by TJ Moriarty

(OLNews@aol.com)

 

Trying to dismantle the myths and lingering questions behind the unexplained Gulf War Illness, "NORTHWEST VETERANS FOR PEACE" (NWVP) sponsored the first west coast medical conference on Persian Gulf War Syndrome (Sept 9th-10th.)

The two day event on the Portland State University campus provided an unprecedented opportunity for researchers, scientists, physicians, reporters, ill veterans and the curious to share the latest information. "The speakers will offer many different viewpoints, but there is one common thread. All of us here know someone who is suffering from Gulf War illness," said Carolyn Mills of NWVP during opening statements.

The list of selected speakers and panelists present were described as "heavy-hitters with an overwhelming goal -- as individuals they lead the world in Gulf War illness research and as a team, they are a concentrated mix of brilliance."

The first speaker, Peter Spencer, Ph.D., heads the Oregon Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology (CROET). Recently awarded a 2.6 million dollar federal grant, CROET is exploring the association between Gulf War vets and chronic health problems -- some of which, they feel, may be transmittable. Spencer's team is aiming their research at military personnel both with and without symptoms for comparison. Participation from the veterans and their families, Spencer stressed, is critical to finding solid scientific facts. "If vets don't continue to volunteer for research projects, we'll never get the answers we need."

In a panel discussion, a number of veterans voiced their frustrations about what they called a "governmental lack of response" to their medical complaints. Air Force veteran Betty Whitmer told me she's tired of hearing that "it's all in her head" by VA doctors. "I was med-vac'd out of Kuwait. There was something in the soil and the air that caused my neurological problems. We need answers. It's already taken several years to get the limited answers we have. Look at Vietnam with Agent Orange and the 27 years of silence."

25 year old Marine Sean Cowan says he turns to independent researchers and conferences to get answers, not to the VA. "The government has got to stop lying and denying the use of chemical weapons in the war. Something's killing us and we all heard those alarms sounding."

The Pentagon fervently denies detection or use of toxic agents by either Iraqi or Allied forces. VA reports suggest no such "Gulf War Syndrome" exists -- only scattered health problems, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Even the scientific community is divided on whether any "condition" exists and some agree with the Pentagon's stance, citing the need for more research. But others, many of them present at the conference, agree that no matter how intangible and mysterious the loose connections may be, something, or a combination thereof, is killing Gulf War vets.

Media reports on the suspected use of biological and chemical agents in the Gulf are readily available and continually surfacing. At the Portland conference, one speaker made an impressive and well-researched presentation on "Persian Gulf Syndrome and the Delayed Toxic Effects of Chemical Agent Exposure." The speaker, Jim Tuite, former aide to Senator Riegle and Special Assistant for National Security, intrigued me--stirring up images and questions through an array of recently declassified government documents. Tuite claims U.S. forces were repeatedly exposed to low but harmful levels of toxic fallout. "Something happened in the Gulf to make you all sick and we can't let it happen again." Tuite also cited reports from Czech military forces in the Gulf that he claims match with reports from U.S. soldiers about the presence of nerve agents. His findings show that U.S. troops were told by their superiors "to disregard the alarms" and warnings due to "malfunctioning alarm equipment." Tuite showed satellite photographs of plumes released from allied bombings confirming that the fallout from the bombings of the chemical weapons plants drifted downwind to unsuspecting allied troops.

The potential use of biohazards was only one of many hot topics at the conference. The possibility of immune suppression as a link to vet ilnesses was another. Howard Urnovitz, Ph.D. and Chief Science Officer at Calypte Biomedical in Berkeley first showed that one part of the government suggests there is a Gulf War related disease. He cited the report from the

There are no conclusive studies as to the potential dangers in this but Urnovitz and Dr. Charles Jackson, a specialist in Gulf War illnesses in Georgia believe a breakdown in the immune system could be a likely result. Dr. Jackson showed medical publications (dated back to 1947) describing the damaging effects to humans of chemical mustard gas agents when mixed with oil. Dr. Jackson speculated that such chemical/oil mixtures may have happened as a result of the burning oil fields.

The conference provided a much needed forum for veteran Tom Hare and his wife Kristine making the trek from Orange, Texas. "We came here to get new ideas and information so we can bring it back to the Vets in our area. Then we can raise some hell and get even non-Vets involved."

As a reporter at the conference, I left with a feeling of both progress and confusion--much like the state of Gulf War Syndrome research. But more importantly, I heard tales of suffering and triumph by the soldiers and their families, listened to medical breakthroughs and saw first-hand, the power of communication--all in hopes of finding the missing pieces. Although the evidence at the conference, at times, straddled the line between theory and fact, the conference itself marks a forward movement in what is now a domestic war.