Gulf War Syndrome

Thousands of U.S. soldiers who served during the 1991 Persian Gulf War reported an assortment of debilitating symptoms after the war ended. Their health complaints included short-term memory loss, painful joints, organ failure, shortness of breath, and many of them died without knowing how or why they got sick. Members of Coalition forces from different countries also reported similar symptoms. Scientists, doctors and Congressional investigators who sought answers encountered unresponsive bureaucrats and political intrigues at the highest levels. Researchers who delved deeper were discredited or received death threats. Collectively, their work provided strong circumstantial evidence that men and women who served in the war were exposed to biological and chemical agents, as a result of fallout from exploding Iraqi munitions that contained dangerous substances, or from the investigational prophylactics that military officials administered to soldiers in preparation for Desert Storm.

Autorentext

Diana Washington Valdes is an author and veteran journalist. She obtained her master's degree in political science in 2000 and taught college classes for 10 years. She has investigated various subjects over the years and received many awards for her reporting. She has been to more than 30 cities in North America and Europe to speak about her work.