Gulf War Veterans in Oregon Hampered by Undiagnosed Medical Conditions

The Gulf War or Persian Gulf War began on January 15th 1991 and ended on March 1st 1991.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Those who served in the Gulf War should know that help is available to them for injuries or illness that was incurred or aggravated during military service.

The Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs says undiagnosed medical conditions are continuing to hamper the wellness of military members who served during the Gulf War.

Five days after Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2nd, 1990, the United States commenced Operation Desert Shield and began to deploy Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force, and Coast Guard units to Saudi Arabia.

U.S. coalition-building efforts were so successful that by the time the fighting (Operation Desert Storm) began on January 15th, 1991, twelve countries had sent naval forces, joining the local navies of Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf states, as well as the huge array of the U.S. Navy, with no fewer than six aircraft-carrier battle groups; eight countries had sent ground forces, joining the local troops of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the seventeen heavy, six light, and nine marine brigades of the U.S. Army, with all their vast support and service forces and four countries had sent combat aircraft, joining the local air forces of Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, as well as the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine aviation, for a grand total of 2,430 fixed-wing aircraft.

The number of coalition wounded in combat during the Gulf War was reported to have been less than 1,000.

However, as of the year 2000, 183,000 U.S. veterans of Operation Desert Storm, more than a quarter of the U.S. troops who participated in the campaign, have been declared permanently disabled by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

About 30 percent of the 700,000 men and women who served in U.S. forces in Southwest Asia still suffer an array of serious symptoms whose causes are not fully understood.

Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines faced combat hazards including smoke from oil well fires, contaminated water supplies, depleted uranium, vaccinations, and a myriad of known and unknown chemical attacks.

Many returning soldiers reported illnesses following their participation in Operation Desert Storm, a phenomenon known as Gulf War syndrome or Gulf War illness.

There has been widespread speculation and disagreement about the causes of the illness and reported birth defects.

Some factors considered as possibly causal include exposure to depleted uranium, chemical weapons, anthrax vaccine given to deploying soldiers, and/or infectious diseases.

In a recent report from the Disabled Americans Association found that some service men and women were given inadequate medical examinations before and after deployment, and are now facing a tough road in getting claims for service-connected disability compensation.

The report also found that many Gulf War veterans suffer from psychological conditions such as depression, anxiety, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

While there may never be a connection between certain chemical exposures that occurred in the Persian Gulf.

Gulf War Veterans maybe eligible for compensation not only for disabilities, but for disabilities due to undiagnosed illnesses and chronic multi-symptom illnesses such as: fatigue; unexplained rashes or other dermatological signs or symptoms; headache; muscle pain; joint pain; neuropsychological signs or symptoms; neurological signs and symptoms; signs or symptoms involving the upper or lower respiratory system; sleep disturbances; gastrointestinal signs and symptoms; abnormal weight loss; menstrual disorders.

The veteran must suffer from a “qualifying chronic disability” which exists for six months or more. The qualifying disability must have appeared during active duty in Southwest Asia, or it must have manifested to a degree of at least 10 percent during the presumptive period.

Two years of free VA health care is provided to combat veterans, including activated Reservists and National Guard members, if they served on active duty in a theater of combat operations during a period of war after the Gulf War or in combat against a hostile force during a period of “hostilities” after November, 11th 1998 and were discharged under other than dishonorable conditions.

To schedule a Gulf War Medical Exam, veterans residing in northern Oregon should call the Portland VA Medical Clinic at (888) 233-8305, and select option one, extension 54261. Southern Oregon veterans should call the Roseburg VA Health Care System at (800) 549-8387, select option one, extension 44256.