© 2003
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This page was last updated 12/15/05 |
American Gulf War
Veterans Association Though there have been over 125 studies done by the government at the cost of over $300,000,000 to the taxpayer, we still have no answers as to what caused so many of our soldiers to become ill. Meanwhile, the suffering veterans are receiving
little, if any, medical treatment for this illness. It seems that whenever
veterans become ill, the term “mystery illness” seems to be the first and
often the only diagnosis that is ever made. Veterans are then left to fend
for themselves, sick and unable to work, with little hope of a normal life
again. Again, however, there were no adequate answers, but, only that the “mystery illness” diagnosis had reared its ugly head again. According to a family member of one of the military victims, the DOD recently, has changed its label of the illness and is now calling it “pneumonia” in sharp contrast to what a physician on the scene reported. Due to continuing pressure for sound answers, the
DOD was again forced to send an investigative team to Iraq, however the
convenient, repeated lack of diagnosis, unfortunately translates into lack
of treatment, and lack of compensation for the veteran. The jury is still
out, however, if the DOD will be forthcoming with the truth this time. The father stated that his 20-year-old healthy son,
a former track star and non-smoker, had written home on June 26th explaining
that he would be going on a 30-hour “hauling” mission, but that he could not
disclose what they would be hauling. The son had stated that he had been to
the Palace of Sadaam Hussein, and it was later learned that he was “hauling”
at the Baghdad Airport. Although the “facts” behind this story are continually changing, Ms. Paxson is one of the few journalists who is remaining true to the facts of the original story. Ms. Paxson revealed in her articles that the father reported that his son was not the only ill soldier. Neusche stated that while his son was in a coma at Landstuhl Hospital, the father overheard the nurses say that they were expecting numerous sick troops to be brought in all at one time. In fact, the father actually witnessed approximately 55 other troops being received by the hospital after they were transported by a military ambulance (bus). According to the father, the transported troops were exhibiting varying
degrees of the illness. Some walked, some were in wheelchairs and others
were on respirators. In the commotion, a doctor reported to the
father that his son was suffering from a “toxin.” No mention of pneumonia
was made, nor was it ever reported in the medical record. Josh did not die until July 12, 2003. Among other problems that this new classification created was that the DOD was no longer obligated to assist the family in getting to Germany to be with their son as he lay in a coma. Because the DOD would not provide even so much as
plane or taxi fare for the Neusche family, all 650 members of the 203rd
Engineer Battalion each contributed $10.00 to make the family’s final visit
possible. Ms. Riley closed by saying, “Speaking out for our past and present sick veterans is the best way for Americans to support our troops!” Pak adds: We cannot go back and collect the pre deployment blood samples on our troops who have already been deployed, but we can make sure our troops in the US military today and in the future receive the exams and blood sampling required by the 1997 law and DoD directive. Please, use the link below to sign my petition
and protect the health of our troops today before they are deployed. American Gulfwar Veterans Association ThePowerHour Talk Radio Show w/Joyce Riley & Dave VonKleist
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