The FReeper Foxhole - Gulf War Syndrome: Fact vs. Fiction

They are tired; they have trouble breathing; they have headaches; they sleep poorly; they are forgetful; they cannot concentrate.

This may be true of some, but definitely not all. I've seen may vets become very concentrated and successful. And they were on the front lines being shot at during the war they were in.

Being a vet from that war which we were not allowed to win, I can't comment much about GWS. However one paragraph leapt off the page and I thought it could use a little more light of day.

"Warfare is unlike any other human experience. Those who have not lived it first hand cannot comprehend the magnitude of deviation from everything that comes before or follows after. Soldiers returning from war are forever changed."

Life is all about "change". I am grateful that most citizens have not experienced the horrors and depravity of actual combat and then the experiences of change generated by that experience. I am humbled in the presence of those who have.

Whether a combat vet has symptoms or only lives with a belief he has symptoms I believe he/she deserves every benefit of the doubt and treatment, whether physical or psychological, he/she can get, if they seek the help.

Thanks for the ping.

Interesting thoughts on a difficult subject.

Here's an article I found, don't know if it's the one you were talking about. I'll try and find some more later.

U.S. Reports Disease Link to Gulf War
By Sheryl Gay Stolberg

After years of denying any link between illness and service in the Persian Gulf war, military officials said today that veterans of the conflict were nearly twice as likely as other soldiers to suffer the fatal neurological illness known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

The joint announcement by the Defense and Veterans Affairs Departments was based on the preliminary findings of a study of more than 2.5 million veterans. Officials said they would immediately offer disability and survivor benefits to affected patients and families.

Forty cases have been identified so far.

The hazards of the modern-day battlefield are more than bullet wounds and saber cuts. We have to be conscious of that and act accordingly.

Some scientists said the decision might be premature because the research had not been subjected to the analysis of peer review. An epidemiologic analysis, the study tracks patterns of disease, and does not prove that gulf war service was the cause of the disorder, formally called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or A.L.S.

Veterans' groups, who have long argued that their members are afflicted by unexplained illnesses collectively called Gulf War syndrome, were ecstatic. So were patients' advocates, who said the study might yield important clues about the cause of the disease.

More than 100,000 American service members sent to the region in 1990 and 1991 have reported a range of maladies including fatigue, muscle pain, memory loss and sleep disorders. But studies have found no definitive links, although several have suggested that the ailments may stem from to chemical exposure, stress or prophylactic medicines given to soldiers.

A.L.S. is extremely rare, and the risk for soldiers is small. Of nearly 700,000 who fought in the yearlong gulf conflict, the study identified 40 with A.L.S. About half have died. In a comparison group of 1.8 million people who served in the military at the same time but were not in the region, 67 developed A.L.S.

The study found that among the nearly 700,000 soldiers sent to the gulf from August 1990 to July 1991, the risk of contracting A.L.S was 6.7 per million. Among the 1.8 million who were not deployed, the risk was 3.5 per million.

Though the overall risk was twice as high among those deployed, it was not consistent across the services. Air Force veterans were 2.7 times more likely to develop A.L.S. than those not deployed. Army soldiers faced twice the risk. But Navy and Marine Corps veterans did not show rates of disease that were statistically higher than those not deployed.

The epidemiologist who led the research, Dr. Ron Horner, said he and his colleagues drew on military records, appealed to veterans and patients' groups and made other efforts to identify veterans who had received diagnoses of A.L.S. in the 10 years since the war. He said his team had interviewed veterans with A.L.S. and their doctors and studied medical records and death certificates of those who had died.

Pentagon and veterans' officials said that the Durham study might be the largest of its kind and that they were confident of the results. "The risk is elevated, and the risk is statistically significant," said Dr. John R. Feussner, chief of research and development for the Veterans Affairs Department.

The announcement was a startling turnabout for the military, and it is quite likely to renew focus on gulf veterans' health problems.

The Pentagon assistant secretary for health affairs, Dr. William Winkenwerder, described the shift as a result of "an evolving thought process" about the risks of combat.

"The science," said Richard J. Santos, national commander of the American Legion, "is sound and the evidence is clear - U.S. troops were exposed to something in the Persian Gulf that accounts for an increased rate of A.L.S." We applaud the administration for deciding to award just compensation and benefits immediately."

A.L.S., which causes severe muscle wasting, is typically fatal in two to five years. Scientists have identified two genes connected with the A.L.S., Which came to public attention when Lou Gehrig of the Yankees contracted it. The inherited version accounts for 15 percent of all cases. The rest are classified as sporadic.

The $1.3 million study began in March 2000, and the next step, Dr. Feussner said, is for scientists to "look to see if there is any cluster or anything these soldiers have in common that might give us a clue as to what the cause is."

New York Times December 11, 2001

I'm not sure, there were so many things going on during the Gulf War. The troops were innoculated with new drugs, you had depleted uraniaum rounds being used, chemical weapons stockpiles were destoyed, massive oil well fires, etc.

All I know for sure is that if the Government was denying it they probably had something to do with it. Look at the history of using Troops Mustard gas tests in WWII, Radiation in the 50's, Agent Orange in the 60's.

They don't have a very good track record.

Its not the depleted uranium thats leftist anti nuclear junk science the other factors you mentioned are possibilities.

What percentage of Gulf Veterans suffer these symptoms to a debilitating degree? Is is higher of lower than those who suffered from battle fatigue (WWII) or shell shock (WWI)?

Thanks, from what I've heard I don't believe it's the depleted Uranium either. I was just listing some of the "possibilities".

I don't know what to think about this...topic... but here's what I know personally...

My Marines and I got to SWA in mid August... we ended up at Kuwait Int'l... all of my Marines except three have been outta touch ever since...

in '98, I and my platoon sergeant had massive brain tumors excised, with debilitating after-effects, though we are both still on active duty. The other was my radio chief, and he has had gastro-intestinal problems...

I ain't sayin' there's a conspiracy or a connection, it may very well be a coincidence... I don't know or claim to have a clue... but these facts have given me pause... We have not requested compensation or any sort of special attention... we did our jobs... life goes on...

Let me see if I can find those numbers. I'll check this evening.

Chemlite refers to a glowing tube, so Martin is claiming his vomit glowed.

Not necessarily. It's statements like this which make me distrust the author of the article.

Such a wide variety of symptoms! I'm an engineer, not a medical professional, but I have a couple observations:
1. Most of the symptoms listed have been documented in other unrelated instances to be brought on by stress. Its seemingly impossible to seperate the stress aspect which is very real (and not something "that's all in your head")GWS is real, the question I have is it stress or an agent
2. Statistically stress/mental pressure related treatments and illnesses are more powerful than we realize: placebo effect studies have shown people being operated on without painkillers when they have been convinced they were given sedation, etc. My two cents worth is we can help mitigate these aftereffects if we can increase the debrief time soldiers get after battle. Now a days you can fly home from the gulf after killing Saddam and be back at your regular job drinking Coffee by noon the next day--managing the transition never was a problem before because the speed of communciations and travel were so much slower--->even if you aren't back yet, you are back when you get on the cellphone from halfway around the world, in some respects.

SOURCE OF INFO

Aspartame Disease is partially the cause to what is behind some of they mystery of the Dessert Storm health problems. The burning tongue and other problems discussed in over 60 cases can be directly related to the consumption of an aspartame product. Several thousand pallets of diet drinks were shipped to the Dessert Storm troops. (Remember heat can liberate the methanol from the aspartame at 86 degrees F). Diet drinks sat in the 120 degree F. Arabian sun for weeks at a time on pallets. The service men and women drank them all day long. All of their symptoms are identical to aspartame poisoning. Dr. Roberts says "consuming aspartame at the time of conception can cause birth defects". The phenylalanine concentrates in the placenta, causing mental retardation, according to Dr. Louis Elsas, Pediatrician Professor - Genetics, at Emory University in his testimony before Congress.

Thanks Sam. I ask because I'm wondering whether GWS, battle-fatigue, and shell-shock can properly be called illnesses. If the percentages are about the same, it may just be that a certain percentage of the population simply cannot stand a war-time level of stress. They're just hard-wired that way.

On This Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on December 09:
1392 Peter Prince/Regent of Portugal/writer (Virtuosa benfeitoria)
1561 Edwin Sandys a founder of Virginia colony
1569 Martinus de Porres Peru, saint (patron of social justice)
1571 Adrian A Metius Dutch mathematician/fort architect
1581 Emilia Secunda Antwerpiana daughter of Willem of Orange
1594 Gustavus II Adolphus king who made Swedenden a major power (1611-32)
1608 John Milton London, poet/puritan (Paradise Lost)
1715 Georg Gottfried Petri composer
1717 Johann J Winckelmann German archaeologist (History of Ancient Art)
1728 Pietro Alessandro Guglieli composer
1742 Carl W Scheele Swedendish pharmacist/chemist (lemon acid)
1754 Etienne Ozi composer
1791 Peter Joseph von Lindpaintner composer
1796 Prudent-Louis Aubery du Boulley composer
1837 Charles Èmile Waldteufel Strasbourg France, waltz composer (Skaters)
1842 Pjotr A Kopotkin Russian ruler/anarchist
1843 P Paul Leroy-Beaulieu French economist (Economiste Français)
1848 Joel Chandler Harris US journalist (created Uncle Remus stories)
1853 Charles "Old Hoss" Radbourn Rochester NY, pitcher (60-12 in 1884)
1854 Pekka Hannikainen composer
1859 Algernon Ashton composer
1862 Karel Kovarovic composer
1864 Sidney Homer composer
1868 Fritz Haber German phycist-chemist (Nobel 1918)
1873 Antoine Pompe Belgian architect
1878 Géza Révész Hungarian/Dutch psychologist (Talent & Genius)
1882 Joaquín Turina Seville Spain, composer (Rima)
1883 Alexander Papagos Greek fieldmarshal/supreme commander
1884 Antonin Zapotocky Czechoslovakian President (Ceskoslovensky Spisouatel)
1886 Clarence Birdseye frozen vegatable king (Birdseye)
1889 John P "Hannes" Kolehmainen Finnish long-distance runner (Olympics-gold 1912)
1894 Eddie Dowling Woonsocket RI, actor (Anywhere USA)
1897 Hermione Gingold London England, actress (Gigi, Music Man)
1898 Emmett Kelly Sedan KS, circus clown (Weary Willie)
1899 Frans van Amelsvoort Dutch choir conductor
1899 Howard Freeman Helena MT, actor (Double Dynamite)
1899 Jean de Brunhoff France, children's book author (Babar the Elephant)
1899 Leonie Fuller Adams US poetess (Those not elected)
19-- Anne Sward Hanson actress (Lyla-As the World Turns)
19-- Leonard Simon Norristown PA, actor (Jim-Just Our Luck)
1901 Odön [Edmund] von Horvath Hungarian/Austrian playwright
1902 Margaret Hamilton Cleveland OH, actress (Wicked Witch-Wizard of Oz)
1902 Richard A Butler England, Dutch Minister of Finance/Foreign affairs
1904 Roger Wolcott Sperry physicist
1905 Dalton Trumbo US, writer/film director (Johnny Got His Gun)
1906 Freddy Martin Cleveland OH, orchestra leader (started Merv Griffin)
1906 Grace Murray Hopper computer innovator
1906 Greet Koeman Dutch singer
1907 Noel Walton Bott engineer
1909 Douglas Fairbanks Jr New York NY, actor (Ghost Story)
1910 Dick Elffers Dutch graphic artist/painter (Holland Festival)
1910 Stephen Jurika Jr US pilot/captain (WWII, Santa Cruz, Navy Cross)
1911 [William] Broderick Crawford Philadelphia PA, actor (All the King's Men, Highway Patrol, Hunter, Liar's Moon)
1912 Fred Engelen Flemish actor/director [or Dec 12]
1912 Thomas P "Tip" O'Neill (Representative-D-MA 1977-86)/Speaker of the House
1913 Frances Reid Wichita Falls TX, actress (Alice-Days of our Lives)
1915 Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Jarotschin Germany, soprano (Der Rosenkavalier)
1915 Colin McCool cricketer (Australian leg-spin all rounder late 40s)
1915 Herbert Huncke writer
1916 Wolfgang Hildesheimer German/Swiss architect/writer (Mozart biog)
1918 Kirk Douglas [Issur Demsky] actor (Gunfight at the OK Corral, 7 Days in May)
1922 Redd Foxx St Louis MO, comedian (Sanford & Son, Redd Foxx Show)
1925 Dina Merrill New York NY, actress (Operation Petticoat, Butterfield 8)
1926 Luis Miguel Dominguín Spain, matador
1927 Pierre Henry composer
1928 Dick Van Patten Queens NY, actor (Tom Bradford-8 is Enough)
1929 John Cassavetes New York NY, actor (Dirty Dozen, Rosemary's Baby)
1929 Bob Hawke cricketer (no relation to Lord 12th man for Oxford University 1954)
1929 Michel Fano composer
1929 Robert J L Hawke (Lab), PM Australia (1983-91)
1930 Buck Henry New York NY, screenwriter/comedian (Saturday Night Live, Get Smart)
1932 Jessie "Ooh Poo Pah Doo" Hill jazz musician
1933 Milt Campbell Plainfield NJ, hurdler/decathlete (Olympics-gold-56)
1933 Orville Moody Chickasha OK, PGA golfer (1969 US Open)
1934 Dame Judi Dench York England, British stage & film actress (As Time Goes By, Goldeneye-"M", Her Majesty Mrs Brown-Queen Victoria)
1934 [Amos] Junior Wells Memphis TN, blues singer (In My Younger Days)
1934 Al Kaline Baltimore MD, baseball outfielder (Detroit Tigers)
1934 Alan Ridout composer
1934 Milton Gray Campbell Plainfield NJ, decathlete (Olympics-gold-1956)
1935 Dominico Tromp Aruba, stage leader
1938 [David] Deacon Jones NFL defensive end (Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, Washington Redskins)
1938 David Houston rocker
1938 Elizabeth H "Rina" Venter South African minister of Health care
1938 William Thomas McKinley composer
1940 Sammy Strain US singer (Imperials-Hurt So Bad)
1941 Beau Bridges Los Angeles CA, actor (Hotel New Hampshire, 5th Musketeer)
1941 Dan Hicks rocker
1942 Dick Butkus Chicago IL, NFL hall of fame linebacker (Bears)/sportscaster
1942 Joe McGinniss Rye NY, author (Selling of the President 1968)
1943 Rick Danko Canada, rocker (The Band-Islands, Stage Fright)
1943 Kenny Vance rocker
1944 George Baker [Hans Bouwens] Dutch vocalist (G B Selection)
1945 Michael Nouri Washington DC, actor (Beacon Hill, Bay City Blues)
1948 Dennis Dunaway rocker
1948 Marleen Gorris Dutch director (Mres Dalloway, Antonia, Last Island)
1948 Ron Vawter Latham NY, actor (Philadelphia, Empire City, Twister)
1949 Thomas O Kite Jr Austin TX, PGA golfer (1978 British Columbia Open, Crosby 1983)
1950 Joan Armatrading St Kitts, singer (Back to the Night)
1952 Jim Kerr Radio Personality, New York City morning radio for 22 years
1952 Michael Dorn actor (Worf-Star Trek Next Generation)
1953 John Malkovich Christopher IL, actor/director (Killing Fields)
1953 World B Free NBA guard (Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors)
1954 Herman Finkers Dutch cabaret performer
1956 Sylvia Kokomo IN, country singer (Nobody)
1957 Donny Osmond Ogden UT, singer (Osmond Brothers, Donny & Marie)
1958 Nancy J Currie Wilmington DE, Major Army/astronaut (STS 57, 70, sk: 88)
1960 Juan Samuel San Pedro de Macoris, infielder (New York Yankees, Blue Jays)
1961 Christiane Jolissaint Switzerland, tennis star
1961 Ian Andrew Wright Hamilton New Zealand, rower (Olympics-96)
1961 Joe Lando Los Angeles CA, actor (Byron Sully-Dr Quinn)
1963 Bárbara Palacios Caracas Venezuela, Miss Universe (1986)
1963 Barry Wilburn NFL full safety (Philadelphia Eagles)
1964 Petr Briza Prague Czechoslovakia, hockey goalie (Team Czechoslovakia Representative)
1965 Brad Savage Livdnia MI, actor (Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice)
1965 Caryn Kadavy Erie PA, figure skater
1965 Karla Nelson Pine City MN, bodybuilder-Ms America (1993)
1966 Dana Murzyn Calgary, NHL defenseman (Vancouver Canucks)
1967 Cathy Mockett Newport Beach CA, LPGA golfer (1995 Youngstown-7th)
1967 Ray Agnew NFL nose tackle (Carolina Panthers, New York Giants)
1968 Michael Foster Richmond VA, drummer (Firehouse-Love of a Lifetime)
1968 Bill Johnson NFL defensive linebacker (Pittsburgh Steelers)
1968 Brent Price NBA guard (Houston Rockets, Washington Bullets)
1968 Kurt Angle Pittsburgh PA, 220 lbs freestyle wrestler (Olympics-gold-96)
1969 Allison Smith Bronx NY, actress (Jennie-Cagney & Lacey, Kate & Allie)
1969 Jakob Dylan New York NY, singer/guitarist/Bob Dylan's son (The Wallflowers-One Headlight)
1969 Greg[ory] Klingsporn Morristown NJ, rower (Olympics-1996)
1969 Ramon Garcia Guanare Venezuela, pitcher (Milwaukee Brewers)
1970 David Kersh Humble TX, country singer (If I Never Stop Loving You)
1970 Donald Douglas WLAF safety (Rhein Fire)
1970 Marlin Cannon Dallas TX, 200 meter/400 meter runner
1971 Chris Boniol NFL kicker (Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles)
1971 Clifton Abraham NFL cornerback (Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
1971 Petr Nedved Libercec Czechoslovakia, NHL center (Team Czechoslovakia, Pittsburgh Penguins)
1971 Todd Van Poppel Hinsdale IL, pitcher (Oakland A's)
1972 Fabrice Santoro Tahiti, tennis star
1972 Paul Greene Australian 100 meter/200 meter/400 meter (Olympics-96)
1973 Tony Batista Puerto Plata Dominican Republic, infielder (Oakland A's)
1975 Joshua Rudoy actor (Harry & the Hendersons)
1975 Stuart McRae Australian rower (Olympics-96)
1978 Mandy James Jacksonville FL, rhythmic gymnast (US team-96)
2340 Worf Klingon character on Star Trek Next Generation

Deaths which occurred on December 09:
1165 Malcom IV king of Scotland (1153-65), dies at 24
1292 Sa'di great Persian poet (Orchard, Rose Garden), dies
1437 Sigismund German Emperor/king of Hungary/Bohemia, dies at 70
1565 Pius IV [Gianangelo de' Medici] Italian Pope (1559-65), dies at 66
1625 Ubbo Emmius [van Embden] Frisian humanist/historian, dies at 78
1636 Giovanni B Aleotti Italian writer/theater architect, dies at about 90
1641 Anthonie "Antoon" van Dyck Flemish painter, dies at 42
1669 Clement IX [Giulio Rospigliosi] Italian Pope (1667-69), dies
1674 Edward Hyde 1st earl of Clarendon English PM (1660-67), dies at 65
1706 Pedro II king of Portugal (1683-1706), dies at 58
1767 Benedetto Alfieri Italian architect (San Giovanni Battista), dies
1770 Gottlieb Theophil Muffat composer, dies at 80
1814 Jose Angel Lamas composer, dies at 39
1819 Ann C Coleman fiancee of President Buchanan, commits suicide
1827 François Leonard Rouwyzer composer, dies at 90
1893 George Elvey composer, dies at 77
1905 Henry Holmes composer, dies at 66
1916 P Paul Leroy-Beaulieu French economist (Economist France), dies at 73
1924 Bernard Zweers Dutch composer (Gisbertus of Aemstel), dies at 70
1925 Eugene Gigout composer, dies at 81
1929 Willis Cuttell cricketer (two Tests England vs South Africa 1899), dies
1930 Jim Slight cricketer (represented Australia at Oval 1880), dies
1933 Morice Bird cricketer (scored 280 runs in 10 Tests for England), dies
1940 Maletti Italian general, dies in battle
1941 Leonard "Leo" Polak Dutch philosopher, dies in Sachsenhausen at 61
1944 Laird Cregar actor (Charley's Aunt, Hangover Square), dies at 28
1948 Sir Timothy O'Brien cricketer (Bart 5 Tests England 1884-96), dies
1956 Hans Barth composer, dies at 59
1957 Carswell Adams sportscaster (Your Sports Special), dies
1959 Walter Compton news anchor (DuMont Evening News), dies at 47
1959 Kurt Kläber writer, dies
1963 Philibert Schmitz Belgium, historian (Order of St BenoŒt), dies at 75
1964 Edith L Sitwell English poet/author (Wheels), dies at 77
1966 Yury Alexandrovich Shaporin composer, dies at 79
1970 Artem Mikoyan Russian aircraft designer (MIG), dies at 65
1971 Ralph J Bunche UN delegate/Nobel Prize winner, dies at 67 in New York NY
1974 George Carew cricketer (4 Tests for West Indies between 1935 & 1949), dies
1974 Jorge Croner de Vasconcelos composer, dies at 64
1975 William A Wellman US director (Ox Bow Incident), dies at 79
1976 Nino Martini actor (Here's to Romance), dies at 71
1977 Clarice Lispector writer, dies
1979 Fulton J Sheen archbishop/religious broadcaster, dies in New York NY at 84
1981 Tonny Til rocker, dies at 56
1982 Joey Forman actor (Sid Caesar Show, Joey Bishop Show), dies at 53
1982 Leon Jaworski Watergate special prosecutor dies in Texas at 77
1982 Fritz Usinger German writer (Song against Death), dies at 87
1982 Paul Godwin [Goldfein] Polish/Dutch violist, dies at 80
1982 Roger Danneels Flemish accordionist, dies at 55
1983 David Rounds actor (Terence-Beacon Hill), dies at 53
1990 Mike Mazurski wrestler/actor (Centerfold Girls), dies at 80
1992 Carl Barger baseball president (Pittsburgh Pirates, Florida Marlins), dies at 62
1992 Vincent Gardenia actor (All in the Family, LA Law), dies at 71
1993 Danny Blanchflower North Ireland soccer/union coach, dies at 67
1993 Muhammad Reza Golpayegani ayatollah of Iran, dies
1994 Garnet Silk Jamaican raggae-singer, dies at 28
1994 Kim II Sung President of North Korea (1945-94), dies at 82
1994 Maureen Cox Starkey ex-wife of Ringo, dies of Leukemia at 48
1994 Max Bill Swiss painter/sculptor/politician, dies at 85
1995 Benny Lee entertainer, dies at 84
1995 Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan (aviator) dies
1995 Hugh Armstrong Clegg industrial relations academic, dies at 75
1995 Toni Cade Bambara filmmaker, dies at 56
1995 Vitali Viktorovich Savitsky biologist/politician, dies at 40
1995 Vivian Blaine actress (Guys & Dolls), dies of heart failure at 74
1996 Alain Emile Louis Marie Poher French President of European Parliament (1966-69), dies at 87
1996 Anne Bolt photo-journalist/trade unionist, dies at 84
1996 Faron Young country singer, commits suicide at 64
1996 Ivor Roberts-Jones sculptor, dies at 83
1996 Mary Douglas Nichol Leakey archaeologist/anthropologist, dies at 83
1996 Raphael Samuel historian, dies at 32
1997 Tamara Geva dancer, dies at 91

On this day...
0536 Byzantines Libya occupies Rome on Ostrogoten
0656 Battle of Kameel: Kalief Al ibn Abu Talib beats rebellion
1212 Frederik II crowns himself Roman Catholic king
1315 Swiss Woudsteden renews Eternal Covenant (Oath Society)
1425 Pope Martinus V forms University of Leuven
1570 Geuzen under Herman de Ruyter occupies Loevestein
1625 Netherlands & England sign military treaty
1640 Settler Hugh Bewitt banished from Massachusetts colony when he declares himself to be free of original sin
1658 Dutch troops occupy harbor city Quilon (Coilan) India
1688 King James II's wife & son flee England for France
1724 Colley Cibber's "Caesar in Aegypt" premieres in London
1738 Jews are expelled from Breslau Silesia
1747 England & Netherlands sign military treaty
1762 British parliament accept Treaty of Paris
1783 1st execution at English Newgate-jail
1793 Noah Webster establishes New York's 1st daily newspaper, American Minerva
1805 Comet 3D/1805 V1 (Biela) approaches within 0.0366 astronomical units (AUs) of Earth
1824 Battle of Ayacucho (Candorcangui), Peru defeats Spain
1842 St M Glinka's opera "Russlan Ludmilla" premieres in Petersburg
1851 1st Young Men's Christian Association in North America (Montréal)
1854 Lord Tennyson's poem, "Charge of the Light Brigade" published
1861 Battle of Bird Creek, Indian Terr (High Shoal, Chusto-Talasah)
1868 1st British government of Gladstone forms
1869 Noble Order of Knights of Labor founded, Philadelphia
1878 Joseph Pulitzer buys St Louis Dispatch for $2,500
1883 New Brunswick adopts Eastern Standard Time (until 1902)
1884 Levant Richardson patents ball-bearing skate
1889 President Harrison visits opening of Chicago Auditorium
1894 Roman Catholics win Parliamentary election in Belgium
1900 Dutch President Paul Kruger & Queen Wilhelmina have a triumphant procession
1902 American League announces purchase of grounds for a stadium in New York
1903 Norwegian parliament vote unanimiously for female suffrage
1905 French Assembly National votes for separation of church & state
1905 Richard Strauss' opera "Salome" premieres in Dresden
1906 New York American reports Belgian King Leopold II bribed US Senate commission on the Congo
1907 1st Christmas Seals sold (Wilmington DE post office)
1907 Gustav Mahler departs Vienna
1909 1st US monoplane flown (Henry W Walden, Long Island NY)
1910 French troops occupy Morrocan harbor city Agadir
1913 John K Tener becomes president of baseball's National League
1913 Heavyweight Jack Johnson-Jim Johnson fight to no decision in Paris
1917 British forces under General Allenby capture Jerusalem
1918 French troops occupies Mainz
1922 Gabriel Narutowicz elected Polish President
1924 Dutch & Hungary trade treaty signed
1924 Michael Hainisch re-elected Austrian President
1925 Pro football a hit in NYC; Grange & Bears beat Giants before 73,000
1925 American League extends Ban Johnson's contract to 1935 & raise to $40,000
1926 USGA legalizes steel shaft golf clubs
1931 Spain becomes a republic
1931 Baseball cuts squad from 25 to 23 players & National League continues to prohibit uniform numbers
1931 Benn W Levy's "Springtime for Henry" premieres in New York NY
1931 Japanese army attacks Chinese province of Jehol
1933 21st CFL Grey Cup: Toronto Argonauts defeats Sarnia Imperials, 4-3
1933 Romania disallows fascist Iron Guard
1934 New York Giants defeat Chicago Bears 30-13 for NFL championship
1936 American League OKs night baseball for St Louis
1936 Australia all out 58 vs England Bradman out for a duck
1939 27th Grey Cup: Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeats Ottawa Rough Riders, 8-7
1939 Russian air raid on Helsinki
1940 Illegal Jewish immigrants to Haifa are deported to Mauritius
1940 British assault on Banghazi Libya
1940 British troops 1st major offensive in North Africa (Libya) during WWII
1940 South Australia all out for 47 vs New South Wales, O'Reilly 5-11
1941 1st US WWII bombing mission in the Far East, Luzon, Philippines
1941 300 Montgomery, San Francisco opens as new Bank of America HQ
1941 China declares war on Japan, Germany & Italy
1941 Citizen Register reports "Hostile planes reported nearing Westchester"
1941 7th Heisman Trophy Award: Bruce Smith, Minnesota (HB)
1941 Hitler orders US ships torpedoed
1948 UN General Assembly unanimously approves Convention on Genocide
1949 NFL merges Cleveland Browns, San Francisco '49ers & Baltimore Colts from AAFC
1949 Dutch 2nd Chamber accept Indonesian sovereignty
1951 Voters approve merger of 3 states to form Baden-Württemberg, West Germany
1953 General Electric announces all Communist employees will be fired
1953 Montréal Canadiens (106) & Toronto Maple Leafs (98) get 204 penalty minutes
1954 Dmitri Shostakovich appointed honored guest of Swedish Royal Music Academy
1957 1st Japanese ambassador to Israel
1958 Robert H W Welch Jr & 11 other men meet in Indianapolis to form the anti-Communist John Birch Society
1960 1st broadcast of "Coronation Street" on British ITV
1961 SS Colonel Adolf Eichmann found guilty of war crimes in Israel
1961 Tanganyika gains independence from Britain takes name Tanzania
1961 Wilt Chamberlain of NBA Philadelphia Warriors scores 67 points vs New York
1961 "From the Second City" closes at Royale Theater NYC after 87 performances
1961 "Let It Ride" closes at Eugene O'Neill Theater NYC after 68 performances
1962 "I Can Get It For You Wholesale" closes on Broadway
1962 Tanganyika becomes a republic within the British Commonwealth
1963 Frank Sinatra Jr is kidnapped
1963 Zanzibar gains independence from Britain
1965 Nikolai Podgorny replaces Anastas Mikoyan as President of Presidium
1965 "A Charlie Brown Christmas" premieres
1965 Frank Robinson is traded from Cincinnati to the Orioles
1967 Jim Morrison, arrested on stage for disturbing the peace
1967 Lyndon Johnson's daughter Lynda marries in the White House
1967 Nicolae Ceausescu becomes President (dictator) of Romania
1968 Doug Engelbart demonstrates first computer mouse at Stanford
1968 KRNE TV channel 12 in Merriman NE (PBS) begins broadcasting
1970 Dutch Antilles: Government of Petronia falls
1971 Lewis F Powell Jr appointed to the Supreme Court
1973 "Pajama Game" opens at Lunt Fontanne Theater NYC for 65 performances
1973 Bruno Sammartino beats Stan Stasiak in New York, to become WWF champion
1973 St Louis Cardinal Jim Bakken kicks 6 field goals vs Atlanta Falcons
1973 Sunningdale Agreement in Northern Ireland
1974 Johnson Grigsby freed after 66 years in jail
1974 Dow Jones index hits 570.01
1974 Jack Brisco beats Giant Baba in Tokyo, to become NWA wrestling champion
1975 President Gerald Ford signs $2.3 Billion loan-authorization for NYC
1975 Jelena Bonner receives Andrei Sacharov's Nobel Prize
1978 1st game of the Women's Pro Basketball League (WBL), Chicago Hustle vs Milwaukee Does
1978 Pioneer Venus 2 drops 5 probes into atmosphere of Venus
1979 Murle Breer/Dave Eichelberger win LPGA J C Penney Golf Classic
1980 61ºF in Boston at 1 AM
1981 Porn star John Holmes charged with Laurel Canyon murders
1982 Mary-Beth & William Hurt divorce
1983 Attorney General Edwin Meese says people go to soup kitchens "...because the food is free and that's easier than paying for it"
1983 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1984 6 day hijack of Kuwaiti jet ends
1984 59th Australian Women's Tennis: Chris Evert beats H Sukova (67 61 63)
1984 Great Britain performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1984 Iranian commandos end capture of Kuwaiti plane
1984 Los Angeles Ram Eric Dickerson rushes 215 yards for season record 2,003 yards
1984 Vicki Alvarez/Mike McDonald win LPGA J C Penney Golf Classic
1985 Phoenix AZ, gets 3" of snow
1985 74th Australian Men's Tennis: Stefan Edberg beats Mats Wilander (64 63 63)
1985 Jerry Rice begins NFL streak of 100+ consecutive game receptions
1987 Larry Bird, ends streak of 59 consecutive free throws
1987 Palestine uprising begin in Israeli-occupied West Bank
1988 New York Yankees sign 12-year television contract with Madison Square Garden for $500 million
1989 "Les Miserables" opens at Princess Theatre, Melbourne Australia
1990 Lech Walesa wins presidential election in Poland
1990 NFL New York Giant Otis Anderson becomes 8th to rush for 10,000th yard
1990 Betsy King wins Itoman LPGA World Match Play Golf Championship
1990 Gunda Niemann skates ladies world record 3k ladies (4 10.80)
1990 Houston scores most points against Cleveland, Oilers 58, Browns 14
1991 2nd Billboard Music Awards
1992 Prince Charles & Princess Diana separation announced by British PM, John Major
1992 3rd Billboard Music Awards
1992 Cincinnati Red owner Marge Schott apologizes for racist remarks
1992 New Jersey Devils organization announces that it will change its colors to black, red, & white for the 1992-93 season
1992 Operation Restore Hope - US Marines land in Somalia
1992 Sri Lanka's third-ever Test Cricket victory (v New Zealand by 9 wickets)
1993 "My Fair Lady" opens at Virginia Theater NYC for 165 performances
1993 Ivory Coast Premier Ouattara resigns
1994 5 meter meteor 1994 XM1 passes within 100,000 km of Earth
1994 Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders resigns after masturbation comments
1995 61st Heisman Trophy Award: Eddie George, Ohio State (RB)

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Tanzania : Independence Day/Republic Day (1961)

Religious Observances
Christian : Commemoration of the Conception of Anne, mother of Mary
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Peter Fourier, French priest

Religious History
1840 Scottish missionary explorer David Livingstone, 27, set sail on his first journey to Africa. (He had been accepted to serve under the London Missionary Society two years earlier.)
1863 Birth of G. Campbell Morgan, English congregational clergyman and Bible expositor. Morgan authored more than 60 Bible commentaries and books of sermons many still be in print.
1870 The Society of Biblical Archaeology was founded in London "for the investigation of the archaeology, history, arts, and chronology of ancient and modern...biblical lands...."
1905 An Act for the Separation of Church and State became law in France, rescinding Napoleon's Concordat of 1801. The new law guaranteed freedom of conscience, but also severed all religious groups from any further economic support by the national government.
1973 "Marshall Efron's Illustrated, Simplified and Painless Sunday School" first aired over CBS television. This religious series was broadcast on Sunday mornings until August 1977.

Thought for the day :
" Let he who takes the plunge remember to return it by Tuesday. "

I'm sure stress had somethoing to do with this in some cases. It's just that I know the Vietnam vets went through the same thing when they first stated complaining about the effects of Agent Orange.

Thanks for the "Today in History", Valin.

Mental problems attributed to service in Vietnam are referred to as PTSD. Civil War veterans suffered “Soldiers heart” in WW I the term was “Shell shock” during WW II and in Korea it was “Battle fatigue.”

Military records indicate that Civil War psychological casualties averaged 26 per 1000 men.

In WW II some units experienced over 100 psychiatric casualties per 1,000 troops.

In Korea nearly one quarter of all battlefield medical evacuations were due to mental stress. That works out to about 50 per 1,000 troops.

In Vietnam the comparable average was 5 per 1,000 troops.

Using the most current statistics from the Department of Veterans' Affairs:

696,628 U.S. troops served in the Gulf War between August 2, 1990 and 1991.
All are considered "Gulf War Conflict" veterans by the VA.

575,978 (83%) of those were eligible for VA benefits.

263,000 (45%) of those sought medical care at VA facilities for Gulf War Syndrome symptoms.

Of the remaining 312,978 (575,978 less 263,000), 183,629 (32%) filed claims for service-related medical disabilities.

Of those 183,629 disability claims, 136,031 (74%) were approved in whole as total disability.19,976 have been approved for partial disability payments.

Bottom Line:
At least 64% of all U.S. troops who served during the Persian Gulf War were (and still are) at high risk of developing the symptoms and disabilities of Gulf War Syndrome. I don't know how accurate these figures are but it seems a lot higher % of troops are claiming some GWS symptoms.

I remember reading something about the Depleted Uranium shells but I don't believe it was conclusive, it was just another theory.