Gulf War Syndrome

Gulf War Syndrome : Legacy of a Perfect War

Written by Maff July 20, 2007 Hits: 934 0

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by Alison Johnson

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Of the men and women who served in the American forces in the Gulf War, more than one hundred thousand of them came back from that unique conflict suffering from a variety of illness only to face a public and a government that was largely indifferent. It took years of exhaustive medical studies and public awareness efforts of activists to overcome the apathy (and at times outright hostility) of the Veteran's Administration and the Congress to recognize, acknowledge, and begin to deal with this phenomena. Highly recommended reading for students of twentieth century military history, political science, veteran's affairs, and the medical aftermath of service in the Gulf War, Alison Johnson's Gulf War Syndrome: Legacy Of A Perfect War is the complete story of this struggle against government denial and betrayal of the American service men and women who found themselves in harm's way while carrying out their country's mandate on the fields of battle.

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The Irritable Heart: The Medical Mystery of the Gulf War

Written by Maff July 20, 2007 Hits: 1076 0

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by Jeff Wheelwright

In The Irritable Heart Jeff Wheelwright profiles five ailing veterans, unraveling the health mystery through their intimate and fascinating case histories. He describes the veterans' experiences, beginning with their deployment to the Gulf and tracking them through their return, their mysterious suffering, and their struggles to find the reasons for their illnesses.

Drawing on his experiences as a reporter in the Gulf in 1991, he reviews the toxic substances in the environment, such as oil smoke and nerve gas, that many believe to be the cause of the conditions. Wheelwright demonstrates why such scenarios are unlikely. Rather, he shows that the gulf war illnesses belong in the company of chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and multiple chemical sensitivity -- symptom complexes that are increasing in America and evading a biomedical explanation. Although these contemporary illnesses are unrelated to war, Wheelwright points out that the gulf war ills have their own precedents in military history as far back as a Civil War malady known as "irritable heart."

Doubters have dismissed the veterans' conditions as a psychological fabrication -- "It's all in their heads." Wheelwright maintains that gulf war syndrome is a real illness, involving both the body and the mind.

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