Veteran Services Transparency

Major BK, a career Army pilot who had passed 15 flight physicals in the 11 years prior to
deployment to the Gulf War began to feel increasingly ill in April 1991 but dismissed the
symptoms as related to the harsh desert environment. On May 8 he reported ‘violent nausea, vomiting, diarrhea attack.’ On May 28, now back in Germany, he was admitted to a military hospital with ‘cardiac arrhythmias, severely bleeding gums, cough with sputum production, shortness of breath, severe fatigue, diarrhea, hair loss, skin rashes/lesions, and abdominal discomfort.’ Military doctors diagnosed Major BK with ‘post traumatic stress.’ With severe brain, nerve, heart and gastrointestinal problems but still being diagnosed with ‘somatoform disorder’ he was given a discharge from the Army.
–1997 Congressional report on Gulf War Army pilot

SSG CK reported: “While still in the Gulf I began experiencing symptoms that continue to this day. I had difficulty remembering significant events that happened days earlier… my knees and shoulders were especially painful and fatigue stayed with me constantly.” After the war, his symptoms worsened and included intestinal problems and headaches. He sought treatment in 1992 from VA doctors who—without any physical exam—referred him to the mental health clinic where he was diagnosed ‘PTSD’. “I reported blinding headaches with only offers of aspirin, I reported memory loss…dismissed as stress.”
–1997 Congressional report on Gulf War Army Reservist

“We were in a congested area with burning vehicles all around. Suddenly, the tank in front of us caught fire. The ammunition blew, but the blowout panel saved the lives of the crew. We saw DU penetrators flipping end over end over our heads. We immediately rushed to the tank to rescue the guys in it. We were breathing smoke from the burning ammo, but we had no concern about DU and took no protective measures. Afterwards, we stayed around that area for two or three hours but we were buttoned up due to exploding vehicles and ordnance around us.”
–Gulf War veteran, 24th Infantry Division

“For three months after the fighting stopped, R. and his buddies in the 3rd Armored Division combat engineer squadron were ordered to crawl around in the black dust left over from successful shots of depleted uranium. He was ordered to live and breathe in it while finishing the job of destroying damaged Iraqi tanks and munitions, to make sure the enemy’s equipment couldn’t be used again. ‘We actually slept underneath destroyed tanks and stuff because we figured they wouldn’t fire at their own destroyed vehicles,’ R said. For months, the black dust covered many of those vehicles, rubbing off on R’s clothing, getting on his skin, and often into his food and water.”
–Interview with Gulf War veteran, 3rd Armored Division415