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GULFWAR SYNDROME CITED IN AUTOPSY OF FORMER SOLDIER |
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by Chantal Escoto / The Leaf-Chronicle CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -- A medical examiner in Texas says Gulf War Syndrome was a contributing factor in the death of a former Fort Campbell soldier, a finding that could be the first of its kind to blame a death on the mysterious illness. Joye M. Carter, chief medical examiner for Harris County, Texas, wrote in an autopsy report that after an extensive evaluation of former soldier Michael Ingram, "it seems proper to include the Gulf War Syndrome as a contributory cause of death." Ingram served in Saudi Arabia in the early 1990s and was attached to the 528th Medical Detachment as a sergeant and Green Beret with the Army's 101st Airborne Division. "Many times we're on the forefront and, if we don't document it, then how do we start?" said Carter, who once served as medical examiner for the U.S. Air Force. The state commissioner of veterans affairs, retired Army Brig. Gen. Wendell Gilbert, and Gulf War veterans advocate Paul Lyons said Ingram's case was the first they had heard of in which Gulf War Syndrome was named as a cause of death. Lyons, who suffers from Gulf War Syndrome and is a board member of the National Vietnam and Gulf War Veterans Coalition, insisted Carter's conclusion is a significant step toward forcing Pentagon officials to look at the disease more seriously. "This is the first one I've ever seen. Now we actually have some proof that service in the Gulf during the war is hazardous to your health." About 4,000 soldiers who served with the 101st in the war have claimed to have symptoms related to Gulf War Syndrome, Lyons said. Some 15,000 troops from Fort Campbell were deployed to the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Some of the common medical problems reported are short-term memory loss, chronic fatigue, nerve damage, light sensitivity, periodic rashes, stiff joints, birth defects and sterility. A Department of Defense official questioned Carter's findings and was concerned it may open the floodgates for other medical examiners to list Gulf War Syndrome as a death factor when it hasn't been fully researched. "I'm not a doctor, and I don't know what she saw, but to list it as a contributing factor is kind of hard to define," said Austin Camacho, special assistant for Gulf War illnesses. "Gulf War Syndrome is not a particular illness, but a number of different illnesses that we haven't been able to define. We're fighting very hard to help the folks get the care they deserve and have so far put $140 million toward research on finding causes and treatments." Gilbert said he couldn't comment further on the autopsy report without seeing it for himself, but did say the Veterans Administration is dedicated to ensuring those with the malady are adequately compensated. "I'm very anxious that we do right by the victims of the Gulf War."
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