Former VA Chief Of Staff Linked To Gulf War Scandal

91 Comments

1. The Desert Storm After Action Reports, Bomb Damage Assessments, and Unit Logs were supposed to be released to the National Archives and Records Administration after 20 years. Just do an Archive search of Desert Storm FOIA, and you will find a document by the Defense Intelligence Agency submitted 12-2004, which states the Desert Storm records are “WITHDRAWN” from transfer. The Supervisory Archivist sent a letter stating that the National Archives did not have US Army Records of 7th Corps and it’s Units. The US Amy Freedom of Information and Privacy Act Division, refers FOIAS to the CENTCOM FOIA Division at Shaw Air Force Base, and the Department of Defense FOIA Appeals Division refers FOIAS to the US Army at Alexandria and to the National Archives. NO One really Knows where the Desert Storm Records are now? They think they were transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration. The Unit Logs are on a merry go-round. And there are SCUD launches that are not documented for some reason? A Water Distribution Bag Farm Northwest of Hafar Al Batin was rocked with 3 explosions and a chemical alert around February 19,1991. A Working Paper on Iraqs Short Range Ballistic Missiles, on Table 8, Lists a SCUD launch of 3 missiles striking the VII Corps Sector and leaving debris, 150 meters, from a “shower point”? But, the Working paper defined it to an earlier strike inside the city of Hafar Al Batin, on Feb 14th. The Joint Records Research review also questioned the times, whereby there were no US Space Command launch detections. Most likely, because it was on a different day, and occurred at one of the 7th Corps Water Points, which was under command of the National Guard. This Battalion also had 2 casualties, involving an accidental discharge and a truck accident in March 1991, and there are no Unit Logs, or After Action Reports? US Space Command Detected 97 SCUD Launches, and Iraq admits to 93, while CENTCOM confirms only 88. It is strange that the 3 explosions in the 7th Corps “Shower Point” are not listed, nor confirmed by CENTCOM after 25 years. We were instructed to take Chloroquine, and to continue the treatment after redeployment. Chloroquine is one of the medications used to treat chronic Q-Fever, coxiella burnetii infections. Iraq was also known to have a biological program using Q-Fever and Brucellosis. Why haven’t the Desert Storm Unit Records and Reports been turned over to the NARA after 25 years? Why haven’t the Service Organizations requested that the records be transferred to NARA?

2. The VA is going to wait many more years before they pay out one penny to these Gulf War syndrome vets. The shorter the longevity these vets are going to have 20 or 30 more years from now will save the VA a lot of money on GWS. It’s the same thing they’ve done to us Agent Orange vets

   1. “GULF WAR SYNDROME TIED TO NEW FDA SIDEFFECTS OF CIPRO” ttp://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/01/06/gulf-war-illness-tied-to-cipro-antibiotics/

      Cipro was the antibiotic given in tablet form to prevent Anthrax poisoning. It’s more like chemotherapy as it attacks DNA in bacteria and also in the human body causing lifelong problems that can be passed down generations. Tendons, cartilage and ligaments are the first to go. Cipro Destroys mitochondria leading to chronic fatuge. Destroys the protective layers of nerves leading to muscle twitches spasms, nerve pain, strange sensations, brain damage etc… Given how many of you are effected, I believe this to be more likely than exposure to depleted uranium and nerve gas etc.. There is numerous scientific literature that people have never seen.

      1. Slick, I agree Cipro could contribute to GWI, but I doubt it is the main reason. Many units, myself included, never took Cipro. There were many things we were exposed to, vaccines, NAPP, Cipro, DU, Oil fire, nerve gas, etc. There is no medical study I know of that proves we have been exposed to any one of them, let alone any medical study that would show what effects we have from being exposed to multiple toxins.

      2. I’m now in South Dakota. Today on the ‘local stations’, the General in charge of the “State US Army Reserve Units” wanted all Members to go to the VA and get checked out for ‘Airborne Chemicals and Burn-pit Chemicals’. I believe he may be referring to what you all have been writing about on this ‘site’! My prayers on thoughts go out to all of you!

   2. It seems the 1st and 2nd ‘Gulf War Vets’ are really screwed. Especially when it comes to the many forms of ‘Chemicals’ which were used and/or destroyed over there. We Vietnam vets had to learn of the chemicals (24-D & 245-T) of ‘agent orange’ from an article in “Hustler Magazine”! Isn’t that a kicker?!
      When it finally surfaced, no one would believe us. So, I, and many other vets, wish you all the best of luck getting the compensation you deserve.
      I believe it’s going to be a long road for every vet that was there, as Dennis says.

3. So, my final comment tonight…I mentioned Depleted Uranium above being used for munitions. Natural uranium is made up of 3 isotopes, U234, U235 and U238. U238 is what is left over from the enrichment process. Many years ago the DOD wanted to find uses for it since it is essentially nuclear waste, and with 2.2 billion pounds left over from our own enrichment, they had a ready stockpile. The other reason for using it as a munition is that the previous metal used, Tungsten, was mainly mined in China. Not good to sole-source with an enemy, so some genius thought of using DU.

   Also as I said above, 697,000 pounds were fired in the Gulf War, and exposure to one tenth of a gram was supposed to trigger medical testing according to Army regulations at the time.

   I have heard from many tankers over the years that a DU round is a fantastic tank killing round. It is used in the Arbams, A-10, other munitions, and as ballast since it is heavy similar to lead. It may be a great round to use, but ground soldiers are exposed to whatever is left.

   In a comment above, I mentioned the DOD doing testing at a proving ground. That was actually the Jefferson Proving Ground in Indiana. They had fired DU rounds on a range there, and eventually cleaned up the range and wanted to turn it over to the community. Someone was concerned over possible exposure to DU, like deer hunters eating meat from deer on the grounds. The DOD tested those deer for exposure, but tested for the presence of U236. According to the report, U236 is a man-made isotope that is created during the enrichment process, so if deer had U236 in their systems, they were exposed to DU, from the munitions fired on the range.

   I know this because I received that report from a FOIA I had filed years ago. During a meeting at the Pentagon in 1997-1998 on the DOD’s GulfLink report on DU exposures, they tried passing off some lame RAND Corporation report as DU being harmless. The claim was that it could be eaten like a candy bar, but most of it would be expelled, which was bullshit. I passed copies of the Jefferson Providing Ground report around the table and asked whether any tests were performed for U236. No vets had been tested for it. The representative from RAND said they would have to look at the issue and revise their report. They never did. I will never forget the DAV representative at the same meeting getting pissy with me claiming too much money was being wasted on Gulf Vets, and not enough spent on other vets.

   1. Sir, I am glad someone finally mentioned the DAV on this site. Please go to “DAV REFORM’S” website, then click on the ‘Comments section. You, and many others here will be amazed at what that ‘organization is, and has been, up to!
      I think all here will be surprised as to the voracity of many ‘top officials’ and what they have NOT accomplished for the veterans.. The DAV also is “in Bed” with the VA. No matter where one goes, there is a DAV Rep inside a VA…..

      1. Crazy Elf, you are correct about the VA and the veterans service groups but don’t forget the VSO’s. As one Under Secretary of the VA in the Senate Hearings last year “The VSO’s and the NSO’s are in “PARTNERSHIP” with the VA! That explains why there is no action or documentation of the violations that permeate this failed VA Medical System and the VARO (every where) also, why they protect the rights of NO VETERAN! They do want your membership though, or is it instead of membership $$$$? I find after having been in the system that they (I include 90% all the VA) are bigot’s, prejudice, incompetent over paid and last in their class if they went to medical school at all!

4. So now that I have had a chance to read both articles, the facts are that this has been known for many years, and the VA has done everything in it’s power to deny veterans medical care for our exposures there. I know this is long, but they are the facts which can be verified by researching some media articles from the late 1990’s, or finding the UNSCOM reports at the UN web site.
   It is infuriating that the media also knew much of this, and ignored veterans in favor of Pentagon, CIA and VA lies. There were very few in the media that reported on this consistently. John Hanchette of Gannet News writing for USA Today was one. The LA Times would run a few stories, and the Hartford Courant, but not many others. I did feed several stories to an Army Times reporter who did some good reporting on this, but then stopped in favor of keeping her access to the Pentagon.
   Veterans were sick in 1991, and it took many veterans writing to Reigle and Riegle holding hearings for much of anything to start happening. I was still in the Army Reserves in 1992, and at the end of the day, I could pick out every soldier who had been deployed to the Gulf from our company formation because they looked like they were falling asleep on their feet. Fatigue has been a major problem for Gulf War vets. Rockefeller also held hearings, but not much was accomplished. It did embarrass the committee’s and Gen. Schwarzkopf when he testified before them and claimed there were no chemical casualties, when a couple days later PFC David Fishers Purple Heart citation was released to the public showing he was the Mustard gas casualty mentioned in the article. I don’t recall which committee chairman said publicly they could do nothing to Schwarzkopf for misleading the committee since he wasn’t sworn in in deference to his rank.
   As the articles show, these exposures were blown wide open in late 1996 early 1997, but not only because UNSCOM went public. A Gulf War veteran from Michigan who had been in contact with Reigle had received unit logs showing chemical agents were present, and also had a video showing the demolition. He was going to publicly release it at the Presidential Advisory Committee hearing in Chicago in 1997, and I believe to pre-empt that release, the PAC invited Charles Deulfer of UNSCOM to the hearing to testify on what was found there. Deulfer showed a video of the inspection at Khamisiyah from late 1991, and it showed personnel in full MOPP gear with rockets strewn all over from the demolition. He testified that it was too dangerous at that time for his team to even start surveying the chemical weapons there because of Sarin leaking from damaged rockets. He also testified there were numerous intact 122mm rockets there filled with Sarin nerve agent.
   This PAC hearing went on another day, but by the end of the day that Deulfer and the veteran testified, the Pentagon admitted there were chemical weapons present, and claimed only 400 were exposed. The article mentions the Pentagon contacting 20,000 claiming they were exposed, but that was months later, and only because the Pentagon had to continually revise the number higher as it was proven by veterans that more veterans were near the blown munitions bunkers. They kept claiming the wind was blowing the wrong way for anyone to have been exposed, until wind data was provided showing they were lying. Ultimately, the CIA got involved and came up with some computer model fantasy showing how the fallout came down over the tops of troops, and admitted up to 120,000 were exposed. Much of this can be found at the DOD web site set up to appease veterans and the media, GulfLink.
   For years we were told the VA could not diagnose our illnesses, but after it was admitted we were exposed to chemical weapons, Congress was more willing to pass legislation. In late 1997, early 1998, they passed what we know as the undiagnosed illness law allowing service connection for illnesses the VA had not been able to diagnose for years. Miraculously the VA suddenly started giving many Gulf War vets any frivolous diagnosis in order to avoid the law. It did not matter that the diagnosis was NOT based in any medical science. Since a diagnosis was given, veterans must have claimed that disease within 1 year of leaving active duty, and because many did not, many were denied their claims. To this day, I believe the number service connected under this law is less than 15,000. There are more dead than that by this time. Other legislation has been passed then allowing for the presumption of service connection for certain illnesses, but the VA is still denying many claims and ignoring the law.
   Why was this covered up and ignored? I firmly believe it is because the Pentagon wanted nothing to do with it, the VA did not want to deal with it, Congress did not want to fund the medical care, the WH wanted nothing to do with it since it happened during the Bush administration, and the media was happy to help ignore Clinton doing anything about it. It also helped keep the status quo with the No-Fly Zone in Iraq, and Clinton didn’t have to take further action. I had a meeting at VAHQ in 1997 with the Acting VA Secretary at the time, Herschel Gober, the head of the VA Gulf War illness program, and the head of the Persian Gulf Registry. I was shocked that Admiral Busick, Liason to the WH was also in the meeting. It did not matter what questions I asked, the VA would not respond until they got a nod from Busick.
   The article mentions Jim Tuite. He was a staff investigator for Riegle trying to uncover what had happened. In the late 1990’s, he obtained data from NOAA showing weather satellite images which showed a plume of chemical agent was blown into the air when the Air War started in mid January 1991. 2 days later, the images show the plume over soldiers in northern Saudi Arabia, just when chemical alarms were starting to go off. Many of these were M-8 chemical alarms, and Congress eventually found those alarms were calibrated to alarm to chemical agents at 1,000 times more potent than known to cause health effects. There were also numerous FOX chemical vehicles which I believe used a gas chromatagraph to detect chemicals. Conveniently, all of the tapes and printouts from those vehicles disappeared. The Pentagon had a hard time answering Congress why such supposedly defective equipment was still in use years later if it was so poor.
   The article mentions many of those close to the demolition have severe illnesses, or are dead. That is true, and was true as far back as 2000 when the VA actually was forced to study it. It was shocking to see the deaths and illnesses depicted on a map, and the severity got worse the closer a vet was to the demolition.
   As for medical care and research, many Gulf War veterans were being diagnosed with ALS. Eventually VA data was leaked (the VA was covering it up) to the media showing how many Gulf veterans were being treated for ALS, and that number was 128 out of 700,000 deployed. The prevailing rate of ALS in the general population is 1 out of 500,000. The VA quickly allowed ALS to be presumed service connected to the Gulf because many veterans were dying from it before the VA would approve their claims.
   By late 1999, the VA and DOD had a lock on Gulf War medical research, and had spent over $200 million, mostly doing BS research suggesting our illnesses were stress related. Another law passed in 1998 allowed independent research to be funded, and the VA refused to implement that process until 2003-2004. About 5-10 million per year has been used for that independent research since then, and many researchers have found specific physical problems with Gulf War vets.
   Not only were military members affected, but many military contractors were as well. Not only were vets exposed to chemical weapons, but we were given untested, unapproved vaccines as mentioned in the comments. We were also exposed to the oil smoke, some so bad they were coughing up black mucus, or black snot. We were also exposed to depleted uranium. To date, any medical research has mainly focused on illnesses, not which exposure caused them. Perhaps in another rant I can detail the many thousands and types of chemical warheads UNSCOM actually found. US Military members were a part of UNSCOM, and the Pentagon covered up what they found for years.

   1. You should write a book about this under a pseudonym to protect yourself and to fully inform Veterans of what really went down. Thanks for all this info. I am well aware of the “special depleted uranium munitions” used by the recently retired A-10 “Tank Killer Fighter Planes of USAF”, as I have a Great Uncle that flew those exclusively for many years and he explained the sickeningly crazy power those rounds possess. To add insult to injury, those munitions used by the A-10 for Tanks, et al, are indeed made with depleted uranium 238 that facilitates piercing incredibly thick metals, then at same split second white phosphorous burns/melts through then wickedly explodes into a fiery inferno, completely destroying whatever it hits…then there’s the tailings spread all over of this depleted uranium…which you covered quite well.
      Please consider a book on all this before it’s fully buried in the deep sands of the “fog of war”!

5. Thank-you for the opportunity to bring important information to other U.S. suffering Veterans:

   1. DVA January 2010 Compensation & Pension Bulletin Policy (211) Information on Vietnam Naval Operations … that provides the presumption of exposure to the crew of ships that operated on “rivers” and “deltas” … even if the ships were not on the Bulletins immediate ships list. Hence covers “NO BOOT ON GROUND”.
   2. The June 2010 DVA Compensation & Pension Policy (211) ADDITIONAL Information on Vietnam Naval Operations… ships list…Received by the Senate Committee… considers itself part of the January 2010 Compensation & Pension Bulletin.
   3. The Nehmer Court Order: The Nehmer Training Guide February 2011 .
   4. Congressional Research Services / Statutory Presumptions (by law clerk Nichols October 2010)… applies to Vietnam Veterans. Congressional Research Services / Statutory Presumptions is for ALL VETERANS. Compare the Nehmer Court Order.
   5.The CRS / Statutory Presumptions applies to all Era’s VETERANS.
   6. The anchorage area within Da Nang Harbor is the focal point of “an” ESTUARY made up of the Cu De “RIVER” and the Han “RIVER”. The focal point is surrounded by 3 shorelines; well sheltered from the open sea; well within the geographical territory of Vietnam. The Estuary defined content is of the 2 “RIVERS” draining into the anchorage area and runoffs from the 3 shorelines. My information is that the crew of other ships are getting compensation and health care … uss Cleveland / uss Oklama city…
   7. Guam has been confirmed for AO and TCE contamination in the water. The edges of the runway was frequently sprayed to keep nature from overtaking the runways. Nonetheless, a major clean-up was said to have been done on Guam. Panama (the Panama Canal area) was sprayed in the 1960’s.
   8. The Nehmer Court Order seems to be founded on Congressional Research Servives / Statutory Presumptions to which seems to be substantive evidence of Congress’ intent.
   Yes, feel free: yescontactme @ yahoo.com
   9. The Nehmer Working Group Lawyers address can be found in The Nehmer Court Order …
   Yes, feel free: [email protected]. This is my last entry …

   1. Who is the law clerk Nichols for the Congressional Research in 2010 ?

6. For all my fellow Gulf War Veterans, the deadline is approaching to have your evidence recorded, ie: patient records to make a properly documented claim for GWI/GWS.
   You hear lip service to the term “presumptive condition” for things like Agent Orange and Gulf war syndrome and you are led to believe because you were “in theater” that you are automatically covered and are eligible for said claim.
   The fact is, for all the research i have done personally, when the time comes for a C & P exam, you had better have multiple document visits describing your symptoms in your record, you probably have symptoms that you don’t even realize are possibly related to the Illness caused by exposure.
   The fact is most folks focus on the sarin gas exposure, but you should be equally worried about the preventative measures you were forced to take to supposedly help you resist the exposure to nerve agents.
   report report report
   document document document

   1. You are certainly correct in what you say. Not only multiple records showing the symptoms reported, but it still comes down to a VA rater KNOWING the law, which many don’t, or ignore. In addition to the Nerve Agent Pretreatment Pills (NAPP) that you mention there was also CARC paint. Chemical Agent Resistive Coating paint that all our vehicles were painted with. I mention this not because thousands were exposed, but there were many, and they suffered horribly. I attended some military training in Florida in 1996 and met another Gulf vet there. He appeared to be a somewhat healthy E-7. His unit was assigned to paint vehicles in the Gulf using CARC paint, but they were only given dust masks for protection rather than respirators as required. I saw that veteran again a couple years later at a vets conference in Tampa, and he was in a wheel chair. He was shaking so bad from neurological effects from the CARC paint he couldn’t hold a drink cup. Not many know the Air Force did significant air sampling in the Gulf. I believe they were concerned over what might float over Kuwait City. I obtained those air sample reports years ago through FOIA, and it showed some nasty shit floating through the air. Kuwait City was more concerned with the fire involving Depleted Uranium a few years later at Camp Doha, Kuwait. That fire burned for 3 days, and they knew DU had burned, but no soldier was warned or tested for exposure as Army regulation requires. There were some pissed off Kuwaiti’s though.
      They had some foreign nationals cleaning up the mess afterwards using just dust masks.

7. this is an absolute must read as well

   https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/30/honolulu-va-office-manipulated-data_n_6973322.html

8. This article should be required reading in every high school in America. More U.S. veterans have probably been killed by their own government than by all the freedom fighters in Iraq and Afghanistan combined – and for WHAT??? How did the invasion of either country help either that country or the U.S.?

   It’s also worth noting that U.S. troops are the epitome of courage – as long as they’re backed up by Xbox and helicopter gunships and are wearing body armor. But once they get back to the States, they become as docile as anyone; I doubt that more than one in a thousand has the nerve to engage in political activism.

   Boys and Girls – The U.S. military is a raw deal and a disgrace. Stay away.

   1. David Blomstrom: I have made sure that I reached out to many young people to research the “substantive evidence” of : 1. The DVA’s January 2010 Compensation & Pension Bulletins Policy (211) Information on Vietnam Naval Operations provides the crew of ships presumption of exposure to herbicides(etc.) that operated in “rivers” and “deltas”…even though not of that immediate ships list. And, the June 2010 C&P Bulletin Policy (211) ADDITIONAL Information on Vietnam Naval Operations …Received by Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs…. 2. Congressional Research Services / Statutory Presumptions (by law clerk Nichols October 2010). 3. The Nehmer Court Order: The Nehmer Training Guide (211A) February 2011 (infers sanctions against VA for non-compliance) 4. And, the Nehmer Court Order: the Nehmer Training Guide February 2011 Revised (without the paragraph to sanctions’ against the DVA for non-compliance and without reference to (Policy) 211A. 5. Congressional Research Services / Statutory Presumptions (October 2010) applies to ALL VETERANS. 6. The Vietnam “Conflict ” was a F-N body count “WAR”. 7. Let’s adopt the 1960’s song ” EVE OF DESTRUCTION” Vietnam Veterans’ and All Veterans a National Song Memorial “&.”. Where do you come from human-killers. Where are you going space conquerors.9. Yes, lottery regulations require that tickets are purchased in a member state “AND” from a licensed retail location. The licensed retail location CASH REGISTER “machine” RECEIPT is the means to control all payouts including the Jackpot. Hence, The 7-Eleven Elmira NY licensed retail location CASH REGISTER “machine” RECEIPT is substantive evidence of E. Pluribus Unum: ” I ” . Likewise, for the Power Ball Lottery to AWARD (anything) tom THOSE (to anyone) that were not required to “BEAR” the licensed retail location CASH REGISTER “machine” RECEIPT is identity theft and “TAX EVASION” : Yes, “IT” is lottery regulations that require that tickets are purchased in a member state…”AND”…from a licensed retail location. Yes, imagine, of purchasing a lottery ticket, the licensed retail location CASH REGISTER “Machine” RECEIPT was/ is free for the asking to all. Therefore, of “I-F” ; N-P-N and/or P-N-P to enter and win; Void where prohibited by law, please pay up now. (ten). Yes, Get your own F-N lottery ticket and the CASH REGISTER “machine” RECEIPT / Jackpot Ticket. Yes, imagine, of purchasing a lottery ticket, the licensed retail location CASH REGISTER “machine” RECEIPT is substantive of ” I think ” therefore ” I ” am the “bearer” of the feather of truth. O (zero) has valence; “N” : N-P ; P-N ; N-P-N ; P-N-P ; N-P-N-P ; P-N-P-N ; N-P-N-P-N ; P-N-P-N-P. N+P ; P+N ; N+P+N ; P+N+P ; N+P+N+P ; P+N+P+N ; N+P+N+P+N ; P+N+P+N+P etc
      The feather of truth is commonly known as the additive inverse. ” O-F ” SETI : !!!!! wow !!!!! , I see that from of the space only that ” across the table” that the DATA received was written down appears: iiiii … MOM… iiiii. etc., etc., etc., etc., etc…. Yes, imagine, of purchasing a lottery ticket, the licensed retail location CASH REGISTER” machine:” RECEIPT “was” free for the asking to all. Therefore, please pay up now.

   2. The Gulf War Illness Veterans are headed to Washington DC on April 20th for federal research funding and we contacted every Congressional member via email and calling Veteran Staffers on Capitol Hill. The letter was from Sen. Tammy Baldwin to the Senate and Representative Roe as one of the endorsing members from the House…but he did have another supporter. There were over 65 Congressional members who already identified themselves for the “Aye”…. It’s true we have many veterans who are unable to fight politicians, but it’s surprising how over 8,300 Gulf War Illness Veterans are sending letters to interim Undersecretary of Health Carolyn Clancy and Department of Benefits Allison Hickey. Our other group has over 12,000 members who advocate for themself or have helped their comrades get established with a NSO/VSO. Many of us advocate for our state of residence and help other veterans get the resources they need at their VA under their primary care physician and other programs.

9. Read Vaccine A, the book. The guy who wrote it is forever sorry he went so far as to put it in writing. At one point he had the MIB on his every move. For the supporters of the veterans who were harmed by the vaccine, who worked as an organization to fight for them, which I was one of, I stopped when the spook vehicles starting parking outside of my house.

   I was one of the people who had the mystery shots for the first Gulf deployment. It was the start of numerous strange illnesses still accumulating in my body.

   Read Vaccine A. It’s a real eye opener.

   History repeats itself. Agent Orange was from the last war. Now the truth is just emerging about the Gulf and subsequent “Operations.”

   1. Over the years, many have suggested Vaccine A was actually an Anthrax vaccine. There is suggestions that these vaccines were boosted with an adjuvant so they could cut the doses since they did not have enough for everyone. You could take a half dose, add the adjuvant, and it was supposed to be as strong as a full dose. We received one before deploying, and our Company Commander became so sick, he was hospitalized for a few weeks, and never deployed with us. We were told we were supposed to have a booster within 90 days, and I regret to this day that I helped get many in our unit to a hospital unit in the Gulf to get that second shot. There were NO records of who got that second shot, other than me standing outside the tent noting initials of those who got it as fast as I could.
      There was also a Vaccine B, but I do not recall what that was supposed to be. I have also heard over the years some units received a Vaccine C, but if that is true, it was not many who got it.
      The problem is, the Vaccines given were not approved for the way they were used, and the DOD never gave any soldier what is known as Informed Consent. That is a form that is supposed to be given to those given medications that are used in a non-FDA approved manner.
      The Anthrax shots are interesting. They were produced by a company in Michigan called Michigan Biologic Products. They produced a few vaccines every year for those involved in the cattle or wool industry who might be exposed to Anthrax from livestock. Evidence suggests the DOD had to use an Adjuvant to boost the doses when the Gulf War started, because they did not have enough Anthrax vaccines for all. After the war, the DOD acted as if Anthrax was a major threat, so they mandated every swinging richard in uniform to receive it. It just so happened that Michigan Biologic Products was sold to investors, including a Lebanese person, and Admiral William Crowe, former Chair JCS also had a stake in the company. The new company was called Bioport at the time, and appears to be called Emergent Solutions now. Anyway, because of currently military getting sick from getting the Anthrax shot, who had never deployed to the Gulf, Congress got involved again. Their investigation found that Bioport had no control over the potency of their vaccine from dose to dose, and foreign material had been found in doses, including gasket material. SecDef William Cohen was pushing the Anthrax vaccine at the time, but because of this investigation, he decided the DOD would pull their doses from use, but keep them as emergency stocks. I don’t know what ever happened to the mandate that every soldier in uniform receive that shot.

      1. I meant to mention above that after the Congressional investigation found the gasket material in Anthrax vaccines, the DOD voluntarily shut down the vaccine production line in order to prevent their license to produce the vaccine from being pulled by the FDA. They did so to clean up their production process and save their license. The FDA previously claimed they had no authority over the DOD Anthrax vaccine, until the Congressional investigation found out how sloppy the production was.

10. My thoughts? Um like a major DUH? Or should I just say a brain fart? Sadly as the medical community in the Navy, we all had our contacts and the coordinates where each one of our own was the area that they were in. When I got a letter from my own person, he stated, “we’ve been hit by gas and I am ready to end my life. He didn’t but we are not a group of morons who dodo not know are shit. That is like stating the USS RONALD REAGAN NEVER KNEW WHAT SO EVER THEY WERE PUTTING SAILORS IN DANGER KNOWING NUCLEAR EXPLOSION? NO PROTOCOL FOLLOWED? ALL SERVICE PEOPLE TRAIN FOR IT. SURPRISED? NO. I HAVE SEEN ENOUGH, READ ENOUGH, CANNOT HELP ENOUGH BECAUSE PROPER TREATMENT IS NOT BEING DONE ON OTHER AREAS IN THE VA SYSTEM! LIE? YOU MEAN THE GOOD OLE USA? YEAH WHATEVER, I DO NOT BELIEVE HALF, WAIT 100% OF ANYTHING THEY SAY! “AS THE CROW FLYS,” JUST CURIOUS HAS ANYONE BEEN ABLE TO FIND A CROW THAT WILL LET YOU CATCH A RIDE THAT ARE GOING TO THE VA?

    1. https://ecowatch.com/2013/12/27/ronald-reagan-cancer-sue-tepco-fukushima-radiation/

11. Tell us what go to the original source of the story. The Washington Spectator. And read what was said. Newsweek picked the story up from them and ran it. The larger part of this story with supporting documents will be out on 1 April.

12. Amazing cover up. I first learned about the Newsweek article last night. When I typed “sarin gas” into Google News, there were no other reports on this incident. When I did the same search perhaps an hour later, the Newsweek article was no longer listed; instead, there were links to a flurry of articles about the 20th anniversary of a sarin gas attack in Tokyo. When I typed in “sarin gas” + “Iraq” I got hits from articles warning about those evil Muslims getting their hands on biochemical weapons.

    I enlisted in the U.S. Navy after I got out of high school, in 1973. I was immediately lied to – big time.

    That was when I stopped supporting America’s wars as well as the troops. How the Hell can you warn young, naive kids about the evils of the military when you’re chanting “I support the troops” at the same time.

    If you like getting scr*wed or simply enjoy murdering people in other countries, join the military.

    I’ll be doing my part to publicize this issue on my website @ http://www.politix.us once I get it upgraded, hopefully in the next couple months.

    My heroes are in Latin America, not the lying corporate White House.

    Viva la revolucion!

    1. Bloomstrum, you are not welcome in these United States, you are the coward that ISIS is. Bitch! You will have a difficulty being up graded because your life has been down graded to a Slug. All one needs to do is poor salt on you and watch you melt away…Double Bitch!

       1. I’m a coward??? LOL – You’re just another right-wing retard who thinks he’s Jesus Christ just because he wore “the uniform.” The irony is that morons like you don’t need sarin gas-induced Alzheimers; you’re already bonkers.

       2. Broomstick, I can only hope that you die a slow and painful death, you are what is wrong with this world so why don’t you take your lily white ass and suck on the business end of a .45! Your picture screams of COWARD and no matter what you have to write the amount of veterans you have disgraced with your wasteful thought, your nothing more than a than a fucking wimp, that has no purpose here on this earth. So, do us all a favor and go suck on that .45 because Latin America needs more fertilizer. COWARD! Your picture reek’s of a person that was ignored all their life, a recluse with no friend’s because know one wants to be in the same area as you. Yes, you are a pitiful coward and you would do well in the ISIS group because of the “no intelligence needed, clause” your a natural! I sorry that you were rejected from the military, but you should be use to it because you probably have been a failure all your miserable life and not accepted by any group or sports team you have tried to join. Poor, Broomstick he/she will never be a man

13. goes along with Ben’s article…

    Vets Hurt by Chemical Weapons in Iraq Get Apology, Promise of Awards
    Stars and Stripes | Mar 27, 2015

    https://mil-com.me/1MqjzfJ

    interesting article. some of the comments at the bottom are interesting to say the least.

14. Oh what a tangled web we weave, if first we practice to deceive.

    Keep fighting soldiers!

    1. To; BTC/USN Retired
       I don’t know if your aware of the following ‘facts’, so here they are: 1.) The Lake Nona (Orlando), Fl. VA Hospital is hundreds of millions of dollars over-budget and years away to being completed. When 200 vets were transferred to its’ new ward in 2014, 100 came down sick, because NO ONE checked the water. 2.) The new “State of the art VA hospital” in Las Vegas wants million of dollars to expand its’ existing building. From what I’ve been told they aren’t going to get it. BTW, the Las Vegas VA has ‘color changing walls and many other attractions to keep the vets entertained”!? Who needs that, for God’s sake!!!
       During the past year, many “Scandalous” news articles have been brought forth by the news media. I see only one problem with this. We, in Florida, do NOT hear what’s going on in other states. As you, and other vets, do not hear what’s going on in our state. My “Brother” in Illinois does not hear what’s going on from many other states. Can you see what’s happening? There needs to be, in my opinion, MORE news coverage NATION WIDE! Where the vets, family and friends of vets and TAXPAYERS are made aware as to what the VA has been up to (for decades). Where are the ‘Woodward and Bernstein’ when we need them.
       Are you aware of what is, and has been going on at the WLAVA (West Los Angeles VA) below Brentwood, Calif. for many years. It has to do with 338 or 388 acres of land which was “bequeathed” TO veterans in 1888. To be used for and by vets ONLY! From what I have read Mr. McDonald recently screwed them and allowed businesses on the land which has nothing to do with helping vets!
       There are SO many ‘factual stories’ coming to ‘light’. It is hard to imagine the (corrupt) VA actually becoming an Organization which truly helps the veterans!!! At least that’s what I, and millions of veterans, believe today.

       1. Crazy Elf,

          I only brought up Denver and New Orleans because I had intimate knowledge of those projects, being a part of the contracting team assigned to the VA’s Office of Construction and Facilities Management (CFM). The contracts that were used were deliberately made or written to overrun by billions of dollars. In other words, the contracts were illegal and expressly prohibited by the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR). I tried to stop the use of these contracts but to no avail. I even contacted the VAOIG and the US House Committee on Veterans Affairs way back in 2009 and 2010 respectively. I even went so far as to speak up about it in front of VA’s own 700+ acquisition professionals during a very lavish 3-day conference in Orlando, FL, in the presence of John Gingrich, Glenn Haggstrom, and many other very high level officials in VA Procurement. As I expected, 3 months after my infamous speech, I was fired by no less than the highest official in VA Procurement (OAL&C), the recently “retired” Glenn Haggstrom himself.
          I knew about the other projects that you mentioned about but I did not have direct involvement in those projects. I did a little research about the Orlando project for the Committee while I was still inside and what I found out was that those other contracts were done in a similar manner as those ones for Denver and New Orleans, therefore the results are/were the same: nauseating cost overrun and years of delays. And the government (VA) property giveaway, it happened in North Chicago (Great Lakes), Illinois too: 85 acres of prime property given away (by Shinseki) for nothing in return.

          The point I was trying to make in my prior postings was that the Watchdogs in Congress particularly Miller, Coffman, Senator Murray, and sad to say my own Senators in Illinois knew what was going on but did nothing to stop it.

15. “Gingrich later went on to oversee one of the most scandal heavy periods at VA in modern history as chief of staff,…”

    If you dig deeper into his tenure as Chief of Staff, you’ll find his fingerprints all over every major scandal that are just now unfolding within VA, including in no small measure the billions of dollars of cost overrun in VA’s construction projects.

    But then again, none of these things could happen if the so-called VA Watchdogs, the US House Committee on Veterans Affairs, particularly Chairman Jeff Miller and Sub-committee Chairman Mike Coffman, have been doing their jobs and are not allowing things to happen. They knew about the billion($$$) dollar construction disasters in Denver and New Orleans since 2010 and 2012 respectively (Miller and Coffman). Now they are about to punish everyone in VA including good employees who had nothing to do about the cost overrun by withholding the bonuses for the whole department. But if you look beyond the smokescreen, Miller and Coffman are again, as expected, set to give more money – the withheld bonus and more – to the contractors. And now the Army Corps of Engineers are in-charge of the projects? Talking about the fox guarding the henhouse! Way to go Mike Coffman – you are really bringing home the big bacon to your district aren’t you? Who cares about the veterans, huh?

    1. I have been told the House Committee is slowly unraveling the scandals it knows of so that the steady stench of scandal keeps building up to the 2016 election. Some other “yes men” are still lingering in VA who helped in other cover-ups while in the Army including retired Gen. Gina Farrisee who is was admonished for her roll in the Pat Tillman friendly-fire cover-up. Rumor has it, Gina Farrisee is serving as a stop gap preventing much accountability (firing bad employees). I’m cannot attest to the veracity of the rumor, however.

       1. They definitely keep a steady stream of steaming poop flowing…it may-well be this 2016 Presidential Election that becomes a wind of change regarding the VA and treatment of all Veterans.
          Keep up the great work, Ben! Will donate in next day or so.

       2. Ben, maybe you’ve of heard of rumors that potential challengers to Coffman and Miller in 2016 already have in their possession, copies of criminal evidence of the massive coverup of the corruption in VA’s OAL&C, evidence that Coffman and Miller have been sitting on in Committee since 2010. Maybe it is not a rumor at all. I’m still wondering to this day why Rep. Bill Johnson of Ohio got kicked out of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations and replaced by no other than Mike Coffman. Maybe Mr. Johnson did his job too well and actually did his oversight and investigations, perhaps? Questions for Chairman Miller: What didn’t you like about real oversight, Sir? And why don’t you do some real oversight, Sir, maybe you just might like it?

       3. @ BTC/USN Retired — I heard Johnson was asked to go when he pushed really hard on a big pharma company that donated quite a bit to Jeff Miller just after a hearing on the subject where Johnson hammered the industry. He was replaced shortly thereafter. I have no confirmation of the causation, only rumors.

16. Pre Secretary McDonald, it appears,the VA hired, promoted and gave bonuses to kindred spirits who support the VA and related agencies rather than Veterans. It remains to be seen what Secretary McDonald’s legacy will be. I am optimistic he intends change but just how much can he really change in two years?

17. We, citizens all, have an obligation to question our leaders. This is a part of being a citizen. If people do not question what’s going on, then in my opinion they deserve what they get. Remember what Ben Franklin said, those …who give up any part of liberty to gain some freedom, deserve neither liberty nor freedom!”
    So, are we, CITIZENS ALL, going to just give up?

    1. I have noticed McDonald’s crew is doing a whole lot less damage control than under Shinseki. Now, VA leaders are more likely to call a spade a spade and accept blame when VA was at fault. This is more of a recent development over the past couple months vs just after Phoenix VA scandal first surfaced.

       1. Ben:
          I, along with my wife, was informed by a VA physician recently; ” If ‘they’ (and I assume he was referring to the congressional committees or other governmental agencies) shut down the VA, everyone would lose their compensation ($) and any & all entitlements!” Could he be just trying to scare me, and my wife? Or was he just making up B/S like many do in the VA? I know there are two sides to the VA, The ‘Medical’ side and the ‘Administration’ side. What is your opinion on this?
          It does sound reasonable IF the complete VA is shut down, then what he said could be true!!! We may have to wait months, or maybe years, to get what we fought so hard to get in the first place!!
          Thank You For Your Service!!!!

       2. Ben, I too have noticed that. It’s almost as if they have heard rumors from Congress about privatizing the health care of vets. Another commenter mentioned it here and I was going to respond to him, but my response fits here as well. I was shocked last week when I met with the local VA Chief of Staff on some issues, and he asked me for my sense of what veterans thought of privatizing the VA. It was in no way related to anything I thought he wanted to talk about, and seemingly came out of the blue.

       3. I had used the DAV to help me with the VA and they did not help me, but the DAV rep did such a good job, at not helping me, that the VA hired her, by the very same person that is hurting me. Very Good Job DAV, Did you give your new employer all of my files that I gave you are you gunning for me now too. Dirty shame. Cover up !.

18. I’m a Desert Storm vet with Gulf War syndrome. Was treated for antrax poisoning 10 yrs ago by a private doctor. Have been filing multiple claims against the VA since 1992 & all have been denied for anything due to the Gulf War. I’m at 70% now, but it took 22 years to get that. I have been on home oxygen for over 4 yrs now due to the crap in the Gulf. I’m so damn sick of fighting the VA. I will probably die first before I get to 100%.

    1. Congressional Research Services / Statutory Presumptions (by law clerk Nichols October 2010) (yes, Oct. 2010), I hope will be of great help to you (and hopefully to others that you know). The CRS / Statutory Presumptions can readily be found on the internet. Likewise, the information in The Nehmer Court Order (the Nehmer Training Guide February 2011) “ideas” of Congress’ Intent “nexus'” Statutory Presumptions (despite seemingly only applied to Vietnam Veterans). CRS/ Statutory Presumptions infers that the DVA must award for incubation period(s). CRS / Statutory Presumptions include secondary illnesses, etc. Take control : Don’t take my word for it (or anyone else), read it for yourself. Be sure to read the fine print foot notes. Don’t short change yourself. Don’t give up. You now have more information. Good Luck Feel free: [email protected] Thank you for your service.

       1. Thank you & I will read this.

    2. Donald J Williams: of 70% disability yet 100% unemployable, check out perhaps Title 38 and/ or reference “nexus” information such as the Nehmer Training Guide Feb. 2011… to boost your compensation to 100%.. I hope this data catches up to you. [email protected]

19. What happened to my long comment about 1:12pm 3-30-2015 ? Are you part of a publishers clearing house ? Thought So !

    1. Robert, are you unfamiliar with our SPAM policy? You keep posting a very long and unrelated boilerplate narrative story on many of my posts. It is technically SPAM, and I have a website policy against it. Please feel free to provide relevant comments to actual posts. All SPAM will need to be deleted in conformity with the policy.

       1. Benjamin Krause. You call it spam, I call it informing Veterans, I’ve already had many emails requesting additional information. Also from other sites and through other communications media. My goal was to help at least one person. Hey ! “I-F” you don’t understand N-P-N to enter and win. Void where prohibited by law, etc. , others do!!!!!! You as a Veteran Lawyer, are you well versed of DVA January 2010 and June 2010 Compensation & Pension Bulletins Policy (211); Congressional Research Services / Statutory Presumptions: and, the Nehmer Training Guide February 2011? I got that out over , Mr. Krause , your SPAM CARRIER that should be taken off the internet ! Nonetheless, thank you for your service.

       2. I just got another thank-you for my spam !

       3. Nice to speak with you Ben a while back. There is one person, last of Bloom something that really is bad mouthing and degrading US Veterans if not the entire United States. He should take his useless verbiage and join the face book drama…this blog of yours has too much class for his sorry ass!

20. Sir, I read the first two articles written by Barbara Koeppel, an investigative reporter in Washington D.C. She does state the same ‘facts’ as the above ‘article’! Plus she adds additional information which is even more damaging when it comes to the VA, CIA and the DOD.
    Sir, The VA, (and whatever its’ name was before 1952-53), DOD (Dept. of Defense) and other government agencies have for more decades than many here realize been scrutinized for incompetence, fraud, waste, (possible) ‘criminal activities’ etc. etc. etc.! This is “FACT” and not “rhetoric” coming from a veteran of both the US ARMY & US NAVY. Do you remember as far back to after the American Civil War where the G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) fought the government for the veterans for years? Do you remember the promises of our government to the WWI Veterans? They “…marched on Washington D.C. to receive the entitlements promised them by Pres. Wilson”. What they got were, “Guns, Tear gas and Tanks” to get them to disperse! This was in 1932-33 at the height of the Great Depression! These and more stories are in our American History! All one has to do is look!
    So, it’s not unreasonable to believe, the DOD, the VA and the CIA were, and are, up to their old tricks. Just look at the MANY news articles in the past year and a half on each one of these ‘agencies’! What have you got?
    I believe the truth is in this, and the other two, “articles”!
    Sir, I hope and pray for every veteran out there. Especially the ones who have had less than satisfactory service from any governmental agency to stand up and say enough is enough!!!!! The taxpayers should also be ‘up in arms’ over the ‘over- expenditures’ the VA and other governmental agencies have wasted for decades. Why is it no one seems to care but the few?

21. So is this any surprise at all from the V.A. and some of the people who are in office.
    Doesn’t surprise me at all.

22. i served with the 5th bn 16th inf in operation desert shield/storm. i received a letter from DOD stating that my unit had been identified as having been exposed and that the DOD didn’t know what the long term health problems were going to be. but to keep them informed of my health issues.. i currently hold a 70% disability rating from the va for ptsd. its not enough to live on but it helps keep me from being homeless.

    1. Check Congressional Research Services / Statutory Presumptions (by law clerk Nichols October 2010; yes, October 2010); Title 38 : and, that which are similar Congress’ intent to that of a 70% disability that makes you unemployable… boosts you to 100% compensation (see “ideas / Nexus” that of Congress’ intent in the Nehmer Court Order : the Nehmer Training Guide Feb. 2011). The CRS / Statutory Presumptions clearly infers (in footnotes) compensation for incubation period(s). Nonetheless, I hope this information puts you over the top for 100% compensation. Note that private doctors records/ diagnosis ( including private psychiatrist ) and private hospital / doctors reports are very valuable to support a claim that you are (let’s say) 70% disabled yet 100% unemployable. Don’t take my word for it. Read the documents for yourself. Yes, thank you for your service. [email protected]

    2. Ray, you need to research what other presumptive conditions Gulf War veterans have, joint pain, fatigue, memory loss, etc., and claim each one of those, and provide that letter you have as evidence. It is an official admission that you were exposed, which many in the VA required years ago for claims, regardless of the law. Since you have that letter, you need to use it. over my years of working with Gulf War vets, I can guess you have debilitating fatigue, chronic and sever joint pain, memory loss, headaches, gastrointestinal problems, lung problems, etc. Please look into that and go to the VA and claim them. In addition, if you have NEVER had a Gulf War Registry exam, or even if you had, you should request one from the VA and get your symptoms on record.
       You may need a good VSO that knows the law pertaining to presumptive conditions for Gulf War veterans, but it it worth filing the claim to get it documented.

23. I am a Vietnam vet, and my heart goes out to any soldier in any war. I know they wanting me dead. Having to deal with the VA is the hardest thing I do in my life. THEY ALL LIE.

24. There has been so many lies, deceits and corruptions going on within the VA and other US Governmental agencies, it’s hard to tell where ‘fact’ and ‘fantasy’ end and begin! WWI vets saw this, WWII vets saw this, Korean War vets saw this, Vietnam vets have seen it, and now Veterans of both Iraqi wars and Afganistans’ war veterans are living it- First Hand! American citizens have, for decades, known the many “Official Reports” US Employees tell the American Public are lies. Yet, does anyone ever get a conscience and speak out? Answer- very rarely!
    Here’s something our Governmental Agencies have forgotten. Every employee, (either ‘elected’ or ‘appointed’), of our Government IS to be held accountable by the following laws, or “Rules”, –They are “Roberts Rules of Order”! These ‘rules’ are simple and direct! It says in no uncertain terminology what a person can and cannot do! Yet NO ONE follows them, WHY? Even the President does not follow them, WHY? Our US Constitution has been slowly ‘picked apart’ at it’s core! Those “Distinguished Men” of 1776, “The cream of the crop”, as Ben Franklin once described them, would be disgusted over what has transpired! Remember, the’ newly formed’ “United States of America” fought two “Civil Wars” (The Revolutionary War & The War of 1812-15) to protect our ‘rights and freedoms’! Those same ‘rights and freedoms’ which are slowly being stripped away today by ‘elected and appointed’ persons!
    Today, as in the not to distant past, we see many young to old people lie to get out of trouble. Or just lie for whatever fancies them. Can anyone see the ‘parallel’ here? These young to old people do so, in my opinion, because they see persons’ who are supposed to be of ‘high moral character’ do it on a regular basis. Isn’t that sad!
    So, in closing, the next time anyone sees an elected or appointed person’s mouth move- Be aware he or she may be spitting out rhetoric or just plain lies……

    1. The Bills keeps coming for the cost of the many hostile conflicts over decades. Uncle Sam doesn’t want to pay the bills now. The bills being paid, by those holding office, are to their comfort to live long and prosper. Yes, If they have one life to give for their country, they had you volunteer to give them yours.

25. I can only say SHAME on the American People for failing to stand up to help US Veterans and loved ones. As for the GWS subject matter; I’m studied in “MFI” pretty well and when I began advocating GWS justice as Founder, V’ERPA; the political arrests to chill and neutralize this matter gave rise. Thanks for the great reporting … I also cited you Ben in the recent RICO Act filing before Judge Fox in Wilmington, NC.

26. If true lock both Shinseki and Gingrich in a chamber with sarin gas. After a fair trial of course, maybe one like they give the veterans they are declaring incompetent.

    1. This is not true. This guy is spinnig what I said. Col. Gingrich was trying to find out why we was all getting sick and the heat was one of the reason given. He never was told why even as I got worse. He thought it was the pills at one time. He was questing what the Higher HQ was telling us and that is why the 2 star came. They knew as per the document we have. Col. Gingrich did not.
       To blame any of the lies of the DOD on the VA is BS. The DOD and CIA never even told the DOD researcher of the chemicals we was exposed to when the medical corps first started to look into this. Even when they knew of it.

       The DOD openly lied for year of this and still do. Even when in OIF. When they came to the RAC and briefed on the “only two” veterans ever exposed to chemical. Now we see how they lied to the VA again there too.

       VA only knows what CIA and intil of DOD tells. them

       Col. John R. Gingrich cares about his men in the service and he did as the COS of the VA. I know some of those in the VA are glad to see him gone and they are the ones working to hide progress.

       1. So why isn’t HE here defending himself? Is he as tenacious fighting in the halls of the VA? Or, is he like Under Secretary Allison Hickey and Robert McDonald have personally shown themselves to be….chewing cud and passing time.

          I keep hearing how all thee people care. I don’t see much action.

       2. From what I read, Ben is quoting from a Newsweek article and the quotes are from Mr. Bunker. How is Ben spinning this? You should be blaming the Newsweek article as wrong and not ben. Also why is the same thing being repeated in each post form him?
          I would believe that this is true as we all know how these people (VA, DOD, ETC…) lie and do all they can to CYA. I agree that these vets should get everything that they deserve.

       3. Jim, it sounds like you are confused about the citations above. I am citing what the Newsweek reporter stated and what has been repeated across the internet following the publication by Newsweek. My addition to the story was that Gingrich went on the work for VA following his reported linkage to the cover up. According to Newsweek’s quote:

          “We knew this wasn’t true,” Bunker said. “It was only 85 degrees, and we’d trained in over 100 degrees—without people getting sick like this.” The next day, division commander Maj. General Thomas Rhame and Col. Michael Dodson came to their base. “They told Gingrich to be quiet about the men’s symptoms,” Bunker said.

       4. Jim, as I said previously, I know you, and it is good to see you here advocating for vets. After reading both articles and getting up to speed, I must ask, if Gingrich was such a great commander, why did he act as if he did not know Gulf War veterans were exposed to chemical weapons at Khamisiyah when he was with the VA? By the time he was warming a seat at the VA, it had been well known and publicized by Gulf War veterans that chemical weapons were blown up at Khamisiyah and soldiers were exposed. Why did he not speak up since he was actually there?
          Col Rhame and the 2 star is interesting. Rhame will not return calls, and the good General claims to not even remember coming to the unit. I don’t care who you are, but if you are in uniform and travel to an area as well known as Khamisiyah and what is known about that site now, you will damn well remember if you traveled there.That General is a goddamned liar. I have little patience for officers who supposedly took a fucking oath and abdicate their duty because it’s the easy way out for them personally.

          It’s the same as when I asked the Colonel who was originally in charge of the DOD Gulf War illness investigation what happened to his honor. He gave me some mealy mouthed response, and was relieved a short time late.

          I don’t know much about Gingrich’s tenure at the VA, but if he gave a damn about his soldiers like you say, he damn sure should have been much more active in helping us. As it is, he stood in the way of us for years.

          You mention the DOD coming to the Research Advisory Committee (RAC) and claiming only 2 soldiers were exposed. Gingrich should have known this was bullshit and called them on it, yet he did not. Anyone knowing the media coverage from the late 90’s would have known this was bullshit.

          I cannot confirm this at the moment, but I believe it was Gingrich that was pushing to have the RAC committee charter changed, and that independent medical research funding pulled…to be restored to the asshats in the VA that had not come up with anything in 20 years.

          Jim, you need to be very careful in who you think is your friend within the VA. Gingrich is not one of them. He may have shown concern in the Gulf for your well being, but he is spouting the party line now. Gingrich is a worthless POS that has disgraced his uniform like so many other officers supposedly involved in Gulf War illnesses.

       5. I mixed up the names of the officers above, transposing Rhame and Dodson. Either way, both are worthless and a disgrace to their uniforms, like Gingrich.

27. It seems there are a lot of secrets held back. When I was shot in the Head, the Army never told even my parents that I had been shot. Why ?. and my records disappeared for 40 years. I had to suffer with a TBI and PTSD. I finely got treatment and after I got my treatment, I stopped Drinking, I do not use any pain pills. I have been called a success story. I guess that VA does not like success stories and as my reward for accomplishing this feet, was to be reported to the Disruptive Committee, what a Great reward. I was told by a doctor now that you are clean the world may look different to you, are it sure does, seems like everyone has become insane, the things I see and hear about what is going on in this Country is only tearing it apart and if we can not get leaders to follow the law, Civil and Constitutional laws it will fall apart. Do the leaders not see that what ever they are doing the Whole world see it and say they speak with a fork tongue. Get your act togather or this country will not be know as a great country and the world will not trust these here Great united states. We speak of human rights violations in other countries and yet our own country violates many American rights in the persuit of happiness, violates their civil and constitutional rights.

    These men and women that they sent to explode those agents of death, should receive 100% disability and not be hassled by the VA for doing their job and are now needing help themselves.

    It easer to just do your job and remember if it was not for the Military you would not have a paying job, and you could be forced to work for free and if you mess up, well who knows what else might happen to you. In other words quit tearing this country apart. Does United we stand mean anything.

    Oh yea, Where’s BOB

    1. All too true …

    2. Of BOB … it brings to mind… a song from the 1960’s … Eve of Destruction… lyrics … describes today 3-30-2015… Nonetheless, of your PTSD, acquaint yourself with Congressional Research Services / Statutory Presumptions(by law clerk Nichols October 2010). Don’t give up. Re-open your claim(s). Of a last resort, Get a lawyer if you have to do so. Yes, feel free to contact “this” BOB : [email protected]. Thank you for your service.

28. There are about 545 men and women who sign off on virtually everything important in this nation. They are the decision makers. Nothing happens until they either sign off or sign on to an idea. There in lies the problem. They are not properly motivated to do the right thing. They cast their votes not on what is the right thing to do but what is right for a few, namely their special interest groups and people who contribute to their re-election campaigns. If I sound jaded it is because I see what is going on with this once great nation and feel powerless to change it. The people have lost control and the politicians are firmly in control.

    1. I think you have more power than you realize. Some don’t want you to ever realize how powerful you are.

    2. You are not jaded, you see reality. Years ago when I was walking the halls of Congress advocating for Gulf Vets, we had a hearing with some committee in which I testified. The way the hearings were set up, government officials testified first, then vets. When the government officials were testifying there were people standing because there were not enough seats in the room. When we vets testified, there were three of us vets. There were 7 people left in the room. Us 3 vets, 2 Congressmen, and 2 hacks from the VA. At the end of my testimony, I was asked if there were anything I wanted to add. I said the committee needed to change the program so veterans testified first since most of those who needed to hear our testimony were already gone. The Congressman who chaired the committee, Shays, agreed, and from then on he had vets testifying first. Bureaucrats had to sit in their seats and wait.

29. im a gulf war vet with all the gwi problems. ive been filing claims since 92 all denied. we will all be dead before the fing va compensates us……………remember I wrote this before dying at a young age. Andrew fletcher

    1. Check out on the internet: Congressional Research Services / Statutory Presumption (by law clerk Nichols October 2010) (yes, 2010). Thank-you for your service. [email protected]

    2. Andrew, do some searching on the National Gulf War Resource Center, either on the net or on Facebook. They do have some good information on filling claims under the existing laws.

30. file:///C:/Users/Asus/Desktop/Khamisiyah%20Area%20-%20Units%20Exposed%20List.html

31. i am so sick and tired of the decades of lies…and they still continue…..

32. The lies and cover ups just keep going on, don’t they? Remember how they did us on Agent Orange? The bureaucrats cover stuff up. The politicians look the other way. And the over all majority of American citizens, don’t give a rats #ss about any of it. 200,000 were exposed to the nerve gas? The government has a real simple solution for that. Just wait it out for years and decades while most of them die off before actually admitting to anything. My, how history keeps repeating itself!

33. Give them all 100% SC, the whole time I felt like they were exposed to something.

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