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Depleted Uranium Comes Home
Eli, Left I on the News
'Out of the 580,400 soldiers who served in GW1 (the first Gulf War), of them, 11,000
are now dead! By the year 2000, there were 325,000 on Permanent Medical Disability.' ‘Gulf Era Veterans’ now on
medical disability, since 1991, number 518,739 Veterans
“I would say it is the perfect weapon for killing lots of people!”
December 22, 2005
Since this blog began I've been writing about the evils of depleted Uranium, most recently here. Iraqis and Americans (and others elsewhere that DU weaponry has been used) have suffered as a result.
Today's news takes the story one step further, both qualitatively and quantitatively:
"Preventive Psychiatry E-Newsletter charged Monday that the reason Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi
stepped down earlier this month was the growing scandal surrounding the use of uranium munitions in the Iraq War.
"Writing
in Preventive Psychiatry E-Newsletter No. 169, Arthur N. Bernklau, executive director of Veterans for Constitutional Law in
New York, stated, 'The real reason for Mr. Principi's departure was really never given, however a special report published
by eminent scientist Leuren Moret naming depleted uranium as the definitive cause of the 'Gulf War Syndrome' has fed a growing
scandal about the continued use of uranium munitions by the US Military.'
"Bernklau continued, 'This
malady (from uranium munitions), that thousands of our military have suffered and died from, has finally been identified as
the cause of this sickness, eliminating the guessing. The terrible truth is now being revealed.'
"He added,
'Out of the 580,400 soldiers who served in GW1 (the first Gulf War), of them, 11,000 are now dead! By
the year 2000, there were 325,000 on Permanent Medical Disability. This astounding number of 'Disabled Vets' means
that a decade later, 56% of those soldiers who served have some form of permanent medical problems!' The disability rate for
the wars of the last century was 5 percent; it was higher, 10 percent, in Viet Nam.
'The VA Secretary (Principi) was
aware of this fact as far back as 2000,' wrote Bernklau. 'He, and the Bush administration have been hiding these facts, but
now, thanks to Moret's report, (it) ... is far too big to hide or to cover up!'"
And, as I've also discussed before, not only is this a health problem, it's also part of the never-ending cost of war. Repeating something from that just-linked
post: "While the exact cost of compensating those injured in fighting in Iraq is uncertain, the Department of Veterans
Affairs already expects to pay $600 billion over the next three decades in disability payments to veterans of earlier wars."
Let's repeat -- that $600 billion does not include those serving in Iraq. Add to that the cost of paying
for a lifetime of healthcare for hundreds of thousands of soldiers who have been exposed to DU in Iraq (on top of all the
other medical problems resulting from the war) and, as Everett Dirksen famously said, "Pretty soon you're talking about real money." And you're definitely talking about real lives. And real deaths.
Sources:
To complete the above citation of today's news:
 |
| Considering the tons of depleted uranium used by the
U.S., the Iraq war can truly be called a nuclear war. |
“Terry Jamison, Public Affairs Specialist, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Department
of Veterans Affairs, at the VA Central Office, recently reported that ‘Gulf Era Veterans’ now on medical disability,
since 1991, number 518,739 Veterans,” said Berklau.
“The long-term effects have revealed that DU (uranium oxide) is a virtual death sentence,” stated Berklau.
“Marion Fulk, a nuclear physical chemist, who retired from the Lawrence Livermore Nuclear Weapons Lab, and was also
involved with the Manhattan Project, interprets the new and rapid malignancies in the soldiers (from the 2003 Iraq War) as
‘spectacular … and a matter of concern!’”
When asked if the main purpose of using DU was for “destroying things and killing people,” Fulk was more specific:
“I would say it is the perfect weapon for killing lots of people!”
Principi could not be reached for comment prior to deadline.
References
1. Depleted uranium: “Dirty bombs, dirty missiles, dirty bullets: A death sentence here and abroad” by Leuren
Moret, http://www.sfbayview.com/081804/Depleteduranium081804.shtml
2. Veterans for Constitutional Law, 112 Jefferson Ave., Port Jefferson NY 11777, Arthur N. Bernklau, executive director,
(516) 474-4261, fax 516-474-1968.
3. Preventive Psychiatry E-Newsletter. Email Gary Kohls, gkohls@cpinternet.com, with “Subscribe” in the subject
line.
Source:
Heads roll at Veterans Administration
Mushrooming depleted uranium (DU) scandal blamed
by Bob Nichols
www.sfbayview.com
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