The syndrome of the war of the Gulf struck well

By Cyriel Martin
http://www.lepoint.fr/actualites-monde/le-syndrome-de-la-guerre-du-golfe-a-bien-frappe/924/0/292287

The syndrome of the war of the Gulf struck well

Soldiers of the French Foreign legion, provided with gas masks, patrol in the Saoudi desert, on October 23, 1990 © AFP PHOTO PASCAL GUYOT

It is a paving stone of 450 pages which will make much noise. The most complete report ever drawn up on the syndrome of the war of the Gulf was published Monday, and was presented to the American secretary with the War veterans James Peake. This document, compiled by the Advisory committee of research on the diseases of the war veterans of the war of the Gulf, composed of scientists and veterans, affirms that the syndrome of the war of the Gulf is quite real, and that more than one quarter of the 700.000 war veterans of the conflict of the beginning of the year 1990 suffer from it.

The syndrome of the war of the Gulf is a generic term to indicate a series of diseases which have affected the American soldiers on their return of the Tempête operation of the desert launched in 1991 to release Kuwait and to push back the Iraqi troops. It appears by problems of memory and concentration, persistent headaches, an unexplained tiredness and generalized pains, but sometimes also by respiratory symptoms, problems of digestion and an irritation of the skin, the report/ratio specifies.

Neurotoxic exposure

The study explains why this evil, denied a long time by the persons in charge of the American army, is due to an exposure to toxic chemical substances of which pesticides - used in particular against the flies of sands - and with a drug prescribes to protect the soldiers against nerve gases. For the authors of the report/ratio, “the syndrome of the war of the Gulf is real, it is the consequence of a neurotoxic exposure during the war of the Gulf and with time few war veterans are cured or are in the process of cure”.

“The veterans of the war of the Gulf of 1990-1991 had the merit to serve their country during an military operation which was an immense success, achieved quickly. But much had misfortune to present durable after-effects on their health which were included/understood little and which were denied or minimized during too a long time”, explains in particular the report/ratio, which denounces “the significant” fall of the federal funds intended for research on the war of the Gulf during the last years, and asks for 60 million of annual dollars in order to conclude these studies. “A renewed federal engagement is necessary”, estimate the authors of the investigation, who raise this research with the row “of national obligation”.

Conclusions without call, therefore, which fall whereas the debate on the withdrawal of the currently committed American troops in Iraq makes rage in the United States. The president elected Barack Obama indeed repeated Sunday that once elected, it would decide to withdraw the main part of the troops from here at the summer 2010.

To see the integral report/ratio in pdf (in English)

War of the Gulf - a strange disease