(Army Times) Backtalk: At last, vindication

[unhappycamper]

At last, vindication
By Denise Nichols

The National Vietnam and Gulf War Veterans Coalition applauds the Veterans’ Affairs Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War illness for the release of its thorough review of research into illnesses among veterans of Operation Desert Storm.

The coalition is heartened that the committee took on the job of finding answers for veterans based on scientific investigation. The committee’s work validates the complaints made by veterans for the past 17 years.

Although the committee focused on chemical exposure, its report does not rule out other effects that future work may show contributed to physical damage of Operation Desert Storm veterans.

Persian Gulf War veterans knew that something in their bodies was physically damaged. They have been saying this since November 1993, when the first congressional hearings occurred. Their family members have tried to hold their families together while waiting for answers from the government.

It has been exceedingly difficult for many of these veterans and their families who were told by their government that their problems were psychological. Many of these veterans have died, forgotten and misdiagnosed.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/community/opinion/army_backtalk_gulfwar_120808/%2e