1999 Gulf War Statistics
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, as of October 15, 1999:
. 696,628 U.S. troops served in the Gulf War between August 2, 1990 and July 31, 1991 – these are considered “Gulf War Conflict” veterans by the VA; Of the 696,628, 575,978 (83%) are eligible for benefits through the VA;
. Of the 575,978, more than 263,000 (45%) sought medical care at the VA;
. Of the 575,978, 183,629 (32%) filed claims against the VA for service-related medical disabilities;
. Of the 183,629 VA claims filed, 136,031 (74%) were approved in whole or in part;
. Of the 575,978 eligible for VA benefits, 136,031 (24%) are now considered disabled by the VA less than ten years since the start of the Gulf War;
. Another 27,622 claims against the VA still pending;
. More than 9,600 Gulf War veterans have died.
According to the Department of Defense, by 1999, the military revealed:
. As many as 100,000 U.S. troops were exposed to repeated low-levels of chemical warfare agents, including sarin, cyclosarin, and mustard gases;
. More than 250,000 received the investigational new drug pyridostigmine bromide (PB pills) the Pentagon “cannot rule out” as linked to Gulf War illnesses;
. 8,000 received the investigational new botulinum toxoid (Bot Tox) vaccine; 150,000 received the hotly debated, highly questionable anthrax vaccine;
. 436,000 entered into or lived for months within areas contaminated by more than 315 tons of depleted uranium radioactive toxic waste possibly laced with trace amounts of highly radioactive Plutonium and Neptunium, almost all without awareness, training, protective equipment, or medical evaluations;
. Hundreds of thousands experienced the hell on Earth of more than 700 burning oil well fires belching flames, fumes, and particulate matter for months on end while living outdoors without any protective equipment. Each of these exposures took place while troops were ether engaged in combat, serving in a war zone, or stationed in the volatile region for a number of months.
Other Important Statistics:
. More than 1,200,000 civilians in Iraq have died since the start of the Gulf War, when Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990 (Source: United Nations).
. An estimated 100,000 Iraqi soldiers died during Operation Desert Storm between January 17, 1991 and February 28, 1991 (Source: News Reports).
NATIONAL GULF WAR RESOURCE CENTER DECEMBER 29, 1999
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Last revised: March 2000