The Leaf-Chronicle, Clarksville, TN January 27, 2003
http://www.theleafchronicle.com/news/stories/20030127/localnews/858376.ht
ml
Iraqi showdown stirs syndrome controversy
By CHANTAL ESCOTO, The Leaf-Chronicle
Johnny Eldridge, left, suffers from Gulf War Syndrome and was medically
retired from the Army in January 2001. He and his wife, Cheryl, who live
on Nathaniel Court, handle his shortness of breath, aching joints and
constant fatigue.
Johnny Eldridge, 29, described himself as a "gung-ho" soldier who always
went above and beyond his military duties while supplying fuel for troops
in the Persian Gulf during the 1991 Gulf War.
His job took him just about everywhere in the Saudi and Iraqi desert --
always with the chance of danger around the corner.
But after the U.S. victory in Iraq and the liberation of Kuwait, many
troops returned home with some unexplained sicknesses. Eldridge couldn't
understand where his fatigue, joint pain and labored breathing was coming
from.
Today, he has a 30-percent disability rating from the Army for his
illnesses. He thinks he should have a 100-percent rating based on Army
regulations.
"I think a whole lot of people don't realize about the Gulf War
Syndrome," said Eldridge, who lives in Clarksville. "I know the
government has invested a lot of money trying to figure out what it is
but they're trying to write it off as no such thing."
With troops building up in the Middle East for another potential showdown
with Iraq, some Gulf War veterans fear more soldiers could return home
with the mysterious illness known as Gulf War Syndrome. Currently, there
are an estimated 65,000 troops in the Middle East.
During the 1991 Gulf War, nearly 700,000 U.S. troops deployed to the
Middle East.
More than 150,000 military personnel have registered with the Department
of Defense Veterans Affairs for physical examinations pertaining to Gulf
War Syndrome symptoms, according to VA. Also, the federal government has
funded 145 research projects valued at more than $133 million to
understand the issue, according to VA.
But getting compensation or help for the mysterious illness has not been
easy. Army medical and civilian doctors diagnosed Eldridge as having
"Gulf War Syndrome" but later changed it to "chronic pain syndrome"
because the Department of Defense does not recognize Gulf War Syndrome as
a specific disease, but rather a combination of symptoms.
Those symptoms commonly include fatigue, joint pains, skin rash, sleep
problems, mood instability and trouble concentrating.
VA has approved more than 183,000 claims of Gulf veterans for service
injuries or illnesses of all kinds, including 3,117 approved under
regulations for undiagnosed illnesses, according to the most recent
statistics available from VA.
Causes for Gulf War Syndrome
Government and independent studies have given some clues as to causes for
Gulf War Syndrome, including exposure to chemicals and biological agents,
depleted-uranium ammunition, vaccines, allergic reactions or
psychological trauma, but nothing is conclusive.
As for staving off any future biological attacks, Assistant Secretary of
Defense for Health Affairs William Winkenwerder Jr. said the U.S.
military is prepared to protect its personnel against the use of
biological weapons, including the use of protective clothing and
equipment, detectors, vaccines, antibiotics and training.
But not all soldiers from the Gulf War have come down with symptoms,
making finding a cause and cure more difficult.
Clarksville resident and retired major Craig Harrington worked in Civil
Affairs while in the Gulf War and said he saw more oil fire smoke,
odd-looking ordnance and lived in worse conditions than most.
He and his fellow comrades never claimed to have the illness.
"We refused to take any of the pills they gave us. I had to take a
classified shot and never went back for the booster as they wouldn't tell
us what it was for," Harrington said. "I was at ground zero for a number
of scud disintegrations while moving civilians through a special
passenger terminal. I never knew someone to get sick, personally, and
never heard that any of my colleagues had gotten sick.
"If Gulf War Syndrome was or is real then I suspect it may have come from
the stuff the U.S. was injecting or making soldiers eat in pill form," he
said.
Clarksville resident Virgil L. Shaw worked on helicopters in the Gulf War
while with the 229th Attack Helicopter Battalion out of Germany.
He said that while he thinks the Gulf War Syndrome is real, it is
probably affecting people who are more susceptible to illnesses caused by
whatever the troops were exposed to.
"Everybody's different and different things affect them -- like allergic
reactions," Shaw said, but admits he "tires a little more easily than
before I went over there."
Eldridge said he knows the risks associated with being a soldier but
would like to see the government take more responsibility for their
troops.
"The soldiers are put in a bad situation, and they're basically used up
until they're not useful anymore," he said.
------------------------------------
Chantal Escoto covers military affairs and can be reached at 245-0216 or
by e-mail at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
------------------------------------
ON THE NET
For information about Gulf War Syndrome visit the Web sites
www.gulflink.osd.mil or www.va.gov or call (800) 749-8387 to ask
questions or schedule an examination.
------------------------------------
Copyright �2003 The Leaf-Chronicle.
