Gulf War II - Defective Gas
Masks, Duct Tape, Disabilities, Death
Dr. Doug Rokke, PhD Major,
Medical Service Corps
U.S. Army Reserve
1-21-3
"GAS, GAS, GAS", those three words elicit immediate fear and action. If these words or any other alarm from a "siren" to "banging on metal" are heard military personnel must stop breathing while putting on their gas mask and securing it within 9 seconds. Then they must put on their chemical protective clothing "MOPP suit" within 5 to 7 minutes. The purpose of this equipment is to prevent breathing in and prevent skin contact with chemical, biological, or radiological poisons that may be used during Gulf War II or future battles by either Iraqi, the United States, or other nations. You must use both pieces of equipment!
to survive and they must not be defective! The essential life-saving assumption is that the gas mask and MOPP suit will work when you wear it. However, the Army's M40 series and the Navy's gas mask both leak when you move your jaw or head and when you sweat. Most of the masks also have numerous tears and holes in them. United States General Accounting Office investigators, U.S. Army reports, congressional testimony, and soldiers complaints have verified that the gas masks are defective and leak. These same reports have verified that over a quarter million MOPP suits that are defective have been issued to our troops, but they can't be located. U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL.) sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld dated November 27, 2002 asking him (quote) "to certify that military personnel who may be deployed in Iraq are adequately equipped against biological and chemical attacks". As of Jan 17, 2003, Representative Schakowsky's staff said that Secretary Rumsfeld has not provided that certification. Today, Pentagon officials have deployed and are deploying our nation's and Illinois' finest sons and daughters for war with defective gas masks and MOPP suits.
As reported in the Pentagraph Editorial "Bad time to have doubts on Army protective gear" (1/1/03) U.S. Army spokesman "Capt. Benjamin Kuykendall said the shortcomings are being addressed and many are minor ones that could be fixed in the field with DUCT tape". As an Army officer and expert in nuclear, biological, and chemical warfare I must emphasize that: DEFECTIVE GAS MASKS AND MOPP SUITS CANNOT BE FIXED WITH DUCT TAPE! DUCT tape is not impervious to the chemical, biological, and radiological agents and DUCT tape will come off the mask once it gets wet.
Source: Gulf War II - Defective Gas Masks, Duct Tape, Disabilities, Death
(http://www.rense.com/general33/dsdne.htm)
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