Forces ombudman's office denies Gulf War illnesses
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Forces ombudman's office denies Gulf War illnesses One in five veterans has reported ailment
The office of the Canadian Forces ombudsman has concluded that engineering troops who served in the Persian Gulf and were thought to have been exposed to various contaminants aren't suffering any greater rate of illnesses than other veterans, according to a document leaked to the Citizen. The conclusion, in a letter produced by the office of ombudsman Yves Cote, comes despite complaints that one in five soldiers from the unit has reported some kind of illness since returning from the 1991 mission. Sixty-two of the approximately 300 soldiers who served in the Persian Gulf with 1 Combat Engineer Regiment have come down with various ailments, many involving kidney and respiratory problems, says their former deputy commanding officer, Fred Kaustinen. Two of the men, healthy and in their early 20s when they originally went to Kuwait to clear landmines and other explosives, suffered brain tumours. One died from that condition. Another died from Hodgkin's disease. Another 21-year-old soldier came down with multiple sclerosis a year after he returned from Kuwait, said Mr. Kaustinen, a retired major who has monitored the health of his former comrades. The men, many now in their 30s, helped save hundreds of U.S. soldiers when the American ammunition dump at Doha, Kuwait, blew up in July 1991. They were hailed as heroes by a U.S. general, but there were allegations the senior leadership at National Defence headquarters suppressed the story of the unit's bravery because the destruction of a main U.S. base in Kuwait and millions of dollars' worth of equipment was too embarrassing to our American allies. There were also concerns that the ammunition facility contained radioactive depleted uranium warheads and other toxic chemicals and both U.S. and Canadian soldiers may have been exposed to contaminants. Some have suggested the men might have been exposed to pollutants from oil fires ignited by retreating Iraqi troops. Mr. Kaustinen asked the ombudsman's office to investigate how his men were treated by the military. A copy of the letter produced by the ombudsman's office praises the military leadership and the Defence Department for ensuring the health and well-being of Canadian soldiers. It also suggests there are no major problems with the health of the men of 1 CER. ""We were able to establish that the members of the unit most concerned about their exposure do not appear to be suffering any greater rate of illness than those not deployed to the area,"" the letter to be signed by Mr. Cote states. It will be sent to the new defence minister, who is to be named today. The letter, however, acknowledges that ""sufficient time has not elapsed to allow this conclusion to be drawn definitely, so ongoing monitoring of the health of this group will be necessary."" It suggests waiting another 14 years until further followup data can be obtained on the soldiers' health. Ombudsman spokesman Darren Gibb said the document is a draft letter that has not yet been seen by Mr. Cote, or signed by him. He said changes will be made before it is sent, although he declined to get into details as the investigation is ongoing. A report is expected to be finalized in the coming months. Mr. Gibb said the investigation was not designed to determine specific causes of injuries or resolve what caused illnesses among the soldiers. Rather, it will focus on the broader issues of how the individuals who came forward with their health concerns were treated by the military, in addition to looking at the procedures the Canadian Forces use to identify environmental hazards. Mr. Kaustinen said he cannot comment on the upcoming ombudsman's report as he has not seen the document. But he noted that while the letter praised the Canadian Forces for ensuring the health and well-being of its personnel, that does not appear to be the experience of his men. Many of those who got sick were booted out of the military without pensions, he added. A few others received small medical pensions. ""I think they deserve way better treatment,"" said Mr. Kaustinen, who does not suffer from any physical ailments from his tour of duty. The conclusions will likely be well received at the Defence Department. Medical officials there have always maintained the soldiers were not exposed to contaminants such as depleted uranium and argued their ailments were likely related to stress. Those officials have also blamed the news media and others for circulating reports about contaminants on the battlefield. In addition, they note there has not been a rush of soldiers from the engineer regiment to any of the post-deployment clinics offered by the Canadian Forces. But Mr. Kaustinen said some of the soldiers have given up on the Defence Department and statements by military medical officials that there is no problem undercut any trust they might have had in the system.