[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 75 (Wednesday, June 15, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 15, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                         PERSIAN GULF SYNDROME

                                 ______


                            HON. DICK SWETT

                            of new hampshire

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 15, 1994

  Mr. SWETT. Mr. Speaker, thousands of American service personnel who 
served in the Persian Gulf war are suffering from a multitude of 
symptoms and ailments, very likely as a result of their service in that 
region. These ailments include muscle and joint pain, memory loss, and 
sores and rashes. Thus far, physicians have been unable to diagnose the 
cause of these disorders. But they know it is real and they have given 
it a name--Persian Gulf Syndrome. Real people are suffering real 
illnesses--illnesses that have caused many of them to be unable to 
serve their country, support their families, or maintain a normal, 
active life.
  What causes this illness? We do not know, and we will not know until 
our Government conducts a complete, thorough, and honest investigation.
  Mr. Speaker, the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 
Affairs recently released a report which concluded that, despite the 
Department of Defense's repeated denials, there is substantial evidence 
that U.S. servicemen and women were exposed to low-level chemical and 
biological warfare agents and toxins during the gulf war.
  If our service personnel in the gulf were exposed to dangerous 
chemicals, we need to know that and we need to know it now. This 
exposure may account for many of the symptoms our veterans are 
experiencing.
  If exposure to chemical weapons is not the cause of Persian Gulf 
Syndrome, then what is? Could it be the smoke from the hundreds of 
burning oil wells? Or was it the quantity or quality of the nearly 40 
protective inoculations given to the soldiers before they left for 
service overseas? Whatever the reasons, we must be swift and certain in 
our response to this tragic situation.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be a cosponsor of legislation that will 
offer some relief to our soldiers who are suffering from this 
mysterious illness. The Veterans' Persian Gulf War Benefits Act would: 
First, provide benefits to Persian Gulf veterans with disabilities from 
their service in the war; second, direct the Veterans' Administration 
to develop case protocols and definitions; third, establish an outreach 
program for Persian Gulf vets; and fourth, authorize further research. 
This legislation has received the full endorsement of Veterans' Affairs 
Secretary Jesse Brown, the American Legion, and the Vietnam Veterans of 
America. I laud the efforts of Secretary Brown and these distinguished 
organizations and urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting 
this important piece of legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, Persian Gulf Syndrome, like agent orange before it, is a 
tragic side effect of war. Unlike agent orange, however, we are 
immediately confronting this issue and immediately providing support to 
our veterans. I commend the efforts of the Veterans' Administration and 
urge the Pentagon to continue to share information as it becomes 
available--information which will help us restore the health and the 
well-being of our Persian Gulf war veterans. We owe that much to them, 
at the very least.

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