Reaction to NYTIMES: Gas may have harmed troops

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Take a gander at this story: Gas May Have Harmed Troops, Scientists Say - More than 100,000 American troops in the Persian Gulf war of 1991 were exposed to low levels of sarin nerve gas. [NYTimes]

This is a disturbing finding, that is that 100,000 to 150,000 soldiers from the 1991 Persian Gulf war may have physical damage due to exposure to nerve gas during the war. The story explains that this gas resulted from the Army's detonation of a munitions warehouse that contained sarin nerve gas.

What I found disturbing about the story is, who decided to blow it up? Why did they blow up a facility that contained such a deadly toxic chemical? Or did they not know at the time what was in the munitions facility?

And if you read way down in the story, you'll find something else that is interesting: A spokesman for the Veterans Affairs department debunking the study as "inconclusive." These are the folks, mind you, that are supposed to be providing support for our veterans; these are the folks we pay to support our veterans.

And let me put this into context. I came of age during the Vietnam War; my brother went over and I was headed there too but President Nixon ended the draft -- four months before I was to graduate from college and get inducted. I am thankful.

In Vietnam, many soldiers were exposed to Agent Orange, a chemical used to rid trees of leaves so U.S. bomber planes could see the enemy better. The strategy didn't work because the North Vietnamese hid in tunnels. And the defoliant, called Agent Orange because it came in 55-gallon barrels with orange bands around their center, was highly toxic to humans.

For years and years and years, as veterans reported more and more physiological (physical) and psychological damage, the Veterans Administration, as it was called then, responded that medical studies connecting the illnesses and exposure to Agent Orange were "inconclusive."

Makes one think, doesn't it? What's your reaction?

Geoff Gevalt
YWP Editor