The British Veterans of Desert Storm-Gulf War 1990-91 Taking Action

Will here it is 20 years and the UK Coalition Gulf War Desert Storm Veterans to take Action and Demand Change

On the 28Th February 2011 at 10am, many veterans and supporters will be marching from the Union Jack Club, Sandell Street, Waterloo to Old Palace Yard, Westminster.  This is to highlight the injustice suffered thus far by the Veterans of the 1990/1991 Gulf War. We believe the successive Governments since the end of the war until this anniversary (exactly 20 years to the day) have engaged with the Ministry Of Defence in denial and word play to negate proper testing, treatment and compensation for thousands who are blatantly ill, many with identical and similar conditions to each other and US Veterans of the same conflict.

The Ministry of Defence and the Government know we are ill and know what we claim to be the root causes. This relatively new coalition Government has a golden opportunity to make amends and be seen to do the right thing.  Nick Clegg agrees with the Lord Lloyd inquiry which concluded ‘that it has been established beyond reasonable doubt that veterans of the Gulf War later developed an excess of symptomatic ill health, over and above that to be expected in the normal course of events. This requires an explanation.’

We have the National Gulf Veterans’ and Families Association, The Royal British Legion and BINNS 2 report (see 1) amongst others backing our calls for testing and treatment. Previous Governments have told us that we are ‘imagining it’ and have nothing physically wrong, while they pump us full of prescription drugs that are killing us with even more toxins.

We believe this is massive conspiracy at the highest level…first denials, then admissions, but even when the admissions are made nothing ever seems to get done for the majority of us who are ill.  We need access to independently run chromosome tests; bone marrow depleted uranium tests; mercury testing; organo-phosphate testing and immune deficiency testing. NHS staff look at me as if I have two heads when I ask about these and don’t record half of the points I raise.

The following is an extract from the Lord Lloyd inquiry 2004, from evidence given by organo-phosphate expert Mrs Elizabeth Sigmund, Countess of Mar:

“Finally, I would like to say that I have been very shocked by the treatment of these Gulf Veterans because these are people who often join the services feeling that this was an extended family, and I know this is true. They felt they were being protected and would be looked after. They feel bitter and let down and very lost. I feel that this is a tragedy because these were young, healthy people who went to war on our behalf and under the rules of war, and did the right thing all the time, but now have ended up without any real decent standard of living at all.

“What we must do …… I think the words ‘gratitude and respect’ were used the other day and I think that was a very important phrase to use. This is what they want, not to feel that they have lied or that they are mad but that they have been treated badly by a series of unfortunate and sometimes very cruel circumstances.”

1. The United States Dept. of Veteran Affairs (Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses) reports that toxic exposures were probably the cause of Gulf War illness. In April 2010, chairman James Binns said reports “agree on the most important things – that the multi-symptom illness that affects so many Gulf War veterans is a terrible, distinct illness, and that this nation can and should launch a Manhattan Project-style research program to identify treatments and prevent this from happening again.”
What is your Party’s current position on the above.

For more information contact Mr. Kerry Fuller on 07785 740292 or Mr. Kev Doughty on 07500 131519