November 03, 2006
British Soldier wins Gulf War Syndrome case
Even though he never served in the Gulf:
"Alex Izett, a former lance corporal in the Royal Engineers, won a case at the War Pensions Tribunal in Manchester, northwest England, in 2003 attesting that his ailments developed after vaccinations he received in 1991.More importantly, though, the UK court ruling in effect declares that Gulf War syndrome is real and that soldiers SHOULD be compensated and treated for the after effects of vaccinations, other medications, and environmental exposures during their service in the Gulf and pre-service staging.That ruling allowed him to to receive a pension for individual conditions such as the brittle bone disease osteoporosis that developed after army medics innoculated him against chemical and biological agents.
This stands in stark contrast to the "official" US view that there is no such thing as Gulf War Syndrome, based on a VA-funded study conducted on soldiers returning from the Gulf since 1990. In the US, veterans may only claim special disability benefits if they suffer from an UNDIAGNOSED illness that can be directly related to their Gulf War service.
Do you know how hard it is to get NO diagnosis? You must have at least a preliminary diagnosis in order to treat a patient appropriately. Sure, you can treat symptoms individually, but you must be able to draw some conclusions in order to avoid iatrogenic injury or disease.
Maybe our sick vets should go to Britain to get sicker be treated for their illnesses. At least they'll be appreciated and not belittled.
Well I think it's a pretty safe bet "Gulf War Syndrome" is depleted uranium poisoning. The U.S. Army uses depleted uranium tank gun rounds, depleted uranium is in the armour of the M1A2 Abrams tanks, their Air Force uses depleted uranium rounds for the rotary-barrel gun on the A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft, and who knows? It might also be used in 25mm rounds for the gun on the Bradley fighting vehicles and God only knows what all else. Anyway, when it impacts something it makes depleted uranium dust which then blows around in the air over there. In the case of the armour, just exposure within a metre or so for extended periods is very harmful. That is the mystery of "Gulf War Syndrome" and the depleted uranium was also used in the Balkans by U.S. forces.
Posted by: Realist at November 3, 2006 07:20 PM
