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Website debunking the Special Assistant
for Gulf War Illnesses

	CURRENT OSAGWI MISINFORMATION		FALSE CASE NARRATIVES		ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES		REAL HELP FOR VETERANS		E-MAIL

Updated: February 4th, 2005
Come join our Organization as we face down the agency that lies about
Gulf War issues. Deployment Health Support Directorate
1995 - 25,000,000 Gulf War military records declassified 1996 - 6,000,000 given to OSAGWI to put on website 1996 - 57,000 put up on gulflink.osd.mil website
At a cost of $178,000,000 less than .0095% of the Gulf War Military records have been declassified for public release 13 years later if 99.99% is classified
Secret or higher, did nothing medically really happen
to Gulf War vets?

Gulf War, and Operation Iraqi Freedom

February 4th, 2005: The silent epidemic.
Other media services around the world have been reporting the truth
about America from the outside. One resounding message has been
quite clear, the American media has lost its integrity in its ability to
report the truth anymore. Its now a corporate Republican media ticket
wherein justice is no longer served here.
A Infectious Disease runs out of control in Iraq, its called Leishmaniasis.
It quickly overwhelmed the troops, and then it overwhelmed doctors at
Walter Reed Army Hospital. The case number rocketed monthly late 2003
by the hundreds, with projections of 1,500 cases by the end of 2004.
Then as suddenly, WRAMC stopped reporting the numbers as did
the media. DOD tried there luck at running the clock in reverse.
By April 2005, DOD said 830 cases. By December 2005, they said
847 cases. Yet, in the CHPPM Centcom disease reports they
clearly state 1,178 cases of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis by
November 2004. How can the numbers go down 331 cases in
one year, thats because they dont. Normal progression would put
the case rate over 2,000.
http://amsa.army.mil/1MSMR/2004/v10_no06.pdf#page=2
LTC Peter Weina offered his defense of this fact, but its really
doesnt do justice to those troops coming home silently with this
condition that are being misdiagnosed at hands of these detached
doctors. With a latency upwards of three years or more, and a
imperfect testing system that is still very unreliable.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulflink/message/9091
VA is careful not to grant service connection on cases of soldiers
applying for benefits related to this. This I have already seen,
a repeat of Gulf War I where DOD / VA didn't grant service
connection for Leishmaniasis then either. If they don't have it
documented, then it didn't happen. Except it did.

Three news services have passed on this story, all next to military
bases. As they tow the party line to publish only positive stories
about the war in Iraq. Eventually, they will find themselves on the
wrong side of the fence once this story escalates.
Our troops deserve better than this, and not to be silently locked
away from the public at WRAMC so that even the veteran service
groups cant get to the troops to check there condition.
December 14th, 2005: The hearing on November 15th was so bad I
couldn't bring myself to comment on it. Even though the IOM was brought
into question, it was clear that Rep. Shays was going to let this go.
When you think about it, Rep. Shays holding 14 hearings with no
prosecution just shows they aren't there to dig deep enough. Fraud
has been committed, but it looks like it will take someone besides
Government Reform to do something about it. Which is on the books
for 2006. A fresh approach.
The Gulf War Registry gains a temporary reprieve when VA took over
the St. Louis veteran reporting hotline, the contract had run out Dec 1st
2005. However, the funding for the hotline came from Agent Orange
rather than Gulf War. The Gulf War Registry funding lapsed in 2003,
and it only exist now because of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Legislation passes at the Senate for a Gulf War Illness study center,
but Sen. Hutchinson's language is pretty vague. So there is concern
on how this will be executed in 2006. So Southwestern University
Center in Dallas is the location, now its a matter of application. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulflink/message/9040
The CDC takes a non-aggressive position on HHS-6 "Defining Gulf
War Illness" study, and though the study was to conclude at the
end of 2005 - that doesn't seem to be the case. 8 years the study
has gone on, and they had no plan to write a final report. So DHSD
says they don't know, and CDC says they don't know - 8 years
later and no one knows? Maybe Dr. Kipen will finish it soon.
DHSD: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulflink/message/9003
Dr. Howard Kipen: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulflink/message/9031
The Deployment Health Working Group failed to file a 2004 / 2005
annual Gulf War Research report to Congress. The DHWG is so
secretive that all that exist of it is its 1999 announcement of its
formation, and the mention of it in the 2002 / 2003 annual reports to
Congress. If its so secret it cant meet its deadlines, then its too
secret. Here is the response letter from DHSD:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulflink/message/9041
Khamisiyah was a big issue in that 1,250 122mm Sarin filled rockets
were demolished out in the open. DOD / CIA eventually say that only
250 of the rounds were destroyed. Of which 707.68 lbs of chemical
was dispersed down wind. Yet, each round yielded 13.89 lbs of Sarin.
So 250 rockets times 13.89lbs = 3,472.5 lbs. Where did 2,764.82 lbs
of liquid vaporized Sarin go, up in smoke? Exactly.
Better yet, why is the inventory so vague on the total amounts if it
was all videotaped, documented, and photographed. Were are the
X-rays of the casings verifying the contents - like the condition of
the bursters? How did the Engineers miss destroying 1,000 122mm
out of 1,250 - 80% were not destroyed in March 1991? You mean
the Engineers messed up demolitions 80% on average in Iraq?
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulflink/message/9043

155mm Smoke Artillery has been in the news from Iraq, firing
Phosphorous ammunition at Iraqis. Turns out that in our 1980's
dealing with Iraq we provided them with the same. As well as
6,240 155mm mustard rounds with American nomenclature on
them, part of America's arming of Iraq. Why do people keep
forgetting the fact that America armed Saddam in the 80's? As
if he was alone in all of this. Most of his ammunition is marked
in English for a country that speaks Arabic. America supplied
most of his Chem/Bio program, and the Russians his hardware.
Little thing called the Iraq / Iran war. This is why the famed 1994
Senate Riegle hearing manual is 554 pages, part of it is a inventory
sheet of what Saddam got from us.
http://www.gulflink.org/g/155.htm
October 27th, 2005: As Government Reform looms towards its Nov 15th
Gulf War hearing date, its once more apparent that interference is being
run to keep veterans at bay. What is the point of holding a hearing, and not
asking the veterans to speak. Just the same predictable moles as before,
with no curiosity outside of this. Just means the hearing is a sham.
The Persian Gulf Registry started in 1992, and ran until it became the
Gulf War Registry, and started taking in Iraqi Freedom vets. However,
many like myself had assumed that quite a few had made it to Phase II
exams. Well, in this spreadsheet it becomes obvious that VA very much
mishandled this program. Something I had written the Whitehouse earlier
this year about.
http://www.gulflink.org/stats/EASbyYear.xls
Each VAMC governed its own part of the program, so the results were
most certainly mixed. But, when the WACO Texas VAMC only had one
PGR exam in the history of the 13 year program - you know something
is wrong with that. Next to Fort Hood, largest military base in America,
and they have just one Gulf War vet registry exam? http://www.gulflink.org/stats/GWRstats2005a.tif
The November 2005 EH phone list is out. Cant reach a EA / EH coordinator
where you live for your Gulf War Registry exam without a updated contact
list and phone number.
http://www.gulflink.org/stats/EHCoorA05.doc
These are pressing issues as the Gulf War research program hinges on
Fort Deitrick MOMRD, and they are only a DOD funnel for funds without
really being a governing force. DHSD, DHCC, and other former Gulf War government organizations have washed their hands of Gulf War. There are
no real planning committees anymore. They just want it to go away silently
by waiting out the Congressional funding clock. Tick, tock. http://www.momrp.org/58.htm
The RAC is hustling to try, and control the funding issue. But, this is a VA organization, and VA does not fund independents. Which makes it a
monopoly practicing unfair insider trading with DOD to steer where
funds go without the involvement of a veteran influence. Increasingly it
gives the impression of being manipulated by DOD to do its bidding.
Maybe part of why they, and the NSO's met in secret with members of
Government Reform to pass the earmark portion of the Defense
Appropriations bill.
The general impression on the hill is Gulf War veterans need to hurry
and die. Don't bother us with your health problems, just go somewhere
else, and give up. Except, veterans are NOT fighting back. Which makes
all of this just that much easier to pull off.
Where are the veterans? Not up here in DC fighting back.
September 22nd, 2005: Attended the Tuesday session of the RAC on
Khamisiyah, and the AFIP. After three long years of waiting the committee
finally addressed the issue to Tim O'Leary of VA tissue banking, and it
was bad news as expected. Gulf War was a forgotten topic with no
program for organ donation, and distancing from the AFIP Gulf War
tissue database. It was clear that VA had leaned on Tim to be conservative,
and let this idea die.
I did however get a chance to address the committee at the
end of the day about some of my RAW Khamisiyah demolition
data. It was well received, but I'm sure that VA and DOD will do there
very best to ignore it even though its based on government materials.
None the less, it was a spirited debate through out the day with
for me with Frank Odonnel, Tim Bullman, Tim Oleary, Jim Binns,
Dr. Han Kang, Dr. Robert Haley, and others.
So here is part of what Ive been showing them on Khamisiyah.

September 19th, 2005: On July 19th 2005 SGM Scott Brian Lamorte
had testified at Government Reform hearing about medical conditions
in Afghanistan. After testifying we talked, and he told me of a non-healing
rash among the troops in Afghan. Of which Mike Kilpatrick jumped up
from his seat and came to listen to us talk. Nothing was said since then
about it. Today in Grand Forks North Dakota a civilian contractor was
in the news about his similar condition after coming back from Afghan.
No doubt this condition is wide spread in Army troops who are being
kept from the media. Part of DHSD's keep the troops silent effort.
The IOM continues its meetings in private of Gulf War Illness. They don't
want input or involvement because it might make them have to do their
job. Judging from the current climate of the committees, they dont dare
want to upset VA or DOD with any positive associations on the illnesses.
Its not hard to guess the conclusions of these reports - there is no
conclusive data to support or deny Gulf War Illness. What they dont want
to say is this is just a book review club that has lost its objectivity. Take it
from someone who has tried to interact with the committees, they dont
care, and dont want to hear that.
VA RAC meets today to give the illusion of progress as it glosses
over past materials. Three years I have waited for this committee to
try to do something about the AFIP Gulf War Tissue samples, after
request to the committee even before it formed. Still, the committee pretty
much ignores outside input as it continues to push private agendas
of its members looking for prestige.
DHSD has become so smug in their operation that they dont even
bother to update their events calendar since July. They dont want
anyone to show, and they do everything possible to discourage
veterans or groups from showing up at Skyline plaza. It looks like their
idea of dealing with veterans health issues is to ignore them to death.
You certainly see no evidence from the website that they want
anything other than to post about obscure issues.
August 9th, 2005: August 5th, Friday the Canton Observer ran a story
of local Gulf War veteran Wade E. George. A benefit Sunday the 7th
was to be held in his honor as friends and family came to his aid.
He had been diagnosed with a terminal lung / brain cancer, and less
than 3 months to get his affairs in order. While the story continues
to build, we ask that people make donations to Wade to help him with
his expenses as he continues his radiation treatments.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulflink/message/8649
August 3rd, 2005: The Iraq Infection. After working for several
weeks with Mathew Herper of Forbes magazine, he jumps the gun,
and releases his story minus Congressman Dennis Moore's
information about Walter Reed Army Hospital during the height
of the Acinetobacter Baumannii outbreak. Also, it leaves out the
fact that information was entered into the record at Government
Reform on July 19th about this. That DHSD had ignored the
Acinetobacter data in its presentation to the committee on Iraqi
health threats. As they also played it down to the IOM Infectious
Disease committee about the circumstances around it as well. I
was there for both.
Met with DHSD on July 28th, 2005. On the Centcom medical
reports that are nto explained on the OSAGWI website. Of
which is covered in:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulflink/message/8615
July 26th, 2005: Exposure to chemical munitions at Khamisiyah
maybe associated with an increased risk of brain cancer death.
Additional research is required to confirm this finding.
Mortality in US Army Gulf War Veterans Possibly Exposed to 1991 Khamisiyah Chemical Munitions Destruction
The Khamasiyah demolition models do not match the CHPPM
Oil Well Fire smoke models for the month of March 1991.
The Chppm data shows the normal trade winds for that region,
while DHSD refused to provide weather satellite images of the
region, probably because the smoke clouds confirm wind
direction. Discussed on our plume data page her at DSBR. http://www.gulflink.org/fallout/plume.htm
July 25th, 2005: The second letter to the Whitehouse drew a
less nasty response from Susan Mathers at VA. But, it did not
answer our questions on the Gulf War Registry, OIF Registry,
or current VA stats on the program. So I went to the July 19th
Government Reform hearing that Susan testified at, and had the
materials entered into the record. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulflink/message/8585 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulflink/message/8589
DHSD responded the following day on the Centcom medical survey
data, which took a year, and act of god to get. Immediately noted
in this was that this was Centaf, Marcent, Navcent, but no Arcent.
Air Force, Marines, and Navy - but no Army. However, most noted
was the cases of West Nile Virus. Meeting with DHSD to discuss
this and other issues in more detail.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulflink/message/8592
The Veterans Disability Benefit Commission met on July 22nd,
and it was clear from the DOD materials presented that they want
to take over the VA side of Claims Processing. With a nearly
empty room, they may get what they want by default.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulflink/message/8592
The Bioport Anthrax Vaccine had been protected by DOD under
the Presidential waiver of Gulf War I. So adverse reactions were
never really followed up, and they falsely reported the vaccine
was safe though its different from what was licensed. Eventually
it would have a injunction placed against it by the Supreme court.
Now, the National Institute of Health has sanctioned giving it on
a test basis to 100 1st and 2nd grade children. So several groups
rallied in Washington DC to ask that this be stopped, and that
the AVIP be revamped into a safer program for the troops. More
needs to be done to convince the House and Senate that medical
experimentation on children of this nature is just morally wrong. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulflink/message/8559
June 2nd, 2005: Leishmaniasis is a issue among American
soldiers from the Gulf War to present OIF. In 2003 we heard the
CDC say there wasn't a sterile cure for Leishmaniasis. After
listening to Alan Magill's presentation to the IOM, its clear that
the medical community can barely find Leishmaniasis even
when looking for it. Short of the gaping sores of the Cutaneous
variety, the skin test, and PCR are useless. The hundred year
old method is still the best, what you see in a slide under a
microscope. Some points are discussed on this page:
Leishmaniasis
Several things happened this week, but the most
noted was the IOM Infectious Disease meeting on May 26th.
This is my comment on the meeting:
May 26th IOM Infectious Disease meeting
and this is the slides from the 4 presenter:
IOM Infectious Disease
After talking with Mike Kilpatrick at the event, I made a variety
of complaints about his staff running interference on me. That I
was getting the run around from them. Friday morning I had at
least one response letters from DHSD waiting for me.
Mail List - response from DHSD
The National Archives made it clear that none of the 15 year old
classified information from the Gulf War was going to be released
at the 15 year "confidential" declassification mark. Instead, it was
all being reclassified. So things like the USCENTCOM medical
survey of 69,875 troops would remain classified.

878193.002 USAF IRIS Secret Document CENTCOM MEDICAL SURVELILLANCE,
16-22 DECEMBER 1990 SURVEY OF 69,875 PERSONNEL PARTICIPATING
IN DESERT SHIELD. DISEASE CASE RATES REPORTED. FORWARDED TO CENTCOM 30 OCT 1996
What I don't understand is how DOD can spend $150,000,000
to declassify this information in 1995 - use medical words as the
protocol to find them - miss a medical survey of 69,875 troops -
and then tell me for a year that I have to FOIA it when it was
forwarded to OSAGWI / DHSD in 1996. Rather than DHSD
instantly volunteering to find something that might benefit Gulf War
veterans. Why would they refuse to look at this publicly.
Supposedly, Jim Binns and the Research Advisory Committee is
looking into this also, and the AFIP Gulf War tissue catalog before
the AFIP is disbanded in the near future.
You can tell nothing is being done on Gulf War when VA hasn't
changed its fact sheets about Gulf War Veterans Illnesses since
April 2000. 5 years of status quo, but they show they check the
webpages this year though they haven't changed them.
http://www1.va.gov/OPA/fact/index.htm
http://www1.va.gov/opa/fact/gwfs.html
In 1998 a lot of Gulf War Veterans / advocates / and groups
were notified of NSO meetings at the Pentagon. I asked to be
included on that fax list in 1999. Barbara Goodno, and Dian
Lawhon made sure that never happened in all the years I
attended NSO meetings in DC. Here is the list of names of
people OSAGWI contacted to attend its NSO meetings
in 1998:
OSAGWI fax sheet
May 24th, 2005: The Whitehouse finally decided to recognize
my complaint of the Department of Veteran Affairs decline in
its handling of Gulf War medical Issues. The letter is simple
and understated, but its basically a Presidential inquiry into
the VA. The question now is will VA ignore this as DOD ignored
my IG complaint of of DOD's mishandling of Gulf War issues.
My letter to the Whitehouse
Response letter from Whitehouse
May 19th, 2005: The IOM Stress review will end up having to
review its own 1997 CCEP report, as they suggested that
DOD look into Stress nine years ago. The new IOM stress
committee had given the impression it was unaware of CCEP,
and needed it explained to them. So have they really forgotten
there part in this, or are they embarrassed that they pushed
Stress back in 1997 - which became so unpopular among the
veterans.
http://books.nap.edu/html/ccep_focused/#ccep

I talked with both the Veterans Benefit Disability Commission
and Undersecretary Scott Hogenson at VA HQ to let them
know the 800 number to the BVA judge has been disconnected.
The BVA website doesnt offer a new number at this link:
http://www.va.gov/vbs/bva/page7.htm#2
But, I got this number from them myself:
202-501-5970 #1010
( instead of 1-800-869-8654 )

The 15 year anniversary of the Gulf War is coming up in August, and
the any records classified "Confidential" are supposed to be released.
The National Archives is making no effort to review the Centcom records
vault to begin releasing its confidential records. Many like myself
believe there is inside DOD influence on them to ignore the data.
Especially anything related to:

61,652 Centcom personnel survey - Gulf War 1990 - 1991
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulflink/message/7198

69,875 Centcom personnel survey part 2 - Gulf War 1990 - 1991
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulflink/message/7199
DHSD is completely unwilling to talk on the phone or respond
to emails, so I had to ask Dr. David S.C. Chu himself about the
DHSD program. According to the UnSEC, DHSD will remain
for 6 more years. But, its my understanding they have been
expanded under Consolidated Health Support even though the
Pentagon seems unwilling to disclose its current budget or
exact current function. The budget just says $15.5 million to transfer
OSAGWI to Defense Health program. After that all record of the
program vanishes from the DOD Comptroller records, under any
name even under the Health Affairs budget listings. Has DHSD
become a secret project at DOD?

UnSec David S.C. Chu
The AFIP has been slated for closing, so Im pushing the VA
RAC to hurry up in its request for a catalog of the Gulf War tissue
samples stored there. After they close the Walter Reed location,
it may become impossible to get this catalog from them down the
road. I've asked countless times over four years that someone
take advantage of this vault - and hopefully the RAC will do so.
The IOM meets on May 26th and 27th on its third installment,
Gulf War Infectious Disease.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulflink/message/8372
Another chapter has surfaced in DOD human experimentation,
a survivor of the Edgewood Arsenal chemical experiments from
1955 to 1975 told me of it, and the IOM report done years later
from it. Michael Bailey has talked about this for some time, and
has been trying to get the word out about what happened to him
and others with him.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulflink/message/8375
May 6th, 2005: Monday the 9th, the IOM starts its review of Gulf
War Stress. This is not what we wanted for research, and are dismayed
that VA would fund it. It shows a trend that even though we need a
fresh outlook at the disease, even the RAC is missing the boat.
But, Jim Binns of the RAC has assured me they will look into the
Centcom medical survey and the AFIP vault.
The WRIISC clinic was not aware that in the Persian Gulf VHA
handbook a Gulf War Registry Phase II exam can be done at the
East Orange or Washington DC WRIISC clinics. Which is a way
to get veterans in the WRIISC clinic which has only seen 60 veterans
nation wide in 3 years. Another research short fall.
After yet another phone call with DHSD, I was reminded of one of the
precursor elements in 1998 that sparked OSAGWI to work with me.
I had written a letter to the President, of which he forwarded to VA
and OSAGWI. It turns out that letter impacted them more than I
realized which lead to a 3 year pattern in which I kept them buried
in work. By 2001, when the new President stepped in - DHSD then
all but tried to ignore me. So I guess they are waiting for this President
to send one of my letters to DHSD before they wake up.
OSAGWI Whitehouse response 1
OSAGWI Whitehouse response 2
April 27th, 2005: I had contacted Helen Malaskiewicz about
the Environmental Health Coordinator List being wrong. That each
facility was running it different, and some facilities had changed
coordinators or had people doubling jobs. So since then she has
been calling every VAMC nation wide to get the right contact
information. They didnt want to put out the list incomplete, so I
asked that they just do so with a disclaimer that its still being
updated. Without further a due, the updated complete EA
coordinators list, April 2005.
Environmental Agents Coordinator List
April 22nd, 2005: After asking DHSD to replace oversight
websites taken off the list, they respond with the updates.
They are now hosting the PAC, and PSOB websites that
have been taken down. No mention of MHVCB yet, but
the CCEP data has been updated.
DHSD response letter
The IOM meeting on the 20th started with Dr. Craig Hyams
singing the DOD somatoform song, much of the day was
disappointing as it appears this report is destined to fail as
quickly as the others. It however was very informative, so
read up in the commentary posting.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulflink/message/8242

From this we learned that 4 Gulf War IOM reviews were
taking place, to include a Gulf War Stress review. The
meetings are coming up in May.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulflink/message/8247

The WRIISC VHA handbook is now available, and with it
the VA Form 10-0417 screening form is available on it.
Little by little the WRIISC, and Gulf War Registry data is
being made public. Dr. Han Kang and Dr. Mark Brown both
agreed with me there should be a centrally located WRIISC
clinic. I had proposed Houston, Texas - which housed the
former Gulf War Referral Clinic.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulflink/message/8249

Helen explained how if your a Gulf War vet in Germany,
your outside of VA care. If a veteran is willing to pay,
VA might reimburse a civilian doctor to do the exam.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulflink/message/8257
In fact, there is so much happening now behind the scenes
that this week that this above post is truncated to the max.
Even the links are one post of many on each topic, as a
very troubling picture unfolds of what VA says versus what
it does. It looks like the push is to label Gulf War vets Stress
related and support only things that lead to that conclusion.
One thing is clear, there are no VSO's in sight, and even the
VA Research Advisory Committee is in the dark on events
happening inside VA. If I hadnt caught the IOM scheduling
issue last week, it would have been the IOM staff only at the
Tuesday meeting.
April 16th, 2005: The VA RAC met on the 6th thru the 8th,
and as usual an on cue they summarily ignore the veterans in
favor of listening to Pentagon puppets. Grabenstein uses the
committee as a opportunity to defend the Anthrax vaccine.
Though Jim Binns and I write each other during the session,
he doesn't listen - of which I've heard this from even a few gov
employees. At least they revised the GWVIS report on the
website, I had pointed out it was VA intranet - and those of
us on the outside cant access it.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulflink/message/8166
EA finally puts up the WRIISC VHA handbook, but leaves off
the VA form 10-0417 that goes with it. This form is a pre-screen
form to get into the WRIISC. So to date, the following were
unavailable to the veterans for several years:
Gulf War 10-9009a (RS) code Sheets
Environmental Agents Coordinators List ( updated April 2005 )
Environmental Agents Clinicians List
WRIISC VHA HANDBOOK 1303-5 July15 2004

In the coming weeks I will continue to provide updates on the
EA issue and the WRIISC clinic. Of which here is the
WRIISC response letter, a complete blow off of my questions
I posed to them. Like them having only 38 veterans nation wide
get referred to the clinic in the last three years, among numerous
other things.
DHSD responds to me that I'm right on the 19 problems
I found with them, and the website. The PAC, CCEP, MHVCB,
PSOB, and other websites no longer exist. Coupled with
the complete degeneration of the medial page on the
gulflink.osd.mil website, and that the VSO page at
Deploymenthealth.osd.mil isnt updated the day of the meetings
with the NSO's.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulflink/message/8207

Now I find DHSD has canceled publishing valuable study information
that might have been damaging to DOD.
http://www.dior.whs.mil/icdhome/CANRCS.PDF
April 1st, 2003 Part IB - List of Recurring and One-Time DoD Internal
Reports Canceled in the Last Two Years HA( AR) 1976 09/ 02/ 2002 REPRODUCTIVE OUTCOMES: GULF WAR VETERANS 10 USC 1074; PL 103- 337 HA( OT) 2075 08/ 11/ 2000 PERSIAN GULF ERA WOMEN'S HEALTH LINKAGE STUDY DAMD17- 96- C- 6052 A N AF MC SD( OT) 2066 02/ 10/ 2000 SURVEY OF PEST CONTROL PROBLEMS AND PESTICIDE USE DURING THE GULF WAR DEPSECDEF MEMO 961112 A N AF MC P& R( AR) 1919 05/ 21/ 2002 CHEMICAL WEAPONS EXPOSURE STUDY REPORT DD2733 DEPSECDEF MEMO 930309 A N AF
Last but not least, the IOM starts its new Gulf War literature review of
Medical docs. But, the February 17th, 2005 meeting they do not notify
anyone its a public meeting - so only Dr. Mark Brown attends. Notice
was not sent out about the April 20th, 2005 meeting, and so I had to
track down the IOM staff to get a response. Here is the reply from Caroline
Fulco at the IOM:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulflink/message/8221

Its obivous that the IOM wants to give the impression that no one
cares, and this is probably something VA has pushed silently as
well. That way the report doesnt have to start with thanks or recognition
to myself or the NSO's like the other IOM reports in the past. So they
can just what VA wants to hear, unopposed.
March 10th, 2005: Just got a hold of the new March 7th, 2005
VHA handbook 1303.2 from Environmental Agents at VA.
The announcement is the Persian Gulf Registry is now the
Gulf War Registry that includes troops returning from Operation
Iraqi Freedom. The problem is, Gulf War veterans can barely
find their way to a Environmental Health Coordinator now due
to a few information road blocks at Veteran Affairs Medical
Centers. Like anything in the lobby telling of them or the program,
or any public phone list to contact the EH coordinators, or any
public outreach program to get them into the programs.

Michelle Foster of Environmental Agents finally uploaded the
Persian Gulf Registry Code Sheets on the VA website.
http://www1.va.gov/gulfwar/Index.cfm
http://www1.va.gov/Environagents/page.cfm?pg=5

This is just the beginning, as they also took down several
items to include the outreach section. So little by little we
will continue dialogue with EA until the program is functioning
at a better level than it was. The Coordinators and Clinicians
list have not been put up there yet, and so for now we are all
that have these list available to the veteran community.
March 8th, 2005: Chppm is monitoring the environmental
health conditions in Iraq. So we at DSBR suggest that
soldiers in Iraq this year bring back soil samples of the region.
It can be tested for bacterial as well as chemical composition
by Chppm. In case you get sick, its your backup to show
the level of soil contamination in Iraq - if that is the case.
But, bring enough for two labs - so a independent lab can
verify Chppms results. We didn't have that in the last war.

At the 1999 CDC Gulf War Conference I gave a sand sample
to Jack Heller during his presentation on Chppm in the Gulf
War. This is what the soil analysis results looked like:
Chppm 1999 sand sample analysis results
March 3rd, 2005: The Gulf War Exam code sheets
had also been removed from the Environmental Health
coordinators page at VA:
Ihttp://www1.va.gov/Environagents/page.cfm?pg=5

I've been assured by Helen Malaskiewicz that
shortly the new code sheets will be put back up.
Michelle Foster of VA Environmental agents
hasn't quite got it done yet:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulflink/message/8099
March 2nd, 2005: The War Related Illness & Injury
Study Clinic had posted its DC statistics, in which 38
veterans had been sent nationally over a 3 year period.
Which is a horrendously low figure for replacing the
now defunct Gulf War Referral Clinics.
With some effort, we pinned down that Persian Gulf
Coordinators at Veteran Affairs Medical Centers had
become invisible to veterans walking in. The once
public positions had been changed to C&P staff
carrying multiple rolls, and one that veterans had no
idea of. So even though Persian Gulf Registry exams
continued, they became part of a Compensation and
Pension exam - something a veteran found out after
they filed a VA claim. Not something they saw or heard
about in the lobby of a VA hospital.

Then came the issue of the Gulf War exam code sheets
that were no longer available on the website either.

In the old days the Persian Gulf Coordinators had a
master sheet up on the VA net of all the phone numbers,
and locations of these people. That has vanished.
So we looked to the VA / VISN phone directories,
and found 3 remaining facilities with the Persian
Gulf Coordinator listed publicly. We called them, and
those people were bewildered we called them Persian
Gulf Coordinators. In our old records, the only surviving
PGC was Ron Ratliff of the Houston VAMC - so far
most are admin or C&P staff doubling in. No signs,
or displays in the lobby, or literature explaining who
they were or how to find them
So we at DSBR will be building a new Persian Gulf Registry /
WRIISC program page in conjunction with how to file
a VA complaint page. For now we are making the Persian
Gulf Coordinators list public again for the first time in years.
Persian Gulf Coordinators ( updated again April 2005 )
Persian Gulf Clinicians

Our goal is to make this whole program public again,
and easy to access. So in the coming weeks we will be
conferring with VA Environmental Agents in conjunction
with Deployment Health Support Directorate to rectify
problems from PGR to WRIISC. Its confusing, but it
doesn't have to stay that way.
February 24th, 2005: A "Tiger Team" has been
working the last few weeks to procure a variety of
documents from the OSAGWI server. Today we got
the 2nd page to the July 22nd, 1997 letter to Edward
D. Martin from Michael A. Friedman. The letter given
the Senate VA committee, but missing this page since
since 1997. 8 years this went uncorrected.

The sequence went page 273 to 274, but when you
read the document you see that it skips from 1 to page 3
Original File:
http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/library/senate/appx_ee.pdf
Our updated 14 page file with page 2:
http://www.gulflink.org/senate/appx_ee.pdf 928KB

On February 7th we also found the Presidential Advisory
Committee website wasn't available anymore, what was
left of it resided on OSAGWI's Gulflink.osd.mil . But,
parts of it were not functioning there either. Noticeably
missing was the Special Report 12/96. The below
message is a the message sent to DHSD requesting
those files, and link corrections.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulflink/message/8009

More to follow.......

February 11th, 2005: It appears the Senate is busy
trying to find ways to further cheat soldiers / veterans
who have been injured in the line of duty.

Veteran Affairs has closely guarded the secret that family
members of a veteran who has hurt or killed in VA care
could file against VA with a SF 95 Tort claim through the
Department of Justice.
How to complain to Veteran Affairs about your health care

So now they are trying to find ways to limit judgments.
Problem is, VA is great at avoiding going to court by using
technicalities to get cases dismissed. If a veteran or family
members ever even hear of this closely guarded procedure.
Few win this procedure, which after years of fighting the debts
sometimes outweigh the ruling judgment.
What needs to be done is get the $160 billion back from
Bush that he wasted in Iraq, and pay for the war himself
instead of disabled families waiting for years in judicial courts
from the fallout of injuries suffered in Iraq.
January 6th, 2005: For those that visit a VA Medical
Center, and you had trouble with them - I'm working on
a new page that deals with how to file a complaint as a
Gulf War veteran should problems arise in your VA care.
For now the page will be generic, rather than state to
state specific. But, if others help in each state I can
narrow names and phone numbers down better. Also, if
veterans will send the information - I will build a complaint
page showing complaints of VAMC's in each state.
VAMC care complaint page
December 20th, 2004: The Gulf War and Health, Volume 3:
Fuels, Combustion Products, and Propellants report is available
at the IOM website. Its a 600 page report, but in the
Executive Summary at least common OSHA findings of
Cancers are conceded. The rest of the report is the IOM
doing everything it can to distance DOD, and the Gulf War
veterans from any causal effects. Even common ones. So that
there wont be any effort to link sick vets to anything even obvious,
and lets DOD continue its Somatization campaign.
Acinetobacter Baumanii is found in the soil of Iraq, which means
this very rare super bug will continue to infect troops in Iraq. Its
not treatable with most known antibiotics, and is not curable. Yet,
DHSD has taken a cavalier attitude towards it which is reflected
in its November 30th, 2004 NSO meeting even though other
countries started recognizing the outbreak in March 2003.
Now at 102 injured American soldiers coming from Iraq. If you
were at Walter Reed Army Hospital being treated for Cutaneous
Leishmaniasis, you probably had this as well. We at DSBR
believe this enough to buy the domain name http://www.Acinetobacter.org
and start a website to track soldiers within this issue.
Since September 2002 we have met with a plethora of government
agencies on the current Gulf War II. The IOM, VA, DHSD, GAO,
and others. We have also been in the global media, and recently
finished a media tour of Germany. Some of this is outlined on the
following web page.
Gulf War II in review
We continue here at DSBR to ask questions, and ask that you join our discussion group at GulfLINK Mail List. Not to worry, by joining our list you will see that OSAGWI will also see your message as well - they ( and many other government agencies ) monitor us daily for news and updates.

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