New York Times
June 26, 1994
By Vivien Kellerman
WHEN she began looking for veterans of the Persian Gulf war who might be suffering
combat-related illnesses Jacqueline Olsen of Patchogue tried to stay behind
the scenes. She referred to herself and the support group that she was forming
as Moms of Long Island.
But the response was so over whelming, with calls from veterans and their families
worried about their symptoms, that she
has moved out of the shadows. In a few months Mrs. Olsen's life has gone from
mother and homemaker to den mother to
dozens of veterans who call her and dozens more with whom she communicates through
a computer group. She says she would like to return to her former life, but
instead she is in contact with her Congressman, corresponding with officials
in Washington and responding to invitations to Congressional hearings.
"With seven children, a grandmother of one and another on the way, I
have more than enough to do," said Mrs. Olsen,
who saw two of her four sons go to the gulf in 1991. One son has not had war-related
problems. The other has.
Because of him and the gulf veterans whom she has met in the last year and
because she worries that even veterans
who do not display symptoms continue to face risks, Mrs. Olsen said she was
determined to stay active. "What if
problems crop up later on?" she asked. "We need answers."
Reports of illnesses emerged even before the war ended in February 1991. Many
troops were exposed to fumes and
smoke from military operations, oil fires, diesel exhaust, toxic paints, pesticides,
parasites, sand, depleted uranium,
infectious agents, chemical agents and multiple immunizations.
Initially the Defense Department tried to minimize the problems. But as the
reports increased and some conditions remained undiagnosed, Congress passed
legislation in 1992 requiring the Defense Department and the Veterans' Affairs
Department
to set up a registry for veterans who thought that they had war-related illnesses.
More than 20,000 have signed up.
Last month a panel organized by the National Institutes of Health to study
postwar health problems said that although there was not a single disease or
syndrome, the problem was indeed a real condition that could be attributed to
one cause or to
a combination of stress, chemical pollution or parasites.
A professor at the Harvard University School of Public Health who was on the
panel, Dr. Gareth M. Green, said despite
the hearings, based on information from the Defense Department, there is no
evidence of biological or chemical agents
being responsible for the illnesses. But, Dr. Green added, "That doesn't
mean it didn't exist."
From a purely medical standpoint, he said, no deaths have been associated with
such agents and delayed reactions are
highly unlikely. "If data develops or is revealed in the future,"
Dr. Green said, "it could alter our conclusions."
Dr. Green said that the panel had heard many complaints about the medical evaluations
and that it was recommending that hospitals develop systems to refer patients.
"There should be a national Veterans' Administration-wide protocol, so
that all
gulf war veterans receive appropriate attention at their local hospitals,"
he added.
Last year a telephone call at 2A.M. from her son Scott, now 26, changed Mrs.
Olsen's life. Earlier that evening he had
seen a television report about gulf veterans suffering many symptoms that he
had. For months he had a rash on several
parts of his body and suffered other problems, including joint pains, dizziness,
night sweats, shortness of breath and fatigue.
"This is a kid that in two feet of snow used to throw a quilt down so that
he could work on his van," Mrs. Olsen said.
"This past winter he was so weak, I did more shoveling than he did. Army
doctors called the rash old age spots. They
said his low red blood cell count was caused by a lack of meat in his diet.
After his discharge in December 1993, he
went to the Veterans' Administration Hospital in Northport, where the staff
told him that his cough, in which he spits up
black phlegm, was caused by pollution on, Long Island.
"He's so disgusted he doesn't even want to complain any more," Mrs.
Olsen said. "He just wants to get his life in order.
I'm afraid that he'll give up the V.A. Then he'll never get answers."
Through her son's contacts with the Veterans Affairs Administration she met
other gulf veterans, all with individual
histories. "I just knew there had to be others from Long Island,"
she said.
Up to 60 Members in Support Group
Mrs. Olsen found herself on the computer asking gulf veterans who thought that
they had gulf-related ailments to call her. Soon she was running a weekly support
group for up to 60 veterans and their family members, with some from as far
away as Canada.
Mrs. Olsen sent letters to the press. When one was published, responses from
veterans and their families poured in.
About 40 people went to the first meeting, in March in an American Legion hall,
where they recounted their histories.
They suffered unusual symptoms. Some said they were afraid to complain because
they might lose their health insurance
or cause trouble with employers. Many said they did not like complaining, because
they did not want to be seen as malingerers.
One participant was Anthony Blackman of Holtsville. Six months after returning
from seven months in the gulf,
Mr. Blackman, 25, began to suffer excessive fatigue and his digestive system
began to break down. He had lost
significant weight in the gulf because of the extreme heat and dehydrated meals,
and he at first assumed that his
stomach problems stemmed from that. After his discharge in January 1992 the
problems continued, and tests showed
elevated liver enzymes.
Unable to diagnose his condition definitively, doctors at the Veterans' Hospital
in Northport told him that he had
post-traumatic stress.
"I was in the military for six years before Desert Storm, and I never had
any problems," Mr. Blackman said. "Now,
even though I'm holding down a full-time job, I'm lucky to get out of bed in
the morning. And it just gets worse and
worse. No matter how much I sleep, I never get enough rest."
As medical tests continue, Mr. Blackman; the father of one child and with
another on the way, has no answers.
"Doctors think that what we want is compensation," he said. "I
could care less about that. I just want to know how to
deal with the problems in my body. That's all I think about any more."
Feeling Like Agent Orange Cases
For some time many gulf veterans with problems have said they are being treated
the same way Vietnam veterans were treated when they raised questions about
Agent Orange. Federal agencies say they are determined to not let that reoccur.
Even before the war had ended, veterans were reporting joint and muscle pain,
fatigue, twitching, rashes, sores and
intestinal problems. The chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs,
Donald Riegle Jr., Democrat of
Michigan, issued a report on May 24 asserting that tens of thousands of veterans
suffered from gulf war syndrome,
Persian Gulf syndrome or desert war syndrome.
Mr. Riegel said despite continued denials by the Defense Department, troops
were exposed to fallout from bombings
of Iraqi chemical, biological and nuclear plants.
Paucity of information
Obtaining statistics about gulf veterans from Long Island is extremely difficult.
A spokesman for the Defense Department, Col. Douglas hart, said that of the
650,000 gulf veterans, 88,349 said they
were from New York State. The registry for illnesses lists 300 with undiagnosed
symptoms like headaches, hair loss, sleeplessness, fatigue, aching joints, rashes
and stomach ailments.
According to the Veterans' Affairs Department, 754 of the state veterans are on the registry, with 64 from Long Island.
A spokeswoman for the department, Donna St. Johns said the Government encouraged
all gulf veteran who thought that
they have symptoms that might be service related to sign up on the registry.
"It is the intent of the registry to get as many
on the list even if they don't have health problems," said Ms. St. John
Unable to Find Veterans
The Government has communicated with the veterans through newsletters, service
organizations and when veterans
request benefits. Ms. St. Johns said it would be impossible to contact the veterans
to request that they sign up, because
the department does not know how to contact them.
Congress is working on legislation to require the Defense and Veteran Affairs
Departments to encourage gulf veterans to
sign up on the registry and inform them of counseling and care, as well as possible
risks to their children.
Representative George Hocbrueckner, Democrat of Centereach who supports the
bill, said even though the bill did not
have financing it would set an important tone, saying the Government wants to
avoid another Agent Orange problem.
"We're trying to give more tools to the people who served," Mr. Hochbruckner
said. "We're not going to walk away
from any vet."
But Mrs. Olsen voices skepticism, saying: "I hear too many things from
the vets that have me wondering what will
really happen. They're developing defeatist attitudes. The doctors tell them
they don't know how fix it. So they give up.
They think what's the point? What are we going to do, just sit around and complain?
In the meantime I'm just afraid that
it will take 10 or 20 years to fix it. And who knows how many people will be
affected by then?"