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"A crack in the dike...."
For five years, many people who served in the Persian Gulf War have complained of mysterious health problems ranging from chronic fatigue to tumors. Initially, many of the complaints were ignored or diagnosed as psychosomatic. 1996 may be seen as the year that thinking changed for good.
Many of the vets had long suspected their illnesses were caused by exposure to Iraqi chemical or biological weapons. But there was never any proof, and the Defense Department vehemently denied that troops had ever come in contact with toxic weapons. Research into the problem focused on other risk factors -- infectious diseases, pesticides, smoke and particulates from oil well fires, contact with dust or rubble from exploded shells made of depleted uranium, and vaccines and pills given to troops as antidotes for possible chemical and biological agents.
But this year, for the first time, the Pentagon revealed that thousands of U.S. troops may have been exposed to low-level doses of the debilitating nerve gas sarin when they destroyed a sprawling Iraqi ammunition depot at Kamisiyah in 1991.
James Tuite III, who led a Senate investigation of Gulf War illnesses in 1993 and 1994 and now works with veterans groups, told The New York Times the disclosure should have come years ago. "It's a crack in the dike," he said. "The Pentagon position is beginning to unravel... They are going to have to admit that many, if not all troops, were exposed to some level of chemical warfare agents."
The Pentagon said it knew of the possibility of chemical weapons' exposure only last fall, and denied allegations of a cover-up.
But the veterans were to get more ammunition for their cause. In October, a panel from the highly-regarded Institute of Medicine said the U.S. military was too preoccupied with its war mission in the Persian Gulf to prepare for the potential medical aftermath. The panel's report concluded that the absence of uniform health records for all troops who served in the war had impeded research efforts.
In December, the Nobel-prize winning scientist who led a 1994 Pentagon study dismissing links between chemical weapons and the vets' illnesses said his findings may have been flawed. Joshua Lederberg told The New York Times that the Pentagon never informed him about the ammunitions depot incident, and said it could alter his study's conclusions. The Pentagon denied withholding information.
Scientists remain bewildered by the ailments. Estimates of those affected range from 30,000 to 100,000 of the 690,000 people who served in the war. The most common symptom is aching joints, followed by chronic fatigue, memory loss, night sweats, headaches, skin rashes, loss of concentration and depression.
The investigation goes on. In late December, the long-awaited Presidential Advisory Committee on Gulf War Illness is expected to deliver its final report. News reports say the preliminary drafts are highly critical of the Pentagon.
The Pentagon insists it still has no evidence that exposure to chemical weapons made American troops ill. But critics, including some members of Congress, are calling for an independent inquiry. That demand may well be met next year.
Note: Pages will open in a new browser windowCNN INTERACTIVE REPORTS
- June 21 -- Gulf War troops may have been exposed to chemical weapons
- October 1 -- Pentagon: Gulf troop exposure to chemical weapons may be larger
- November 8 -- Panel blasts Pentagon over inquiry into Gulf War Syndrome
- December 5 -- Pentagon: Iraqi depot stored chemical weapons
- December 5 -- Some Gulf War records on chemical weapons missing
- December 10 -- Gulf War vets to testify on chemical weapon detections
- December 10 -- Gulf War veterans accuse Pentagon of cover-up
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