed legislation requiring employers to allow the spouse of a service member serving to take up to 10 days of unpaid leave to spend time with their husband or wife while they are home on leave. Additionally, the Governor supported the creation of the Pathway Home Program, which is designed to help veterans and active duty personnel suffering from severe Post Traumatic Stress transition back into civilian life.

  • Unveiled the Veterans Network of Care Web site, an innovative Web site connecting veterans, active duty personnel and their families with the social services, medical services, education and employment opportunities available in their local communities and throughout the state.

  • Signed AB 2171 by Assemblymember Paul Cook (R-Yucca Valley) which begins the process towards the construction of the Purple Heart Memorial in State Capitol Park.


  • Authorized the creation of the California Gold Star Family License Plate by signing SB 1455 by Senator Dave Cogdill (R-Modesto). This legislation paves the way for families who have lost loved ones in current and prior wars to obtain license plates honoring the sacrifices their families have endured.

  • Signed SB 1572 by Senator Mark Wyland (R-Carlsbad) which placed The Veterans Bond Act of 2008 on the November 2008 Ballot and asked voters to approve $900 million in Veterans General Obligation Bonds, which allows the California Department of Veterans Affairs to fund the purchase of homes and farms for veterans under the CalVet Home Loan Program. The bond act will have no impact on the state's General Fund because veterans repay the bond costs through low-interest mortgages.

  • Proposed expanding employment opportunities for veterans in his 2008 State of the State Address and in September of that year signed AB 3065 which gives veterans of all military branches greater access to civil service jobs.

  • Proposed an initiative to open employment avenues for veterans which allows California's Department of Veterans Affairs, Employment Development Department and Labor and Workforce Development Agency partnered with several service organizations to provide regional job and resource fairs to match veterans with employers known as "Honor a Hero, Hire a Vet." There have been 18 events throughout the state over the past two years.


  • Created The Troops To College Taskforce To Make California's Colleges And Universities More Military Friendly. UC, CSU, CCC and California's military leaders are partnering with the state to coordinate efforts in assisting veterans and active duty military and their families in attaining higher education opportunities and goals. Signed legislation to protect service members and their families from predatory and deceptive lending practices and unlawful financial and investment schemes. Signed SB 1680 by Senator Mark Wyland (R-Carlsbad) which allows California Community Colleges and the California State University, and encourages the University of California, to coordinate services for students who are veterans or members of the military by designating Military and Veterans Offices to provide specified services.

  • Announced the California National Guard Education Assistance Program, a new program he made sure was part of the state budget that will provide financial assistance for California's National Guard members to get a college education.






Friday, September 25, 2009











The Veterans Memorial Park and Education Center Society will be dedicating the Cold War Monument, their most recent project, on Monday, Oct. 12 at 1 p.m. This event will take place at Veterans Park at Airport Park in Matamoras. The Cold War spanned the years 1945 to 1991.

Although not a shooting war, it was a time of serious tension between the United States, its allies and the Soviet Union. To honor the sacrifice of the men and women who served during that period of time, park sponsors are inviting all military posts, organizations, individual veterans, and the general public to attend the dedication. Military posts that would like to take part in the ceremony with their color guards, are asked to contact Dick Gassmann at 570-491-4003 570-491-4003 , or Gene Goldner at 570-686-1448 570-686-1448 .

Thursday, September 24, 2009

From: Richard Thompson, Thomas More Law Center

Dear Fellow Patriot,


He refused to throw his men under the bus to save his career. So the government intends to grind him up using their overwhelming resources.

He served three tours of duty in Iraq, including the Second Battle of Fallujah. He also served in Panama and in the First Persian Gulf War. He honorably served his country as a Marine officer for over 20 years.


His superiors considered him a superb leader, who demonstrated moral courage, with unlimited potential and value to the Marine Corps.

LtCol Jeffrey Chessani will face a Military Board of Inquiry (BOI) before year’s end to determine whether he should be demoted in rank as a result of the so-called “Haditha Massacre” – a massacre everyone now knows never happened. This will be the government’s last chance to punish him.


The bogus charges against LtCol Chessani were triggered by a fierce house-to-house, room-by-room combat action taken by four Marines after their convoy was ambushed by insurgents in Haditha, Iraq on November 19, 2005. The rest later.


LtCol Chessani was first criminally charged with failing to accurately report and investigate that incident. Essentially, the government said he did not file the proper paperwork. Pretty lame!


With your help, and the help of thousands of patriotic Americans, we were able to defeat the prosecution at every stage of the criminal process.

But in a BOI, the government can ignore the rules of evidence. The Board can consider files without the benefit of a cross examination; they will consider the tainted record of the Article 32 Hearing; LtCol Chessani cannot subpoena witnesses; and the government need only prove misconduct by a preponderance of the evidence (50.1%) rather than beyond a reasonable doubt.


Should they succeed this time, it will not only be a tragedy for LtCol Chessani and his family, but for all our troops placed in harm’s way.

Your generous financial support can help end this personal tragedy and injustice to Jeffrey Chessani and his family... and insure the future of America’s fighting spirit.
Remember, your contributions are tax deductible.


Now, for the rest of the story . . . .

At great risk to themselves, the four Marines stormed the two houses used by the insurgents to fire on the convoy, and in the ensuing gun battles killed at least 9 insurgents and 15 civilians.

These Marines were members of LtCol Chessani’s battalion - the 3rd Battalion, (“The Thundering Third”) 1st Marines - one of the most decorated units in the Marine Corps.

In urban combat where terrorists purposefully use civilians as human shields, civilian casualties are a tragic and unfortunate, but not uncommon occurrence. LtCol Chessani immediately reported the deaths of the 15 civilian Iraqis to his superiors.
The Pentagon had his battlefront report within 24 hours.

Not one of Jeffrey Chessani’s superiors – including top generals – learning of the 15 civilian deaths considered it unusual. Not one of them suggested an investigation. In fact, his superiors commended him for a job well done.

But an inflammatory Time Magazine news lead, instigated by an insurgent propaganda operative, accused the four Marines of massacring innocent civilians.

The leading anti-war politician, Pennsylvania Congressman John Murtha appeared on major television networks and stated there had been no firefight. He publicly accused the young enlisted Marines of “cold blooded” murder and Marine officers of a “cover-up.”

Political and media pressure caused the military to buckle. At least 65 fulltime investigators, the largest investigation in the history of the NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Services) were assigned to conduct a year-long, multi-million dollar investigation focused on LtCol Jeffrey Chessani and his four enlisted men.

Every patriotic American should be concerned with the outcome of this case because it could drastically curtail the future ability of American soldiers to defend our Nation.

For twenty years Marine Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Chessani has been defending our nation... often away from his wife and children... so that we could be safely with ours.

LtCol Chessani could be forced to retire and be demoted in rank, which could potentially cost his family hundreds of thousands of dollars in retirement benefits. For a man and family that dedicated their lives to the defense of our great nation – you and I cannot allow this to happen. It’s mind-boggling that our government is sparing no expense to exact a pound of flesh from one of the most effective combat officers in Iraq on trumped-up charges.

I am aware that these are hard economic times for many, but please consider the sacrifices that LtCol Chessani and his wife and children have made for each of us and our families, so that we may have peace at home. This is one of those times that you can show your gratitude. So please be as generous as you can.

LtCol Paul Ware, USMC, a judicial officer who heard testimony in several cases involving the November 19th Haditha incident, had this to say about the incident:


"To believe the government version of facts is to disregard clear and convincing evidence to the contrary and sets a dangerous precedent that, in my opinion, may encourage others to bear false witness against Marines as a tactic to erode public support of the Marine Corps and mission in Iraq. Even more dangerous is the potential that a Marine may hesitate at the critical moment when facing the enemy..."


Note the absurdity of it all... LtCol Chessani is charged with failing to accurately report and investigate a crime that the military now knows never happened.
With their false accusation, insurgents eliminated one of America’s most effective combat officers. They know...

“A nation which forgets its defenders will itself be forgotten.”

Our representation of LtCol Chessani is without charge. But we need your financial support to carry on this fight.


Without our help, LtCol Chessani’s legal bills would already be astronomical — out of reach for a husband and father of six young children (the seventh on the way) surviving on military pay.


In preparing for the Board of Inquiry, TMLC lawyers will again examine thousands of pages of investigative reports and personally interview countless witnesses.


The Board of Inquiry will take place at Camp Pendleton, California. It could last several weeks. The Thomas More Law Center will bear the enormous costs associated with establishing a second office, paying hotels, and all the other expenses associated with two lawyers handling a case 2,000 miles away.
LtCol Chessani was in Iraq because his country sent him there. He willingly answered the call to serve his country in our defense. That's why he deserves the support of every patriotic American.

Now is the time to show him our gratitude.


As tragic as these civilian deaths in Haditha were, it’s essential that we not shackle our combat commanders’ ability to make decisions by placing them in fear of criminal prosecution every time there are civilian casualties as a result of combat action.


LtCol Chessani has devoted his life to the defense of OUR country... NOW he needs OUR help.


May God bless you, and may God continue to bless America.

Richard Thompson, Esq.
President and Chief Counsel
Thomas More Law Center

"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation."
-George Washington-



If you prefer to mail your donation to the Thomas More Law Center, please mail to:
Thomas More Law Center
24 Frank Lloyd Wright Drive
PO Box 364
Ann Arbor, MI 48106

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

THE COVER-UP OF GULF WAR SYNDROME --

A QUESTION OF NATIONAL INTEGRITY

This is the truth about GWS it is real and this lays it out!! Give it a read and I would love you to tell me your thoughts on it.

Sean
Eagan-Cold War Veterans Blog



H. Lindsey Arison III
arison@gslink.com

Dedicated to Gulf War Veterans - The Victims of Patriotism

CONTENTS

I Credentials

II Primary Sources

III Introduction

IV Bottom Line

V Conclusions

VI Evidence

VII Possible Reasons for the Cover-Up

VIII Selected Testimonies of GW Veterans Before Congressional Committees



I. CREDENTIALS

Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army Reserve (Ret.)

B.S., West Point

M.S. Systems Management, USC

M.P.A., Harvard University

Ph.D. Candidate (Chemical Pollution), University of Wales, U.K.

Former Congressional Fellow, U.S. House of Representatives

Assisted with the U.S. Senate investigation

Top Secret Clearance

Disabled veteran from the Vietnam Era

Served in the Army Operations Center, Pentagon during the Gulf War

II. PRIMARY SOURCES

The primary source document for this paper is the May 25, 1994, 198-page, U. S. Senate Report "U.S. Chemical and Biological Warfare-Related Dual-Use Exports to Iraq and Their Possible Impact on the Health Consequences of the Persian Gulf War" Link to May 25, 1994 Senate Report -- A Report of Chairman Donald W. Riegle, Jr. and Ranking Member Alfonse M. D'Amato of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs with Respect to Export Administration. James J. Tuite, III, Professional Staff Member and Special Assistant to the Chairman for National Security Issues and Dual-Use Export Policies.

The May 25, 1994 Committee report and the subsequent October 7, 1994 report are contained in the document S.Hrg. 103-900, Hearing before the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs on United States Dual-Use Exports to Iraq and Their Impact on the Health of the Persian Gulf Veterans, May 25, 1994.

"Report on the Fallout from the Destruction of Iraqi Chemical Warfare Agent Research, Production, and Storage Facilities into Areas Occupied by U.S. Military Personnel During the 1991 Persian Gulf War." James J. Tuite III, International Security Consultant and Director, Gulf War Research Foundation, September 19, 1996.



III. INTRODUCTION

(Endnotes are in brackets [ ] )

Since the Gulf War ended in 1991, the leadership of the Department of Defense has affirmed to veterans and sworn to the U.S. Congress that "there is no information, classified or unclassified, that indicates that chemical or biological weapons were used in the Persian Gulf" and that "there were no confirmed detections of any chemical or biological agents at any time during the entire conflict."

Caving in to Congressional pressure, most recently imposed by the Honorable Chris Shays of Connecticut, late on the evening before Rep. Shays' September 19, 1996 hearing on the exposure of troops to chemical and biological agents, now five years after the war ended, DoD admitted that more than 5,000 troops "may" have been exposed to chemical weapons when a battalion of U.S. soldiers blew up an Iraqi ammunition depot.

One month later, at the Pentagon's October 22, 1996 Background News Briefing, this number was increased to 20,867. "That's not an exact number, of course, but that's the best approximation we have right now."

On June 26, 1997, the Pentagon increased the number to 27,000.

On July 24, 1997, the Pentagon increased the number to 98,900. "An estimated 98,900 troops were in the path of a plume of nerve gas unleashed when U.S. combat engineers blew up the Kamisiyah ammunition depot in southern Iraq in March 1991, shortly after the war. That represents almost one-seventh of all Americans who served in the war.

The truth is:

When the air war started on 17 Jan 91, U.S. intelligence knew of 19 Iraqi biological bunkers. 19 (100% of the biological bunkers known at that time) were bombed and destroyed. Two more biological bunkers were discovered later -- too late to be bombed. Of the 21 total biological bunkers, 95.2% (20 of 21) were in southern Iraq; only one biological bunker was in northern Iraq.

U.S. intelligence knew of 31 Iraqi chemical bunkers. Only 77.4% (24 of 31) of the chemical bunkers were bombed and only 17 (54.8%) were destroyed. The seven chemical bunkers not bombed were located at Samarra -- Iraq's principal center for chemical weapons production, 50 miles north of Baghdad. Of the eight chemical bunkers at Iraq's main CW facility, only one was destroyed.

Archived meteorological data, including visible and infrared satellite imagery, illustrates irrefutably and conclusively that the toxic debris from the bombed facilities traveled directly towards U.S. military personnel.

14,000 chemical agent alarms deployed with U.S. forces in the Gulf sounded three times each per day, on average, during the air and ground wars, according to sworn DoD testimony before the U.S. Senate. [1]

Chemical agents were present in areas where hundreds of thousands of U.S. soldiers were massing for the upcoming invasion of Iraq and liberation of Kuwait. [2]

It is estimated there are now more than 80,000 veterans suffering from Gulf War Syndrome, many still on active duty. Reports from the U.K. indicate there are thousands of British veterans with the syndrome.

According to an official document published in August 1997 by the Department of Veterans' Affairs, 8,200 Persian Gulf War veterans had died as of the end of March 1997.

In many cases, Gulf War Syndrome appears to be transmissible. In addition to the 80,000+ veterans who are sick, there are thousands of spouses, parents, and children who are also suffering from the same debilitating illnesses -- and in the case of a disproportionate number of newborns, birth defects and physical abnormalities.



IV. BOTTOM LINE

The Department of Defense, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Department of Veterans Affairs have been lying to the U.S. Congress, Gulf War veterans, and the American people about coalition forces' exposure to chemical and biological agents during the war.

This criminal, reprehensible, shameful, dishonorable, and egregious act on their part has caused incalculable pain and suffering, caused many who risked their lives for our flag to die, inflicted severe financial hardships, caused many veterans' children to be born deformed and disabled, caused many veterans' children to become diseased, destroyed marriages and families, and eroded the trust of the American people in the institutions they once revered.

Gulf War veterans are truly the victims of patriotism. What they have suffered is the great American tragedy.

Those who have perpetrated and perpetuated this lie must be held fully accountable.

As summarized by former U.S. Senator Donald W. Riegle:

"Our afflicted veterans are sick and suffering, and many have died. Others are now destitute, having spent tens of thousands of dollars, depleting their life savings, in an unsuccessful search for an explanation for their ailments. The veterans of the Gulf War have asked us for nothing more than the assistance they have earned. Our refusal to come to their immediate assistance can only lead others to question the integrity of the nation they serve." [3]

Link to the Missing GulfLink Files

"It is clear that the CIA as well as the Defense Department has been complicit in a stonewall, if not a coverup." - The Washington Post, April 11, 1997

V. CONCLUSIONS

Gulf War Syndrome is not about a small group of veterans who simply have muscle cramps, joint pain, headaches, and sleep disorders -- which have been cavalierly dismissed as psychological or PTSD-related. It was not caused, in part, by the "very fine sand" or "lack of recreation" or "alcohol deprivation" -- as Dr. Joshua Lederberg, Chairman of the Defense Science Board Task Force on Gulf War Health has suggested.

Gulf War Syndrome is the direct health consequence of prolonged (chronic) exposure to low (non-lethal) levels of chemical and biological agents released by direct Iraqi attack via missiles, rockets, artillery, or aircraft munitions; fallout from the destruction of Iraqi ammunition bunkers [such as Kamasiyah (the CIA has known about chemical munitions at this site since 1984)]; and by fallout from allied bombings of Iraqi chemical warfare munitions facilities during the 38-day air war.



The effects of these exposures were exacerbated by the deleterious and synergistic side-effects of the unproven, experimental, and toxicity-enhancing pyridostigmine bromide (PB) pills (nerve agent pre-treatment pills which were administered involuntarily), the investigational botulinum toxoid vaccines (which were also involuntary), anthrax vaccines, depleted uranium residues principally from battlefield vehicles damaged by depleted uranium-tipped armor-penetrating munitions, the pesticide DEET, and to a much lesser extent, other environmental hazards such as oil fire contamination, other pesticides (with the exception of DEET which increased its toxicity significantly when used in combinaton with PB), petrochemicals, and electromagnetic radiation from radars and communications equipment.

The infinite number of combinations and permutations of the effects of chronic exposure to low, non-lethal levels of cumulatively-effecting chemical nerve agents, to blister agents, biological agents and "cocktails," coupled with the effects of nerve agent pills, botulinum and anthrax vaccines, depleted uranium (DU) dusts, DEET, and other environmental contaminants, has produced the infinite variations in symptomatologies in Gulf War veterans. Therefore, the "mystery illness." There is, however, one principal cause.

NOTES:

The chronic and delayed physiological effects of toxic chemical warfare agents were well known and documented long before the Gulf War.

For additional information concerning the effects of depleted uranium (DU):



VI. EVIDENCE

1. Before the Gulf War, Iraq had a highly developed chemical warfare program with numerous production facilities, stockpiled agents and weapons, binary capabilities (utilizing two harmless ingredients that upon combining form a lethal substance), multiple and varied delivery systems, and a documented history of chemical warfare agent use. [4]

A month before the war began, then CIA Director William Woolsey estimated that Iraq possessed 1,000 tons of poisonous chemical agents, much of it capable of being loaded into two types of missiles: the FROG (Free Rocket Over Ground) and the SCUD B (SS-1). [5]

On July 30, 1991, Ambassador Rolf Ekeus, Director of the United Nations Special Commission on Iraq (the organization charged with overseeing the elimination of Iraq's chemical and nuclear arsenals), told the Security Council that U.N. inspectors found chemical warheads armed with nerve gas and that some warheads were already fitted onto SCUD missiles. [6]

Between 17 January and 21 February 1991, coalition forces bombed at least 24 Iraqi chemical weapons storage, research, and/or production sites. 17 tons of sarin were destroyed at the Muthanna State Establishment (Samarra) facility alone. [7]

Chemical warfare munitions and agents which either survived the allied bombings or were inventoried and returned to the Muthanna facility for destruction included:

• 13,000 155-mm artillery shells loaded with mustard gas (H),

• 6,200 rockets loaded with nerve agent,

• 800 nerve agent aerial bombs,

• 28 SCUD warheads loaded with nerve agent Sarin (GB),

• 75 tons of nerve agent Sarin (GB),

• 60-70 tons of nerve agent Tabun (GA), and

• 250 tons of mustard gas and 153,983 liters of thiodiglycol, a mustard gas precursor. [8]

U.N. inspectors concluded the Muthanna plant was capable of producing two tons of Sarin (GB) and five tons of mustard gas (H) daily. [9]

Chemical rounds were deployed to the front with the Iraqi forces and Iraqi commanders had limited or pre-designated authority to use them. [10]

There is substantial evidence to suggest that in the use of chemical weapons, the Iraqi military adhered to, at least in part, Soviet military doctrine. Soviet military doctrine suggested that chemical warfare should be conducted with mixed agents. Mixed agents, often referred to as "cocktails" are intended to enhance the capabilities of nerve agents and defeat the precautions taken by the enemy. Cocktails can be made by combining a wide variety of biotoxins [11], nerve agents, vesicants [12], and some biological agents -- such as bacteria and fungi. [13]

Iraq may have also acquired any one of a number of the Soviet binary "Novichok" series of ultra-lethal toxins that, even in microdoses, can be debilitating. In addition to inducing myosis, vomiting, memory loss, involuntary motions, and internal organ dysfunction, these toxins can have mutagenic [14] effects and have no known antidotes. [15]

2. Iraq also had an offensive biological weapons program with multiple research and production facilities, evidence of weaponization experimentation, and a history of reported use. [16]

According to the United Nations Special Commission on Iraq, the Iraqi biological warfare program was initiated in mid-1986. [17] U.N. inspectors specifically uncovered evidence the government of Iraq was conducting research on pathogen [18] enhancement on biological warfare-related materials to include:

• clostridium botulinum (the cause of botulism), A bacterial source of botulinum toxin, which causes vomiting, constipation, thirst, general weakness, headache, fever, dizziness, double vision, dilation of the pupils, and paralysis of the muscles involving swallowing. It is often fatal. [19]

Iraq admitted to making and storing nearly 5,300 gallons of the bacterium, theoretically enough to kill 15 billion people. Inhalation of one microgram (or about as much as would fit on a pinhead) is enough to cause death by paralysis within hours.

• bacillus anthracis (the causative agent of anthrax), A disease-producing bacteria identified by DoD as being a major component in the Iraqi biological warfare program. Anthrax is an often-fatal infectious disease due to ingestion of spores. It begins abruptly with high fever, difficulty in breathing, and chest pain. The disease eventually results in septicemia (blood poisoning), and the mortality is high. Once septicemia is advanced, antibiotic therapy may prove useless. [20]

Iraq said it made about 158 gallons of the anthrax bacteria in concentrated form, an amount U.N. officials say is enough to be packed inside 40 to 50 bombs that could each kill tens of thousands of people. The organism multiplies within the body after inhalation and kills within a day or so by halting breathing.

• clostridium perfringens (the most common causative agent of gas gangrene),

• clostridium tetani (the causative organism of tetanus or lockjaw),

• brucella abortis [causes brucellosis or undulant fever (fever marked by alternating periods of abatement and increase of symptoms, pain and swelling in the joints, and weakness) and is contracted by contact with infected domestic animals or consumption of their products; also the cause of contagious abortion in cattle and other domestic animals],

• brucella melentensis [causes brucellosis or undulant fever (fever marked by alternating periods of abatement and increase of symptoms, pain and swelling in the joints, and weakness) and is contracted in the same manner as brucella abortis], and

• franciscella tularensis (causes tularemia; transmitted to man by the bite of an infected tick or other bloodsucking insect, by direct contact with infected animals, by eating inadequately cooked meat, or by drinking water that contains the organism. Symptoms may appear from 1 to 10 days after infection and include headache, chilliness, vomiting, aching pains, fever, sweating, loss of weight, and debility.) [21]

In addition, U.N. inspectors revealed that biological warfare-related stimulant research was being conducted on:

• bacillus subtilis (causes conjunctivitis),

• bacillus megatillus, and

• bacillus cereus (an opportunistic invader of immunocompromised [22] patients). [23]

This suggests that the Iraqi government may have been experimenting with e.coli [24] and recombinant DNA (rDNA) [25] to create genetically altered microorganisms (novel [26] biological warfare agents). [27]

Novel biological warfare agents, created by altering DNA plasmids [28] and vectors [29], are specifically intended to avoid detection. Several shipments of biological materials that may have been used to carry out such a program were licensed for export from the United States to the Iraq Atomic Energy Commission. In such a program, common intestinal flora such as e.coli could be altered to produce viral, bacterial, or other toxins, and would be difficult to treat. If Iraq was successful in developing such agents, diagnosis will continue to elude physicians testing for traditional illnesses. [30]

3. We, the United States, provided the government of Iraq with so-called "dual use" licensed materials to develop their chemical and biological programs. [31] These materials included chemical warfare agent production facility plans and technical drawings (provided as pesticide production facility plans), chemical warhead filling equipment, chemical warfare agent precursors, and biological warfare-related materials.

4. U.S. chemical masks and chemical protection suits were ineffective (MOPP gear -- Mission Oriented Protective Posture). [32] It has been fully documented by the Inspector General of the Department of Defense; the National Security and International Affairs Division (NSIAD) of the General Accounting Office, U.S. Congress; and by independent Senate investigation, that U.S. soldiers were not adequately equipped to conduct chemical operations during Desert Storm and are not adequately equipped now.



5. U.S. chemical detection alarms were ineffective. [33] The principal chemical agent detection alarm used during the war, the M8A1, was not sufficiently sensitive to detect sustained low levels of chemical agent and to monitor personnel for contamination.

U.S. Army Material Safety Data Sheets indicate that chronic exposure to levels of over one-ten-thousandth of a milligram per cubic meter (.0001 mg/m3) to nerve agent Sarin (GB) is hazardous and requires the use of protective equipment. It takes 1000 times this danger level to activate the M8A1 automatic chemical agent detection alarm commonly used during the war.

In spite of this fact, 14,000 chemical alarms in theater were going off 3 times each per day, on average, during the air and ground wars according to sworn DoD testimony before the U.S. Senate. And, despite the fact that M8A1 alarms do not detect blister agents such as mustard gas, during the air war, alarms were sounding so frequently, many were simply turned off. [34]

Note: Claims were never made by DoD against the manufacturers of the "faulty" chemical alarms and our troops are still using the same "faulty" equipment today.

6. U.S. anti-nerve agent pills were investigational, not approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), unethically administered, tactically ineffective, and potentially very hazardous to soldiers' health.

Pyridostigmine Bromide (PB) does not protect against warfare nerve agents when taken alone; it only works in combination with other drugs. Similiarly, pyridostigmine administered after exposure to a warfare agent is not effective. [35] Two antidotes to nerve agents, atropine and pyridine-2-aldoxime methochloride (2-PAM), are enhanced if PB has already been given. Atropine and 2-PAM were included in he nerve agent antidote kits (Mark 1) which were given to U.S. troops.

The Pentagon believes that all 695,000 U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf War were issued PB and officials estimate that approximately two thirds took the drug for varying periods of time.

DoD scientists who studied pyridostigmine and nerve agent sarin (GB) concluded that PB should only be used when the chemical warfare threat is nerve agent soman (GD). [36] Defense intelligence knew well before the war that Iraq did not manufacture, stockpile, or use GD. Iraq did, however, manufacture and weaponize large quantities of sarin (GB). Pyridostigmine pre-treatment unfortunately makes individuals more vulnerable to other nerve agents such as sarin and VX. [37]

Moreover, Dr. James Moss, a former scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, found that when used in combination with PB, a common pesticide called DEET became 10 times more toxic than when used alone. Dr. Moss was fired from the USDA because of his research.

In August of 1990, DoD scientists requested approval for a study of four men to evaluate the effects of pyridostigmine on vision. This study was deemed urgent because of the situation in Kuwait, and it was approved quickly. It is important to note that this study, to be conducted just prior to the Gulf War, gave medical exmas to the men before giving the pyridostigmine. The researchers indicated that PB should not be given to individuals who had bronchial asthma, peptic ulcer, liver, kidney, heart disease, or hypersensitivity to PB or related drugs. They informed study volunteers that possible adverse side effects included nausea, increased salivation, increased bronchial secretions, and pupil constriction. Other side effects are weakness, muscle cramps, and muscle twitches. Because of these potential side effects, all four subjects were admitted to Lyster Army Hospital as in-patients so they could be closely monitored.

In sharp contrast to the extensive precautions taken before giving PB every 8 hours for 3 days to four volunteers, a few months later, the same dosage was given for longer periods of time to over 400,000 U.S. soldiers, none of whom had been screened for any of the diseases mentioned in the informed consent form given to the four men, none of whom were warned about the risks associated with the drug, and none of whom were given a choice of whether or not to take it. Additionally, approximately 28,000 of the over 400,000 receiving PB were women, who were forced to take an investigational drug that had never been tested on healthy women. [38]

7. The United States did not have any biological agent detection capability whatsoever during the Gulf War. [39]

8. After the air war started on January 17, 1991:

• Chemical detection units from the Czech Republic confirmed chemical agents,

• French detection units detected chemical agents,

• Chemical specialists from the British Army detected chemical agents,

• Both Czech and French forces reported detections immediately to U.S. forces,

• U.S. forces detected, confirmed, and reported chemical agents, and

• U.S. soldiers were awarded medals for detecting chemical agents. [40]

Iraqi fatalities incident to the bombing of a biological warfare agent production facility near Baghdad were reported in the international press. As revealed in the CIA/Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) translation of an article in the 10 Feb 91 Moscow TASS:

Following a coalition forces' air raid on a bacteriological weapons producing facility not far from the Iraqi capital, 50 guards of the plant died of an unknown and rapidly progressing disease, the Cairo-based newspaper AL-HAQIQA writes with reference to an Egyptian who worked at a Baghdad hospital.

The physician, who fled Iraq across the Syrian border, told the newspaper's correspondent that about 100 servicement from among the guards of the plant were brought to the hospital immediately after the air raid. A half of them died shortly after being hospitalized despite medical personnel's effort. The sufferers sustained injuries of the lungs, the circulatory and intestinal systems.

According to the physician, attempts to disinfect the hospital were unsuccessful and the infection was spreading in Baghdad.

He maintains that the incidence of disease in Basrah, Mosul, and Tikrit, where air strikes were delivered on chemical and bacteriological facilities, was assuming a massive character and that there was a point to speak of an epidemic.

Chemical warfare agents were even discovered in Kuwait after the war. In August 1991, British and American forces confirmed mustard gas leaking from a metal storage tank abandoned by Iraqi forces. Mustard was confirmed in 21 consecutive tests, 8 of the tests using mass spectrometers in two separate FOX vehicles. Soldiers were injured and evacuated immediately for chemical agent exposure.

In considering the consequences of the placement of troops in areas downwind (where non-lethal exposure to chemical warfare agents might be expected), it must be remembered that chemical nerve agents, such as Sarin (GB) and Soman (GD), have CUMULATIVE effects. After a single exposure, daily exposure to concentrations of a nerve agent insufficient to produce symptoms may result in the onset of symptoms after several days. Continued daily exposure may be followed by increasingly severe effects. [41]

9. During the November 10, 1993 unclassified briefing for Members of the U.S. Senate, in response to direct questioning, then Under Secretary of Defense, and now Director of Central Intelligence, (Chemical Engineer and Physical Chemist) Dr. John M. Deutch said that the Department of Defense was withholding classified information on the exposure of U.S. forces to biological materials during the Gulf War. [42]

10. For five years, the Department of Defense has continued to publicly claim, however, "there were no confirmed detections of any chemical or biological agents at any time during the entire conflict." [43]

In a letter to all Persian Gulf War Veterans (dated May 25, 1994 -- the same day as the Senate hearing), General John M. Shalikashvili (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) and William J. Perry (Secretary of Defense) also directly contradicted what then Under Secretary of Defense Dr. John M. Deutch told U.S. Senators on November 10, 1993. Both affirm: "There is no information, classified or unclassified, that indicates that chemical or biological weapons were used in the Persian Gulf."

VII. POSSIBLE REASONS FOR THE COVER-UP

1. THE INCALCULABLE COST OF TREATMENT AND COMPENSATION. The cost of providing compensation and appropriate medical care to all afflicted veterans and (because of the syndrome's apparent transmissibility, in many cases) to their families, would be prohibitive. It would be impossible to determine exactly where the government's liability ends.

2. TO PROTECT POWELL. Admission now would cause serious embarrassment for ("the darling of the Republican and Democratic parties") General (retired) Colin L. Powell. If the National Command Authorities did, in fact, "order" General Powell to deny the occurrence of the Iraqi attacks, why didn't he stand up for his soldiers? He knew of their vulnerability. This could be a very serious question of personal integrity and loyalty.

3. TO PROTECT SCHWARZKOPF. Admission now would cause serious embarrassment for war "hero" General (retired) H. Norman Schwarzkopf, West Point, Class of 1956. "Duty, Honor, Country" is the Military Academy's motto.

4. TO PROTECT BUSH. Admission now would cause embarrassment for the Bush Presidency. At the time of the attacks, the decision to deny the occurrence of (and in effect cover up) Iraqi use of chemical and biological weapons, would have to be made by the National Command Authorities (The President and the Secretary of Defense, Richard B. Cheney).

5. TO PREVENT ESCALATION OF THE WAR. In his letter to President Saddam Hussein of Iraq on January 5, 1991, President Bush wrote:

"...the United States will not tolerate the use of chemical or biological weapons. You will be held directly responsible for terrorist actions against any member of the coalition. The American people would demand the strongest possible response. You and your country will pay a terrible price if you order unconscionable acts of this sort."

Official acknowledgment of Iraqi use of chemical and biological agents during the campaign would have ignited public outrage and "forced" the United States to follow through. The National Command Authorities obviously decided not to put us in the situation where we had to do what was threatened. In other words: No need to follow through on a threat if the attack is unacknowledged.

Official acknowledgment could also have seriously threatened the Middle East peace process. At 5 am, January 18, 1991, Iraq attacked Israel with nerve gas. Israeli police confirmed the nerve agent, at least three Israeli citizens were killed in the attack, and Marine Corps General R. I. Neal authenticated this fact in a military log which is now a public document. Official announcement in the Israeli media of the fact that Iraq attacked Israel with nerve gas during the Gulf War would have escalated the war. It is believed by many that the billions of dollars the U.S. paid to Israel immediately after the war was the "deal" struck to keep them from retaliating and to cover up the attack.

6. TO PROTECT CLINTON. The GWS cover-up started during a Republican Administration (Bush) and is being continued under a Democratic Administration (Clinton). Therefore, both major political parties stand to lose if the truth is revealed. In this case, with the truth there are no winners. And the biggest losers, of course, are the veterans and their families.

The reason why Clinton will not expose Bush is because it was Bush who paved the way for Clinton to seek the Presidency.

When Bill Clinton was Governor of Arkansas, then Vice-President Bush (who had been CIA Director) was looking for a clandestine location to train Nicaraguan "freedom fighters" (pilots) for the illegal shipment of weapons to the Nicaraguan Contras. Between 8 July 1984 and 25 August 1985, 34 pilots were secretly trained by elements of the CIA at an airstrip in Nella, Arkansas (a 109-acre property near the town of Mena) which was used as a practice drop zone and training base. (Operation "Jade Bridge")

The Nicaraguans desperately needed skilled flight crews to resupply ground troops engaged in a highly mobile guerilla war where resupply could only be accomplished with air drops. This "Contra Air Force" was also needed to reduce the CIA's exposure in case one of the supply planes was shot down.

Nella, Arkansas was selected as the ideal training base because the area was rural, under-populated, and had terrain similar to Nicaragua's. The practice drop zone also had to be remote enough to prevent unwanted FAA investigations. The CIA also needed a state with the right political environment and political power base that would view the Agency as a "welcomed industry" and a way to enrich itself. Clinton and Arkansas were perfect.

All consumables (such as food) for the clandestine operation were government issue and supplied from the U.S. Army's Fort Chaffee. The Inter-Mountain Regional Airport in Mena (and specifically Rich Mountain Aviation) was the base/hub for this operation, with planes flying arms to the Contras in Nicaragua (Operation "Centuar Rose") and returning from Central America with large sums of money and drugs, which were then distributed throughout the United States. (Funds were needed, in part, to compensate Governor Clinton and his administration for facilities and services.)

Operations "Jade Bridge" (flight training and aerial delivery techniques) and "Centuar Rose" (the transport of arms and munitions from Arkansas to staging areas in Central America) were conceived and implemented in direct and flagrant violation of the U.S. Congress.

Governor Clinton's "deal" for his administration's complicity was 10% of the hundreds of millions of dollars in profits from arms and drug sales, which Dan R. Lasatar laundered either through banks, the Arkansas state retirement system, or the Arkansas Development Finance Authority (ADFA), a state development agency that Governor Clinton organized in 1985. Lasatar & Co. was handling more than $300 million annually in preferred state bond activity. The state was using the Rose Law Firm (in which Hillary Rodham Clinton was a senior partner) as its bond counsel for much of its activity.

7. MILITARY NECESSITY AT THE TIME. Official acknowledgment of Iraqi use of chemical and biological agents during the campaign would have created panic among coalition forces (the basic purpose and precisely the desired effect of chemical warfare). We chose not to acknowledge.

8. TO NOT REVEAL A MAJOR READINESS VULNERABILITY. Exposing the fact that our chemical suits and chemical detection alarms are ineffective would reveal a critical military readiness problem. DoD did not want Iraq (then) and does not want any potential adversaries now (such as North Korea which is also both chemically and biologically capable) to know just how gravely vulnerable we are. Notwithstanding this very perilous risk, U.S. troops were deployed to the Gulf.

9. TO NOT ERODE SOLDIERS' TRUST. Admission would seriously erode soldiers' trust in their leadership. If soldiers learn that their leaders will deliberately send them into battle with worthless protection against chemical and biological warfare and then turn their backs on them as soon as the fight's over, there will be no one willing to fight -- especially when they know that whatever biological agents they're exposed to will, because of their communicability, injure their loved ones as well, once home.

10. TO AVOID SERIOUS POLITICAL EMBARRASSMENT. There is increasing concern that before the Gulf War, the U.S. secretly provided Iraq with chemical weapons AND the technology and materials to manufacture their own -- to use against Iran. A Marine Corps EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) specialist discovered and photographed chemical munitions with U.S. markings and lot numbers in an Iraqi bunker. (Note: Five United Nations reports have confirmed the use of chemical warfare agents in the Iran-Iraq War.)

There is also concern that we, the United States, the principal signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), had chemical weapons in the Gulf and used them.

In his January 28, 1991 interview with Saddam Hussein, CNN's Peter Arnett asked specifically about chemical weapons. (Note that many attacks and confirmed detections made by Czech, French, British, and U.S. forces occurred before this interview. The air war started on January 16, 1991.)

This is the text verbatim from the CIA translation:

[Arnett] Will you use chemical weapons in a land war in Kuwait?

[Saddam] We will use weapons that match those used by our enemy against us. I believe that you have had experience with us now. I believe that you have now found out that we have done everything we have said.

[Arnett] The multinational forces said they will not use chemical weapons against you. Does that mean if they do not use them, you do not use them?

[Saddam] I said: We will use the weapons that are equivalent to the weapons used against us.

11. TO AVOID CONDEMNATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS. DoD's failure to permit soldiers to refuse the unapproved, experimental, and investigational pyridostigmine bromide (PB) anti-nerve agent pills and the botulinum toxoid vaccine during Desert Shield/Desert Storm is a criminal violation of the Nuremberg Code. Did not any of the Hippocratically-sworn military physicians administering the unapproved vaccine, for example, find it unethical? "Following orders" is no excuse for unethical conduct, even in combat. And how can the United States be the self-proclaimed global champion of human rights if it is so willing to conduct "research" on competent adults without their informed consent?

VIII. SELECTED TESTIMONIES OF GULF WAR VETERANS BEFORE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES

NOTE: These testimonies were given in 1993, 4 years ago.

Excerpts from the testimony of Sterling Syms, Petty Officer First Class, U.S. Naval Reserve, before the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) Subcommittee on Force Requirements and Personnel, 30 June 1993: (At the time of the attack, Petty Officer First Class Syms was assigned to Naval Reserve Mobile Construction Battalion 24 at Camp 13 in Al Jubayl.)

Around 2 or 3 in the morning there was a real bad explosion overhead. The alarm went off. Everybody started hitting their bunkers. There was a high odor of ammonia in the air that burned your eyes. Whatever it was, it burnt and stung your skin bad. The skin even burned after we got into our chemical clothing. We went to full chemical gear, and were in that situation for about 2 hours before it was passed down that there was an "all clear". But we were told it was a sonic boom. To my knowledge, you do not get a fireball from a sonic boom. We knew that there was something wrong. We were told that it was a fireball. We have had men that were ordered to shut up talking about it.

Excerpts from the testimony of Nick Roberts, U.S. Navy Reserve, before a special hearing of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, 9 November 1993: (At the time of the attack, Nick Roberts was assigned to Naval Reserve Mobile Construction Battalion 24 at Camp 13 in Al Jubayl.)

I was in perfect health until the night when we were hit. After coming out of the bunker I was exposed to something. My skin began to burn and sting, my lips were numb, there was a very strange taste in my mouth, my nose run uncontrollably, and my eyes watered quite a bit. Chemical detectors were sounding, radio transmissions were coming in - "confirmed gas attack - go to MOPP level 4" (the highest level of chemical protection). Marines stationed around us were also sounding their warning signals and screaming "Confirmed gas attack! Go to full chemical gear!"

As I was feeling my own symptoms, I saw my buddies and realized that they were experiencing the same thing that I was, some even worse. After a long day of questions and wondering what had happened we were informed that we had simply experienced a sonic boom. To my knowledge, sonic booms don't cause flashes and cause reactions to skin and eyes. When I spoke with the decontamination leader from our camp later on, he advised me that his test kit detected mustard gas and lewisite.

NOTE: Lewisite vapors cause stinging and burning and irritation to the eyes and upper respiratory tract. Its smell could be confused with ammonia. The injurious effect of mustard gas is associated with its ability to inhibit many enzyme systems of the body. This, in turn, prevents the intra-cell exchange of chemicals and leads to necrosis (death) of the tissue. Death is associated mainly with necrosis of the tissue of the central nervous system. Mustard gas has a period of latent effect (the first signs of injury appear after 2-12 hours.)

Excerpts from the certified statement of Chief Warrant Officer 3 J. P. Cottrell, U.S. Marine Corps, September 1993: Chief Cottrell was Officer-in-Charge of one of the German-made FOX Nuclear-Biological-Chemical (NBC) detection vehicles deployed in the Gulf. The FOX accurately detects 60 known chemical agents simultaneously using a highly sophisticated, laboratory-quality mass spectrometer.

It is known to me that during the ground offensive of Operation Desert Storm, chemical agent vapors were found by Task Force Ripper (of the 1st Marine Corps Division) in the vicinity of N28 32', E47 52'. We detected blister agent at levels below IMMEDIATE threat to personnel.

On the evening of the first day of the ground attack, we detected Lewisite blister vapors in the vicinity of N28 50' E47 50'. I reported the findings to Division Headquarters and requested directions in regards to the chemical agent print-out. I was told to forward the tape up the chain of command. (Tapes are the paper records of the exact chemical breakdown of the liquid by the mass spectrometer.) A report came back that our equipment was only activated by oil smoke. Our computer, however, had separated the petroleum compound from the chemical agent. The computer tape has (conveniently) been lost.

Around the bunker complex in the vicinity of N29 14' E47 54' we detected chemical vapors and reported it to higher headquarters. Task Force Ripper was then ordered back to the division support area and no further detection operations were carried out.

Excerpts from the statement of Sergeant Robert S. Maison, U.S. Marine Corps, 22 September 1993:

On the second night of the ground war, while I was attached to Task Force Ripper as a Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Reconnaissance Team member, our team observed an artillery attack to our northwest, at a distance of approximately four kilometers. About five to six minutes later an alarm was sounded by our detection equipment (a mass spectrometer) which is used specifically for that purpose. Taking into account the wind speeds that we were encountering (approximately 40 to 50 knots steady), the reading would not be expected to last a long duration, as it did not (approximately three minutes). The specific agent detected was Lewisite in a concentration considered to produce casualties but not death.

Excerpts from the testimony of Willie Hicks, Staff Sergeant E-6, U.S. Army, before the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) Subcommittee on Force Requirements and Personnel, 30 June 1993: At the time of the attack, SSG Hicks was serving as the Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of ammunition movement, 644th Ordnance Company.

It was around 2:30 in the morning. The chemical alarms went off. As we were running to the bunker we started burning. Our faces were burning. Some guy just dropped. And we went inside the bunkers. About 10 minutes later the first sergeant came around and told us to go to the highest level (of chemical protection) you can go to. We stayed at that level for 24 hours.

About 2 or 3 days later a couple of guys started getting sick. I got sick myself. I had discharge with my urine with blood in it. Some guys had a problem with their rectums. The Commanding Officer put out an order that nobody would discuss it. We were discussing it anyway because I was in charge of ammunition movements and the guys there, they knew it had to be chemical.

85 of the 110 guys who came back with the unit were sick. We also had one guy that died by the name of Staff Sergeant Bell. And in his case he was in good physical shape. He did not smoke or drink. He came home one day feeling good, walked up the street, and came back, and dropped dead.

We have a sergeant, Staff Sergeant Neal that is now nothing more than a vegetable. I carry notebooks all the time now because my memory is gone. I used to teach school. I had to quit my job because I kept passing out or getting lost going to work.

Weight loss: I went from 170 down to 126 last month. I'm now up to 150.

I have no income. I lost my car. I was getting desperate for funds to support my family with. The VA tried to charge me $169 a day for being in the hospital. I went up and questioned it. I said this is service-connected. The lady said you have not proven it to be service-connected, therefore, we are charging you $169 a day. I said, I have no income. She said, it makes no difference.

I am also a veteran from the Vietnam War. I think this is Vietnam all over again because I know how I was treated when I came back from there. I have been completely forgotten. And I am sick and unable to work because I served my country.

Excerpts from the testimony of Mrs. Hester Adcock, before a special hearing of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, 9 November 1993. Mrs. Adcock's son, Army Specialist Michael Adcock, died at the age of 22 of multiple cancers. He was stationed at Al-Jubayl on 20 January 1991, when his unit was chemically attacked.

I am the mother of Army Specialist Michael C. Adcock, 22 year old Gulf War veteran. Michael served in Desert Storm from January 18, 1991 till May 19, 1991. Exactly eleven months after returning from the Gulf, Michael died of multiple cancers.

Prior to the Gulf War, Michael was physically fit, very healthy, a four-year letterman in high school football, broke a weightlifting record, worked out daily, and while serving in Germany, was a boxer and a wrestler. Michael became ill as early as January 21, 1991 after being near Al-Jubayl on the night of January 20, 1991, where three attacks occurred and chemical alarms sounded.

Michael reported to the Battalion Evacuation hospital on January 25, 1991 only to be told he probably had hemorrhoids. He was given motrin. My son was never referred to a surgeon. He had repeated rectal bleeding, rash, severe headaches, raspy voice, and pain in his joints.

Upon return to the States, he, along with many in his unit, was given a very limited physical examination with no chest x-rays, no blood work, and sent on his way. He was told "if you need further medical attention, go to your local VA hospital". Had Michael been given proper diagnostic testing in the Gulf, my son would possibly be alive today.

My son was a very patriotic young man. He loved his country, family, and God. I ask you today: How much did my country appreciate my son. He felt it his patriotic duty to serve in the military. He wore his Army uniform proudly. He was a brave and courageous soldier. My son died a senseless and very painful death. When will I ever get an answer? My jewel is gone forever.

Michael's death bed wish was for me to fight for him and fight for all of his comrades. After this request, a few short hours later, Michael slipped into a coma. He died seven days later.

Our own military and government failed my son and are failing his comrades.

ENDNOTES

1 U.S. Senate, Hearing Before the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, United States Dual-Use Exports to Iraq and Their Impact on the Health of the Persian Gulf War Veterans, S. Hrg. 103-900, 25 May 1994, and

Tuite, James J. III, Report of the Fallout from the Destruction of Iraqi Chemical Warfare Agent Research, Production, and Storage Facilities into Areas Occupied by U.S. Military Personnel during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, September 19, 1996, p. 23.

2 Tuite, p. 2, 25.

3 United States Senate, U.S. Chemical and Biological Warfare-Related Dual-Use Exports to Iraq and Their Possible Impact on the Health Consequences of the Persian Gulf War, A Report of Chairman Donald W. Riegle, Jr. and Ranking Member Alfonse M. D'Amato of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs with Respect to Export Administration (James J. Tuite, III, Professional Staff and Special Assistant to the Chairman for National Security Issues and Dual-Use Export Policies), 25 May 1994, p. 10.

4 Ibid.

5 Ibid., p. 17.

6 Ibid.

7 Tuite, pp. 3-4.

8 Senate, p. 22.

9 Ibid.

10 Tuite, p. 5.

11 A poisonous substance (toxin) produced by or found in a living organism.

12 An agent that induces blistering.

13 Senate, pp. 23-24.

14 Mutation: A relatively permanent change in hereditary material involving either a physical change in chromosome relations or a biochemical change in the codons that make up genes.

15 Senate, p. 32.

16 Ibid., pp. 10, 23.

17 Ibid., p. 33.

18 A specific causative agent (as a bacterium or virus) of disease.

19 Senate, p. 37.

20 Ibid.

21 Senate, p. 48.

22 The condition of not having a normal immune system. This may be due to a genetic or disease process or to drugs administered for the purpose of inhibiting or inactivating the immune system.

23 Senate, p. 48.

24 Escherichia coli.

25 DNA prepared in the laboratory by breaking up and splicing together DNA from several different species of organisms.

26 New and not resembling something formerly known or used.

27 Senate, p. 48.

28 An extrachromosomal ring of DNA that replicates autonomously in bacteria.

29 An organism that transmits a pathogen.

30 Senate, p. 35.

31 Ibid., p. 11.

32 General Accounting Office, U.S. Congress, GAO/NSIAD-91-197, Chemical Warfare: Soldiers Inadequately Equipped and Trained to Conduct Chemical Operations, May 1991. Also, GAO/NSIAD-96-103, Chemical and Biological Defense: Emphasis Remains Insufficient to resolve Continuing Problems, March 1996.

33 Senate, p. 5.

34 Senate, pp. 5, 27-28 and Tuite, p. 23.

35 Sidell, F.R., Clinical Considerations in Nerve Agent Intoxication, In: Chemical Warfare Agents, Academic Press, Inc., 1992, pp. 155-194.

36 Ibid.

37 Koplovitz, I., Harris, L.W., Anderson D.R., Lennox, W.J., and Stewart, J.R., Reduction by Pyridostigmine Pre-Treatment of the Efficacy of Atropine and 2-PAM Treatment of Sarin and VX Poisoning in Rodents, Fundamental and Applied Toxicology, 18: 102-106, 1992.

38 Extract from Preliminary Staff Findings from Drs. Diana Zuckerman and Patricia Olson to U.S. Senator John D. Rockefeller IV, " Is Military Research Hazardous to Veterans' Health? -- Lessons from the Persian Gulf", May 6, 1994.

39 Senate, p. 13.

40 Ibid., pp. 12, 88-96.

41 Ibid., pp. 25-26.

42 Ibid., p. 6.

43 U.S. Senate, Hearing Before the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, United States Dual-Use Exports to Iraq and Their Impact on the Health of the Persian Gulf War Veterans, S. Hrg. 103-900, 25 May 1994, p. 92.