The 'Chronic Multisymptom Illness' of Gulf War Veterans

Gulf War Syndrome is not a term that is used by the United States Department of Veteran Affairs. The VA refers to the illnesses experienced by Gulf War Veterans as 'Chronic Multisymptom Illness' (CMI). Through reading 'The Untold History of the United States' I came across the term Gulf War Syndrome and was intrigued by the prospect, drawing me to conduct further research, since the mention of the syndrome in the book was brief and left an aura of mystery surrounding the claim. The book mentions the use of depleted uranium on what is referred to as the "highway of death". There is a brief mention of the claim that this new chemical weapon could have claimed victims from the U.S. forces, who now experience illness classified as Gulf War Syndrome.

Through researching the syndrome, my understanding of the reality behind this illness was not clarified--if anything it was further clouded when stumbling upon the 'politically correct' term of 'Chronic Multisymptom Illness'. The VA asserts that the symptoms are so vast and differing with no singularly identified cause that it is not correct to refer to the ailments of the Gulf War Veterans as Gulf War Syndrome; which seems to suggest the same symptoms and cause. According to the VA, primary symptoms are: fatigue, headaches, joint pain, indigestion, insomnia, dizziness, respiratory disorders, and memory problems. One-third of active U.S. military in the Gulf War have experienced at least two of these symptoms, chronically (According to a Report Brief on the Gulf War and Health). The Report referenced prior was the only source I found which mentioned the possibility of "chemical and biological agents" as the culprit.

Since the symptoms of Gulf War Veterans are so vast and the government and military agencies are highly skilled in covering up past wrongs during warfare, I am not very surprised by the lack of concrete information behind the Gulf War Syndrome (or CMI) experienced by veterans. When beginning my research I figured there would be more reliable material with more concrete information on the syndrome, such as can be found with Agent Orange, but that is just simply not the case here. All we can hope for is time to reveal the truth of these illnesses, as for now, at least the ailments of these veterans are being recognized, researched, and treated--whether we're calling it CMI or Gulf War Syndrome is something that will have to be dealt with in time.