Afflicted By War

By Cathy Booth Thomas

A government report last week revealed that Gulf War veterans are nearly twice as likely to develop Lou Gehrig's disease as other military personnel. The numbers are tiny--only 40 to 80 Gulf War veterans have the fatal disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS--but the preliminary study (released by Anthony Principi, the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs) has a much broader significance. It's the first federal study to suggest that Gulf War service is linked with brain disease. A researcher who saw vindication in the report is Texas epidemiologist Dr. Robert Haley; he has been studying Gulf War veterans for eight years, hoping to pin down the cause of a syndrome that left them chronically fatigued, nauseated, anxious and depressed. He says his findings--that some veterans suffered brain damage from exposure to toxic chemicals on the battlefield--were routinely denounced by the VA and the Department of Defense.

Haley credits Principi with showing "courage and compassion" in releasing the report and "separating himself from a 10-year effort to stonewall." Haley estimates that 20,000 to 100,000 vets show brain damage linked to their Gulf War service, and he says, "The VA and Defense, which have not come to grips with this, will now have to examine the Gulf War syndrome." Responds VA spokesman Jim Benson: "I don't think either the DOD or the VA is in denial about the health of the veterans. Hopefully, this is the kind of result that will help focus the research and start getting us some other answers."

--By Cathy Booth Thomas