Government faulted for response to ill veterans
September 26, 2007

BY LES BLUMENTHAL

MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

WASHINGTON -- Sixteen years after the Persian Gulf War, more than 1 in 4 of those who fought remain seriously ill with medical problems ranging from severe fatigue and joint pain to Lou Gehrig's disease, multiple sclerosis and brain cancer, the chairman of a congressional advisory committee testified Tuesday.

But even as more is learned about what's now called Gulf War Veterans Illness, the Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs remain in virtual denial about its causes and have been slow to offer treatment, said James Binns, the head of a research advisory committee.

"This is a tragic record of failure, and the time lost can never be regained," Binns told the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee.

"This government manipulation of science and violation of law to devalue the health problems of ill veterans is something I would not have believed possible in this country until I took this job."

Pentagon and VA officials said they're taking the illness seriously, funding clinical and other research, and are committed to ensuring that veterans get needed care.

"Veterans who report health problems are definitely ill," said Michael Kilpatrick, the Defense Department's deputy director for force health protection and readiness programs. "However, they do not have a single type of health problem. Consequently, these veterans have to be evaluated and treated as individuals."

Though the focus was on the Persian Gulf War, concerns hovered over the hearing that those fighting in Iraq might face similar problems.

Kilpatrick said 15% to 20% of those who've fought in Iraq recently are returning with ill-defined medical symptoms. He didn't elaborate.

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