[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 185 (Wednesday, December 10, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S10862]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   GULF WAR ILLNESS RESEARCH FUNDING

  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Madam President, I rise today to urge my colleagues 
to review the findings of the congressionally mandated Research 
Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses. This report, which 
was released a few weeks ago, confirms what many veterans of the Gulf 
War, lawmakers, physicians, and researchers have long suspected that 
the mysterious illnesses suffered by one in four gulf war veterans are 
real, and are a result of their exposure to neurotoxic chemicals.
  It was not long after the successful conclusion of the gulf war that 
many of our soldiers returned home with multiple persistent symptoms 
including headaches, memory loss, gastrointestinal problems, and 
widespread pain. The symptoms were real, yet the cause and effective 
treatment have remained frustratingly elusive. As a leading member of 
the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I pushed hard for oversight 
hearings and continued research efforts.
  Finally, 17 years after the end of that conflict, this report 
confirms that veterans' neurotoxin and pesticide exposure during the 
gulf war has been consistently found to be causally associated with 
gulf war illness. Unfortunately, this report also concludes that few 
veterans have recovered from their exposure, and treatments remain 
ineffective. While it is important that the cause of this illness has 
been established, it is unacceptable for our veterans to continue to 
suffer from these wounds of war.
  In light of the findings of the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf 
War Veterans' Illnesses, there must be a continued investment in gulf 
war illness research. It is estimated that 175,000 to 210,000 gulf war 
veterans are suffering from the effects of neurotoxin exposure directly 
related to their time spent in the Gulf. Once again, hundreds of 
thousands of soldiers find themselves back in the area as part of 
Operation Iraqi Freedom. Therefore, it is vital that we do all that we 
can to adequately fund gulf war research.
  We also need to learn the lesson of the value of candor and research. 
DOD and VA must be more open with Congress about the concerns facing 
our troops, from neurotoxin and pesticide exposures in the gulf war to 
the troubling issue of suicide, mental health issues, and traumatic 
brain injury, TBI, in the current conflict. We must address all the 
wounds of war, both visible and invisible, for our veterans who have 
served so bravely.

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