The following is a letter written to the government by David E. Fournier, Captain, U.S. Marine Corps, retired. Further below Capt. Fournier comments on Dept. of Defense efforts to explore this illness. Capt. Fournier's comments appear here with his permission.
November 11, 1998
Mr. Roger Kaplan
Deputy Executive Director
Oversight Committee
1401 Wilson Boulevard
Suite 401
Arlington, Virginia 22209Reference: Oversight Committee Hearings Scheduled on November 19th and 20th, 1998 in Washington, DC
Dear Sir;
I have been invited to attend and scheduled to speak at the subject hearings in Washington.
However, I would like to take this opportunity to present my concerns in the form of this letter, and ask that it be read, and/or entered into the official minutes of the hearing. As a veteran of both Vietnam and the Gulf War, and a retired Marine Officer who served 24 years of active duty, I believe I can express some of the concerns of many veterans.
Although there are many, many issues at hand and numerous concerns from different perspectives - I shall express only those that concern me the most.
First of all, it should be noted that the Department of Defense has a history of mishaps, falsehoods, unjudicial experiments on soldiers (ie.,atomic bomb testing), deliberate covering-up and/or lack of desire and initiative to discover the truths behind the toxic problems of Agent Orange (that led to the maiming, disfiguring and death of soldiers and their siblings following the Vietnam War). Dr. Rotsker and his colleagues who constitute the presidentially appointed DoD Investigative Committee, are all employees and members of the Department of Defense. One can be certain, that these individuals are "reporting" (officially or unofficially) to their superiors in the DoD about all leads, suspicions, evidence, etc. And it would not be any surprise for these individuals to receive influential guidance and steering from their superiors to dictate the direction and speed of their investigative efforts.
Why should we veterans trust these DoD committee members aside from the fact that they are serving this country in official capacities? In addition to the irreputable reasons above, here is why we cannot trust the DoD to investigate itself:
Military recruitment and retention is currently at an all time low for the DoD. The percentages of high school graduates enlisting are down. If the DoD is found guilty of any culpability with the illness of it’s Gulf War veterans, and it is further shown that the DoD turned it’s back on our ailments, then the DoD will never again meet its recruiting and reenlistment numbers. This would be a definite "third-rail" to the manpower endstrength of all branches of the armed forces - and might even be the downfall of the All-Volunteer Force and reimplementation of the draft.
The DoD fights and scratches for its annual budget. Nowhere in that budget is there an allowance to medically take care of tens of thousands of sick, active duty Gulf War veterans. Nor is there money earmarked in the DoD’s budget specifically to do the medical research necessary to find the source of our problems. If the DoD can coverup, deny or otherwise hide any culpability with Gulf War illness until the remaining GW veterans are all off active duty (5-10 years), then the entire problem becomes a Veteran’s Administration problem - and any and all funding for medical research and treatment will have to come from the VA’s budget rather than the DoD’s, as was done with Agent Orange.
These alone, are two very powerful arguments as to why the DoD could never implicate itself.
Other, less commonly advertised facts about the DoD include the following:
The DoD provided advisors and training and worked alongside the Iraqi’s in their 8-year war against Iran between 1980-1988. We, Americans, taught the Iraqi’s how to expertly manufacture, employ and use chemical and biological weapons. We taught them that the best way to deliver chemical/biological weapons was under the cloak and disguise of smoke….wasn’t it peculiar and opportunistic that the Iraqi’s exploded and set fire to over 650 oil wells?
And if that wasn’t enough, we Americans also sold biological (viral) pathogens to the Iraqi’s on a regular basis between 1984-1988. Our own US Senate Banking Committee opened this door to allow U.S. chemical firms to sell these deadly items routinely (under the guise of "dual- use" agents). Senator Reigle’s (D-Mich) investigation in 1993 brought this all to light. So these are undisputable facts. It is evident that the DoD already bears culpability.
It is also a little known fact that the US Army was completely unprepared for chemical warfare going into the Gulf War. There were simply not enough chemical protective suits (MOPP suits) to satisfy the needs and requirements for changing them every 30 days or so. The DoD doesn’t want the world to know we were sent into harms way unprepared and/or underequipped.
And, on the basis of simple, common sense - how could we have not been exposed to chemical warfare after 33 days of U.S. and allied aerial bombing of over thirty Iraqi biological/chemical manufacturing and storage facilities. Only a "simpleton" would argue against this. And the DoD has never provided proof otherwise. Our thousands and thousands of chemical alarms did not go off due to malfunctions, as the DoD would have us believe. And if they were triggered by a "toxic" mixture in the air, as the DoD claims, then why weren’t we also antagonized and made ill by this "toxic" misture?
As I had expressed to Dr. Rotsker previously at a Town Hall Meeting in Jacksonville, North Carolina last month, I have absolutely no doubt in the capabilities of himself nor his dignified staff to find the answer to our ailments and perhaps even a resolve. But I also told him, I don’t think they will find the answers, because it would be too detrimental to the DoD.
Secondly, and of utmost concern, is that most of we sick Gulf War veterans are suffering from systemic disorders. We all appear to share problems with our respiratory systems, our neurological systems and our immune systems. Myself, like so many of the other ailing veterans, are being seen and treated by 5 or 6 different doctors who each specialize in particular fields, regardless of whether we are treated by military, civilian or VA physicians. As Dr. Kirkpatrick, Capt.,USN,MC ( a member of Dr. Rotsker’s staff) pointed out during the Town Hall Meeting, this may be a result and fault of the way modern medicine has taken its course. Most doctors today do specialize in specific and sometimes, narrow fields. It is tremendously disheartening for we veterans to tell a doctor about our numerous ailments to find him dismiss or conveniently ignore some of our complaints while focusing on those which he is familiar. These specialized doctors do not look at nor evaluate us as a whole person. The "infectious disease" doctors I have seen will usually address "systemic" disorders, but only those with which they are again familiar. We sick Gulf War veterans need to be seen and treated by doctors who can address the whole-man concept, who can evaluate us for systemic disorders. And if this can’t be done by a single doctor, then perhaps by a committee or group or team of doctors who can speak to immune, neurological and respiratory ailments.
In closing, I thank you very much for this opportunity to express my concerns regarding your mission as an oversight committee and my concerns for the inappropriateness of having the DoD conduct this medical research on our behalves.
Respectfully,
David E. Fournier, Captain, U.S. Marine Corps, retired
Tuesday, 17 Nov 1998
Reference: See: http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/news/na_toughitout_17nov98.html
Below are some excerpts from the GulfLink article referenced above:
I have chosen to shed some light on the apparent shortcomings and misguidance of Dr. Rotskers article.
The report says:
"Approximately one-third of the 697,000 service members who served in the Gulf War remain on active duty. For years now, some veterans have complained that their ailments have been met with disregard by the military establishment, or worse, with accusations of malingering. Rostker and his team of medical advisors have been communicating the message, facility by facility, that the military believes there are Gulf War veterans who are ill and encourages them to seek medical evaluation with the DoD's Comprehensive Clinical Evaluation Program."Considering that the DoD, AMA, CDC, NIH and every other federally regulated and affiliated health agency has said that there is no such thing as GW Syndrome and that all sick GW veterans are suffering from PTSD between 1992 and 1997, it should be absolutely no surprise that active duty servicemembers do not trust the chain of command, and subsequently will not come forward with their medical complaints. Dr. Rotsker seems to have missed this point. The GW veterans were targeted and told their problems were psychosomatic, of course they're not going to come forward."We want everyone who thinks he's sick to come forward and get help - not to tough it out," said Roskter during a town hall meeting at Fort Campbell, Ky. "It's difficult to be hurting and not get treated."As difficult as it is to be hurting and not get treated - it is far more difficult to be hurting, untreated, uninsured and discharged from active duty and left on the streets with a family and no income or means of support. And this is exactly what has happened to 1,700 servicemembers who have been medboarded out as the result of CCEP findings. (by the DoD's own admissions...)"In the mind of the active duty veteran, Rostker's entreaty may pose a perceived risk. If getting medical help potentially threatens career or retirement benefits, a service member may choose to suppress illness. "And this is not just a personal decision by the servicemember himself. He makes this decision out oflove and regard for his own family, his wife and children. If he has to serve the remaining 2, 4, 6 or 10 years with flu-like symptoms and aching joints and fatigue to ensure a livelihood and retirement for his family, then he will do so."It's human nature to deny you're sick," said Army Dr. (Col.) Frank O'Donnell, deputy director, medical and health benefits collaboration, at the Fort Campbell meeting. "We're concerned that a lot of this is going on."Again, this is a very realistic and true observation. When the active duty forces reduce there manpower figures each year, and promotions and reenlistments become slower and far more selective - it becomes a dog-eat-dog environment. Only the fittest survive. All we veterans know this to be true. A "psych-eval" or medical profile to an active duty servicemember is a "kiss of death" for their military futures - period.Rostker's medical team has encountered other concerns. Some service members worry that commanders will view their complaints as whining that will lead to a poor evaluation."
"That's an attitude we are trying to change by talking with operational people," said Navy Dr. (Capt.) Michael Kilpatrick, Rostker's director of medical and health benefits collaboration. "We recognize that symptoms are not psychosomatic. We're asking senior leaders to deal with Gulf War veterans in a more upbeat manner, to understand their anxiety and to encourage troops to get medical help for ailments."Dr. Rotsker and his staff are going to have to do alot more work in this area. They have got to overcome 5 years of "psychosomatic" (PTSD) bad news press that we Gulf War veterans have been subjected to."He pointed out that about 80 percent of the Gulf War veterans who have been examined and are sick have medically recognized diseases that can be treated."This here is another BIG kiss of death that Dr. Rotsker and his staff seem unable to grasp. They are saying that ONLY 1,700 CCEP exams have led to medical discharges!! I'm here to tell you folks - it ONLY takes one CCEP exam to lead to ONE involuntary medical discharge, and you will never see another volunteer come forward! No servicemember in his right mind will volunteer to participate in the CCEP exam if he or she stands a chance of be medically discharged - period. I'm willing to bet, that if someone does the research, and adds to that 1,700 CCEP discharges, the number of 10%, 20% and 30% medboards that have been awarded since 1991 for GW symptoms - the resulting number of involuntary medical discharges due to GWI would be STAGGERING. And another misnomer, they say that no one will know of their CCEP participation because it is not recorded in their records. The truth is, if the servicemember has to leave the base/unit for 2-4 days TAD/TDY (to participate) there is a requirement for a service book entry to show this period of TAD/TDY and the reason."Veterans' fears may be misplaced. Officials at the Physical Disability Agency indicate that CCEP exams have not resulted in an increased level of medical board actions. Of 70,000 medical boards processed since 1991, 1,700 - less than 2.5 percent - were generated directly from CCEP exams. This would not substantiate soldier fear of medical boarding for Gulf War related conditions. Moreover, participation in the CCEP is not recorded in any personnel data that would be known to those making decisions affecting the veterans' careers."
"Commanders at all levels should be aware of this potential issue since seeking treatment can have a positive effect on soldiers' health, unit readiness and chain of command credibility," he emphasized. "My impression is that the vast majority maintain positive attitudes and are striving to do their best to perform their duties."Yada, yada, yada...this means absolutely nothing to the sick GW veteran who has been told publically that his problems are PTSD related..."Rostker's observations energized the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Gen. Dennis J. Reimer, U.S. Army chief of staff, directed that his commanders emphasize to troops the availability of quality medical care. He also requested that the Army surgeon general direct his medical commanders at all levels to stress the need to support soldiers who needed medical care."
"Based on this directive, Lt. Gen. Ronald R. Blanck, the Army surgeon general, asked regional medical commanders to redouble their efforts to ensure that soldiers "on your installations have access to the CCEP evaluation process and that they are encouraged to use it if they feel they have an Operation Desert Storm problem."And how many times have we all seen the infamous, insensitive General Blanck on public television, and in the papers, and before Congressional hearings, say that there is absolutely NO EVIDENCE that GW veterans have a viable, discernable illness? General Blanck is an ARMY spokesmen and employee and nothing more. Personnally, I would not believe the man if he told me the sky was blue."Kilpatrick noted that reluctance to obtain medical evaluation when ill is not unique to those who served in the Gulf War. Many active duty fear that if access to medical treatment is used too often, the service member will be separated"This is a relatively accurate observation.."We have to get active duty people to believe that medical is on their side," said Kilpatrick. "The last priority of medical is to separate. That only happens when they are not fit for duty."This is a real gray area here! Military medical facilities are designed to fix and repair the ill (broken) soldier and to return him to the battlefield. (so I was told by the physicians at Bethesda Naval Medical Center) They are not in the business of long-term treatment, nor chronic care, nor even medical research. If the soldier gets broken, the soldier gets discharged."Rostker and his team continue to deliver the message that the Department cares that veterans of the Gulf conflict receive the medical care they need."I think Dr. Kilpatrick has his thumb on the pulse here..."When the medical profession loses the confidence of the patient, you can do nothing more to help cure that patient. We need to win that battle," said Kilpatrick during an address to the Air Force Association Symposium at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas".
"In an effort to help alleviate the perception of mistrust many Gulf War veterans have toward the medical system, Army medical commanders and senior leadership have been asked to use their local public affairs officers to publicize the inherent value of timely and accurate evaluations."In summation, these are my personal opinions and observations.David E. Fournier, Captain, U.S. Marine Corps, retired
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