Local
Published: November 20, 2008
'Gulf War Syndrome is real'
Advisory committee says the syndrome is a real, disabling disease suffered by thousands of soldiers who served in 1990-91 Middle East war.
By PETER ROPER
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN
Retired Army Maj. Dick Walker gave a thin smile, his always-gloved hands resting in his lap as he decided how to respond Wednesday to news that a federal research commission finally had declared that the mysterious "Gulf War Syndrome" is a real, disabling illness.
"You don't know how important that validation is," Walker said with emotion.
At age 52, after nine years of constant pain in his arms and hands - the gloves provide some relief - Walker is a shadow of the energetic Pueblo County Veterans Services officer who came home from the Gulf War in 1991 ready to help fellow vets deal with the bureaucracy of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
"When my wife (Glenna) heard the news, she said, ‘Well, it's about time.’ I can still remember all the psychiatrists and psychologists who said Gulf War Syndrome was all in our head," Walker said with a dry scorn. "You wondered how they could think that when there were thousands of us sick." This week, the argument ended. The Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans Illnesses, established by Congress, has released a report saying Gulf War Syndrome is a traceable illness that affects about 175,000 U.S. veterans. The illness is characterized by body rashes, widespread pain, chronic fatigue, respiratory and digestive problems, and is linked to a significantly higher incidence of Lou Gehrig's Disease as well as brain cancer.
Two suspected causes, according to the research panel, were the veterans' exposure to an anti-nerve gas drug - "pyridostigmine bromide" - as well as chemical pesticides used in the Middle East region. Fearing that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein would use chemical weapons against them, U.S. troops were inoculated against anthrax and other chemical agents before being sent to Saudi Arabia in 1990.
The report also said that other toxins could be involved as well, including the dense smoke from the burning oil fields in Kuwait and southern Iraq.
The report says, "Veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf War had the distinction of serving their country in a military operation that was a tremendous success, achieved in short order. But many had the misfortune of developing lasting health consequences that were poorly understood and, for too long, denied or trivial- ized."
For Walker and the thousands of Gulf War veterans who were sickened, there is nothing trivial about their illness.
Walker was a proud member of the 947th Medical Company when it shipped out to Saudi Arabia in November 1990, days after his second child was born. The medical company served for the next six months, enduring Scud missile attacks and breathing the black clouds of burning oil fields, while U.S. and coalition troops drove the Iraqi army out of Kuwait and forced Hussein to surrender.
Walker said the troops knew they were being exposed to toxic air and chemicals in the smoke and dust coming from the front. Personally, he never felt completely well again after receiving his anthrax vaccination.
"I trace my illness back to that anthrax vaccination," Walker said, a complaint shared by many other Gulf War vets.
After Operation Desert Storm ended, Walker returned to Pueblo and his job as an advocate for area veterans.
Then his sickness began, starting with a rash that became constant pain in his hands and arms. Then came the chronic fatigue that has left him bedridden at times. Ultimately, he had to quit his job as a veterans officer. That was nine years ago.
"I feel like I've lost a lot of my life to this illness," Walker said, his voice tinged with anger. "In fact, I know I have."
Walker and other Gulf War veterans didn't wait for the commission to do its work before pushing for action on their sickness. Congress passed special legislation years ago requiring the VA to treat a list of specific symptoms related to the Gulf War, so Walker has been able to get VA care for his constant pain and fatigue.
"But there have been a lot of Gulf veterans who didn't want to go through the headache of proving their symptoms were covered," Walker said. "Hopefully, this is the first step in getting them to come forward now and get the help they need."