Gulf War Syndrome is the name given to a series of illnesses affecting veterans of the Gulf War, illnesses with no clear etiology. This paper will evaluate the reasons for Gulf War Syndrome and its effects on the nation. It is estimated that more than 80,000 veterans are suffering from Gulf War Syndrome, and many of these people are still on active duty. Reports from the United Kingdom indicate that there are also many thousands of British veterans suffering from the same health problems. An official document published in July 1996 by the Department of Veterans' Affairs states that 6,526 Persian Gulf War veterans had died as of July 1, 1995.
Gulf War Syndrome appears to be transmissible, for there are also thousands of spouses, parents, and children suffering form the same debilitating illnesses, including a disproportionate number of newborns with birth defects and physical abnormalities. Among the suspected causes of this problem are the possible use or dissemination of chemical agents in the war; some 14,000 chemical agent alarms deployed with the U.S. forces in the Gulf sounded on average three times each day during the air and ground wars, according to Department of Defense testimony before the U.S. Senate. Yet, the U.S. government has denied that any such cause could be operating and has even denied that there is such a thing as Gulf War Syndrome.
The department of defense, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the department of Veterans Affairs have all claimed at some time that either there is no such thing as Gulf War Syndrome or there is no reason to believe chemical agents could be responsible for the associated illnesses under that rubric. For those accepting that there is such a thing as Gulf War Syndrome, two major reasons for the development of these illnesses have been advanced. The one preferred by much of the military establishment has been stress caused by military service in the Gulf. After all, this ...