FWD:Gulf War Veterans' Time Leaves Lasting Impact On Their Health

From: byrd45 (Original Message) Sent: 4/24/2007 5:23 PM
Published Monday, April 2, 2007

Gulf War Veterans' Time Leaves Lasting Impact on Their Health

By Gary White
The Ledger



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PIERRE DUCHARME/THE LEDGER
Bobby George, a Gulf War veteran, sits with his dog Milo at home near Auburndale recently. George suffers from Gulf War Illness.

CONNECTED ARTICLES
Some Doctors, Friends, Relatives Dismiss Sickness

RESOURCES
- National Fibromyalgia Association, 714-921-0150; www.fmaware.org

- Lupus Foundation of America, 202-349-1155; www.lupus.org

- Lupus Foundation, Greater Florida Chapter, 800-684-9276; www.lupusflorida.org

- Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome Association of America, 704-365-2343; www.cfids.org

- Gulf War Veterans Resource Pages, www.gulfweb.org

- Department of Veterans Affairs, www1.va.gov/gulfwar

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Bobby George says he is an obvious example of cause and effect.

George, an Auburndale resident, says he was a healthy man when he headed to Saudi Arabia in 1990 as a member of the Florida National Guard's 325th Maintenance Company. Upon his return 10 months later, George's body began breaking down.

Now 57, the former runner and karate instructor has been confined to a wheelchair for years as a result of myopathy, a condition that makes his legs weak and rubbery. He also has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, forcing him to use a respirator. George's lungs are so sensitive he can't even bear to wear aftershave, and he hasn't been able to work in years.

George ascribes his many medical problems to Gulf War Illness, sometimes called Gulf War Syndrome, the names for an array of ailments reported by veterans of the first Gulf War. George and several other Polk County residents in the Lake Wales-based 325th Maintenance Company served during Operation Desert Storm, the military name for the action directed against Iraq after its invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

Gulf War Illness has been a source of controversy since shortly after the 700,000 servicemen and women started returning from the Middle East more than 15 years ago. Their medical complaints range from breathing problems, dizziness, fatigue and joint pain to Lou Gehrig's disease and cancer. Federally funded studies have found a 150 percent higher rate of illnesses among Gulf War veterans than soldiers not deployed, but the latest Institute of Medicine report found no evidence of a cluster of particular symptoms unique to those who served in the Persian Gulf.

George, a former mechanic at a hospital, blames his health decline on several experiences in the Persian Gulf. Shortly after its arrival, his unit was assigned to paint military vehicles a sandy color to match the desert conditions. George and fellow guardsmen say they were not given the necessary protection against breathing fumes from the carcinogenic paint.

He also cited exposure to exploded chemical warheads on Iraqi missiles and to weapons detonated after they were discovered by American troops.

Auburndale's Myron James, another member of the 325th, talked of passing oil wells set afire by Iraqis. James, now 49, described seeing the carcasses of sheep and camels, their deaths unexplained, during a mission in Saudi Arabia.

Scott Harrison of Bartow, who also served with the unit, said he wonders about the pills the guard members were given at the start of their mission to protect them in case of chemical attacks. Harrison said he and many other guardsmen became lightheaded, dizzy and nauseated after taking the pills. The unit, like thousands of other troops, also received injections of anthrax vaccine.

Some have blamed subsequent health problems on those vaccinations, though the military has denied such a connection.

Whatever the causes, James and Harrison have endured medical travails since returning from the Persian Gulf. James is on 13 medications and requires a ventilator to help him breathe at night. He continues to work as a landscaper but worries his frequent medical absences could endanger his job.

Harrison, now 42, said he began noticing physical problems soon after his return in 1991. He lists his ailments as asthma, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, joint and muscle pain, and recurrent bronchitis and flulike symptoms that interfere with his job as a certified nursing assistant.

Like George, James and Harrison say they had no health problems before their time in the Persian Gulf. In addition to their physical ailments, all three men report psychological disturbances resulting from their service. Harrison said he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder and endures flashbacks to a scud missile attack that occurred while he was on guard duty. James said he is subject to panic attacks.

The Department of Defense acknowledges that members of the 325th Maintenance Company were exposed to hazardous paint known as CARC (chemical agent resistant coating) without proper protective gear.

"CARC paint is a unique situation," said Dr. Michael Kilpatrick, deputy director for Force Health Protection and Readiness for the Department of Defense (DOD). "It certainly was an occupational exposure, and individuals of that 325th Unit have been identified and I think if they were to show up at a VA (clinic) … with medical problems the response should be very supportive for them because they rushed to do a job without the proper protection."

George, James and Harrison say they have had difficulties getting the military to recognize their medical woes. George said he was denied service-related disability payments through the Army for four years.

George and other veterans say they had to go outside the system to get confirmation of their ailments from private doctors. Harrison, for example, said it took 12 years before the VA determined his medical ills were related to his service.

"I didn't really get a lot of help from the VA in the beginning," Harrison said. "They said there was nothing there. That's when I had to go outside to a non-VA doctor to get proof. … It makes it harder. You're feeling isolated and alone, that nobody cares and I'm just in the world by myself trying to work through this problem."

Another member of the 325th, Bill Carpenter of Frostproof, has endured problems with breathing, muscle function and memory loss since returning from the Gulf. He worked for a while with the Desert Storm Justice Foundation, a nonprofit organization that advocated for veterans with health problems and now works informally to help fellow vets pursue VA claims. The group has since been dissolved.

George now keeps himself occupied communicating with other vets by phone or on the computer and puttering around in his shed. He said he has given up hope of ever getting out of his wheelchair, let alone running or practicing karate again.

"I won't walk again until they get the chemicals out of my system, which won't happen," George said. "It still gets to me sometimes."

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or at 863-802-7518.


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