Gulf War Illness Treatments Discovered. Will Veterans Affairs Officials Listen Now?

“That’s what made them sick.” Scientists say toxic exposures and anti-nerve agent pills, paired with DEET, poisoned veterans during the Gulf War.
Soldiers deploying to the Gulf War make their way to a plane in 1990 at Volk Field, Wisconsin, on Jan. 1, 1991. Photo courtesy of U.S. Army.

“Nearly All” VA Claims for Gulf War Illness “Improperly Denied”

A VA official said the department is “working diligently” to gather information and “remains fully committed” to the concerns of Gulf War veterans.

From Death Threats to a French Dandy, Afghan Contractors Abandoned by the U.S. Struggle to Find Asylum Abroad

The Taliban wants him dead. Because he worked for the Americans. But he didn’t ask for help from the people he saved by throwing away everything he had.
U.S. service members were intentionally exposed to toxic agents, such as nitrogen mustard, during World War II. Photo courtesy of the Naval Research Laboratory.

Exposed: Burn Pits May Force the Military to Acknowledge Generations of Poisoned Veterans

Since World War II, the military has poisoned countless service members through toxic exposures and secret testing.

“They’re Like Sitting Ducks” — Treasury Renews Controversial VA Banking Service Amid Proceedings, Allegations of Defrauded Veterans

The thieves stole nearly $460,000. Then the Treasury awarded them another five-year contract, despite IG audits revealing alleged fraud and mismanagement.
Members from the 15th Medical Group host an open house for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, in 2018. Photo by Tech. Sgt. Heather Redman, courtesy U.S. Air Force.

“The Enemy Is Lurking in Our Bodies”—Women Veterans Say Toxic Exposure Caused Breast Cancer

As the last troops leave the “forever wars,” doctors say they’re seeing more women veterans with breast cancer—younger than the national average.
Soldiers, sailors, airmen, a Coast Guardsman, and an Army veteran raise their right hands as they recite the oath of allegiance during a naturalization ceremony aboard USS Constitution in June. “The United States is and will forever be a nation of immigrants,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday said during the ceremony. “Your stories—and the cultures, customs, and traditions you bring to America—exemplify that we have more to unite us than to divide us.” Photo by Mass Communication Spec. 1st Class Raymond D. Diaz III, courtesy of U.S. Navy.

“I Never Left Anybody”—Fighting for Veterans Left Behind by the Country They Served

Veterans mustered resources to swiftly bring home stranded Afghan allies and are working together to do the same for deported U.S. veterans.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin listens to Col. Chris Jones, Task Force Liberty J4 commander, during a visit to Liberty Village at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, Sept. 27, 2021. The Department of Defense, through U.S. Northern Command, and in support of the Department of Homeland Security, is providing transportation, temporary housing, medical screening, and general support for at least 50,000 Afghan evacuees. Photo by Staff Sgt. Jake Carter, courtesy of the U.S. Air Force.

Is the Cure for America’s “Next War-itis” a Military Culture Shift?

Just as with the end of the Vietnam War, scandals and battle fatigue will likely impact military recruitment efforts—not just in numbers, but in quality.

How the Marine Corps Struck Gold in a Trash Heap During the Defense Department’s Fight Against Climate Change

The DOD treats climate change as a catastrophic threat to national security. “A shrinking polar ice cap doesn’t just mean thinking about polar bears.”