Once again Veterans are living with the apathy of the country they served!
Remember Agent Orange or the many other ailments and Government using Military Personal to test the effects from Nuclear Explosions and Drugs, probably not!
Look them up, or search out the Vets, using this technology, who are still trying to Educate you too!
Remember the 1st Gulf War?
How about the Veterans from, with questions about, their rapidly deteriorating health after serving, many having died since, coming under the obscure name of ‘Gulf War Syndrom’, look that one up as well!
Veterans groups have been fighting for the VA to recognize ALS
Veterans with ALS in race against time
Afflicted with Lou Gehrig’s disease, they fight for military benefits as science hunts the cause
“The mind stays strong, but the body…” says Anthony Averella, 53, who served in the Army and National Guard and suffers from deadly Lou Gehrig’s disease. He has lost more than 50 pounds in the past year. (Sun photo by Chiaki Kawajiri / May 16, 2008)
The first time he fell, Army Sgt. 1st Class Anthony Averella was strolling on a military base in Afghanistan. He got up, collected himself and brushed aside the concerns of fellow soldiers. Within months, Averella was stumbling regularly, and his hands began inexplicably clenching into fists.
At first, tests revealed nothing. Three years ago, the Maryland soldier found out what was afflicting him: Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Well some, once again, are seeking the answers. But how much does the country care?
Military veterans such as Averella are the subject of a Duke University study that will attempt to solve a mystery: Why are soldiers more likely than the general population to suffer from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS?
Early this decade, the Veterans Affairs and Defense departments released a study showing that veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf War were twice as likely as other soldiers to get ALS, and the federal government extended disability compensation. Now, some veterans and advocates, including members of Congress, are pushing the VA to extend those benefits to all veterans with the disease.
How many of you know what’s going on, have even thought about these Vets, are willing to Pay to not only find out but to Care For them? I do know there are still deniers of the effects of our spraying Defoliants in Vietnam and the damage done not only to our Military Troops but the Vietnamesse People!
Testifying before a congressional committee last summer, retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Thomas R. Mikolajcik, who has ALS, said the government has not done enough research on potential causes and might be exposing service members now in Iraq to an elevated risk of the disease.
“If we know that it happened in the first Gulf War, and now we’re exposing millions more, why aren’t we doing more, and how are you going to answer those people in three, five, 10 years that come down with this disease?” Mikolajcik said in an interview.
Given the incidence rate of ALS among veterans, Mikolajcik said, the VA should not differentiate between those who served in the Gulf War and those who did not.
“Why should my comrades in arms that were in Somalia, Grenada, Panama, Vietnam, Korea or anywhere else around the world get less than those of us that served in the Gulf War?” he asked.
Study Links Gulf War Service with Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS)
September 26, 2003
Veterans who served in the Persian Gulf in 1990 and 1991 have a nearly
twofold risk of Lou Gehrig’s disease compared to veterans of the same era
who did not serve in the Gulf, according to research funded by VA and the
Department of Defense.
Read this full Report
on ALS & Military – PDF
A study published in the January 11, 2005
edition of Neurology, found that men with any history of military service in
the last century are
at a nearly 60% greater risk of ALS than men who did not serve in the
military. Conducted
by epidemiologists at Harvard University’s School of Public Health, the
study concluded
that “Military personnel have an increased risk of ALS. This increase
appeared to be largely
independent of the branch of service and the time period served.”
Initial Symptoms of the Disease
At the onset of ALS the symptoms may be so slight that they are frequently
overlooked. With regard to the appearance of symptoms and the progression of
the illness, the course of the disease may include the following:* muscle weakness in one or more of the following: hands, arms, legs
or the muscles of speech, swallowing or breathing* twitching (fasciculation) and cramping of muscles, especially those
in the hands and feet
- impairment of the use of the arms and legs
- “thick speech” and difficulty in projecting the voice
- in more advanced stages, shortness of breath, difficulty in
breathing and swallowing
National Registry of Veterans with ALS
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has developd a nationwide registry
of living veterans who have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This effort
was directed by the Epidemiologic Research and Information Center (ERIC) at
the VA Medical Center in Durham, NC, with cooperation from the VA Medical
Center in Lexington, KY. The ALS Association advised the study leaders. The
National Registry of Veterans with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis stopped
enrollment of new patients as of September 30, 2007.
And why is it most of the mention of ‘Gulf War Syndrom’ comes from Overseas?
MEET a lawyer who battles for the rights of servicemen and women – a role that has made her an Inspiring Women finalist.
HILARY Meredith remembers every soldier and widow she’s ever worked with.
Hilary’s tasks in the courts include campaigning for compensation for widows whose husbands have been killed in service, fighting for awareness of Gulf War syndrome and, now, trying to improve medical care for injured soldiers returning from duty.
Insecticides in pet shampoo may trigger autism
Meanwhile, another study suggests that exposure to organophosphate insecticides double the risk of developmental disorders, including autism. Organophosphates have previously been linked to Gulf War syndrome.
There are other reports that slowly come through, once again most coming from overseas, the reporting and research of what may have caused the suffering those who served in the 1st Gulf war are experiancing.
And our present conflicts are already getting the silent treatment of the possible problems, health wise, that many are starting to experiance, not only the military personal but the citizens of the countries we invaded and occupy.
Afghans to probe whether U.S. used depleted uranium
The Afghan government plans to investigate whether the United States used depleted uranium during its invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and if it might be linked to malformed babies born afterwards.
Kakar said he would like to see the study done as soon as possible, but the Afghan government, which largely relies on Western aid and troops, needed to find ways of funding it.
And once again almost total silence from the American Public as to those they send into, and cheer on, these Wars Of Choice when they return.
Few voice outrage over the Highly Paid Mercenary Army this country supports, few complain about the No-Bid Contracts, and the corruption from, of the Private Companies of Wall Street, few ask Questions as to exactly where the Supplemetal Funding for Wars go let alone where the Monies for the DoD ever increasing Budget go……………………..!!
But when anything is mentioned about returning Veterans of our Conflicts and Occupations the Public Embraces the Spin created to Silence those seeking Help and their Advocates!
