Compiled
by the National Gulf War Resource Center as of December 30, 1999
According
to the Department of Veterans Affairs, as of October 15, 1999
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696,628 U.S. troops served in the Gulf War between August 2, 1990 and July 31, 1991 --
these are considered "Gulf War Conflict" veterans by the VA;
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Of the 696,628, 575,978 (83%) are eligible for benefits through the VA;
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Of the 575,978, more than 263,000 (45%) sought medical care at the VA;
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Of the 575,978, 183,629 (32%) filed claims against the VA for service-related medical
disabilities;
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Of the 183,629 VA claims filed, 136,031 (74%) were approved in whole or in part;
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Of the 575,978 eligible for VA benefits, 136,031 (24%) are now considered disabled by the
VA less than ten years since the start of the Gulf War; and
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Another 27,622 claims against the VA still pending.
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More than 9,600 Gulf War veterans have died.
According
to the Department of Defense, by 1999, the military revealed
-
As many as 100,000 U.S. troops were exposed to repeated low-levels of chemical warfare
agents, including sarin, cyclosarin, and mustard gases;
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More than 250,000 received the investigational new drug pyridostigmine bromide (PB pills)
the Pentagon "cannot rule out" as linked to Gulf War illnesses;
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8,000 received the investigational new botulinum toxoid (Bot Tox) vaccine;
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150,000 received the hotly debated anthrax vaccine;
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436,000 entered into or lived for months within areas contaminated by more than 315 tons
of depleted uranium radioactive toxic waste possibly laced with trace amounts of highly
radioactive Plutonium and Neptunium, almost all without any awareness, training,
protective equipment, or medical evaluations; and
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Hundreds of thousands lived outdoors for months near more than 700 burning oil well fires
belching fumes and particulate matter without any protective equipment.
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Each of these exposures took place while troops were either engaged in combat, serving in
a war zone, or stationed in the volatile region for a number of months.
Other
Important Statistics
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More than 1,200,000 civilians in Iraq have died since the start of the Gulf War, when Iraq
invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990 (Source: United Nations and Iraq).
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An estimated 100,000 Iraqi soldiers died during Operation Desert Storm between January 17,
1991 and February 28, 1991 (Source: News Reports).
Iraq:
Original figures listed 100,000 Iraqi military dead, but more recent estimates place Iraqi
dead at 20,000 military and 2,300 civilian.
United
States: 148 killed in action, 458 wounded. Also, 121 Americans died through
non-combat incidents.
Additional
losses were incurred by many nations after the Persian Gulf War II. They included
the attacks of strange and unexplained illnesses and diseases. Their targeted
the iraqi polpulation who suffered the most in addition to a quiet number of western
allies soldiers. The diseaes were linked to uranium. Uranium was extensively
used in the |