Post by Joe Neubarth on Feb 12, 2012 12:03:47 GMT -5
Why and How Depleted Uranium Is Used By Our Military Machine
Almost 15 years ago, the Pentagon decided to start using Depleted Uranium extensively in our munitions. Depleted Uranium (DU) was dirt cheap, since it was the left over material from processing Uranium into nuclear weapons and was normally just being thrown away -- in specially built containers in which all handling was done with men wearing special radiation protection suits, because in the commercial field, this stuff is considered "toxic waste"!
Depleted Uranium also possessed several one other characteristic that made it very useful to a modern fighting force. It is extremely dense and pyrophoric, which enables it to punch and burn its way through hard targets such as tanks. Therefore, DU is used extensively in all armor piercing munitions. ["Depleted Uranium: America's Military 'Gift' That Keeps on Giving", By Dan Fahey, L.A. Times, 2/18/01.
DU has proven so effective, the United States is using it also in the following weapons systems:
1. Navy ships carrying Phalanx rapid fire guns are capable of firing thousands of DU rounds per minute. [."DOD Launches Depleted Uranium Training," Linda Kozaryn, American Forces Press Service, 8-13-99]
2. Some Tomahawk missiles launched from U.S. ships and subs are DU-tipped. [."Nukes of the Gulf War," John Shirley, Zess@aol.com. See this article in archives at http://www.gulfwarvets.com]
3. M1 Abrams tanks are armored with DU, as are British tanks. [BBC News, "US To Use Depleted Uranium," March 18, 2003; U.S. General Accounting Office, Operation Desert Storm: "Early Performance Assessment of Bradley and Abrams," 1-2-92; covered also by Shirley, op. cit]
4. The A-10 "tank buster" aircraft fires DU 30-mm shells at machines and people on the battlefield. [Shirley, op. cit.]
"When a DU shell is fired, it ignites upon impact. Uranium, plus traces of plutonium and americium, vaporize into tiny, ceramic particles of radioactive dust. Once inhaled, uranium oxides lodge in the body and emit radiation indefinitely. A single particle of DU lodged in a lymph node can devastate the entire immune system according to British radiation expert Roger Coghill." ["US Shells Leave Lethal Legacy," Toronto Star, July 31, 1999; also "Radiation Tests for Peacekeepers in the Balkans Exposed to Depleted Uranium," www.telegraph.co.uk, 12-31-02]
As we stated above, Depleted uranium is relatively benign before it is fired. Thus, handlers of these munitions are at little risk until the battle starts. Once munitions containing DU are fired, the risk changes dramatically; when a DU warhead or bullet hits its target, it virtually vaporizes the warhead, as well as much of the target. Most of the warhead becomes either extremely small fragments -- though larger ones are possible -- and a whole lot of radiation dust. Thus, when a person travels through the battlefield, they breathe in the particles that are now lingering in the air, plus they get a lot of radiation on their clothes. Let us hear from an expert on this type of exposure.
"The Royal Society of England published data showing that battlefield soldiers who inhale or swallow high levels of DU can suffer kidney failure within days. ["Depleted Uranium May Stop Kidneys In Days," Rob Edwards, New Scientist.com, 3-12-02; also "Uranium Weapons Too Hot to Handle," Rob Edwards, New Scientist.co.uk, 6-9-99]
Other soldiers that breathe in lesser amounts do not suffer immediately, but have a high chance of breathing in enough to cause serious problems later on. How many of the ground soldiers are contaminated enough with Depleted Uranium residue?
"Any soldier now in Iraq who has not inhaled lethal radioactive dust is not breathing." [Death By Slow Burn - How America Nukes Its Own Troops", Worthington, Amy The Idaho Observer, 4/16/03] It is not as bad now, but if you go out to the scenes of battle, there is still plenty of Uranium particulate in the sand and soil, and on a windy day you can breath that particulate in just like the Iraqis do.
Virtually 100% of the ground troops are radiated to a degree that is troublesome; if Gulf War I is any guide, 75% of the men now serving on the ground will develop one or more of the exceedingly serious medical conditions listed below, in the section covering Gulf War I. In fact, the soldiers who come after the fighting troops to occupy and administer the land are the ones who are most affected! This radioactive dust is virtually impossible to clean up because it is so fine and covers everything -- from burned out and wrecked vehicles to houses in the area to the ground on which children may ultimately play. In residential areas like Basra, the contamination is frightening.
Even though much of the fighting did occur in the desert area, the Iraqis tried very hard to not get their vehicles caught in the open area; they preferred to fight in more congested areas, and in residential locations. Further, we were blasting urban targets continuously; as many Americans were cheering the sight of exploding munitions in Baghdad, for example, few realized such munitions were spreading radioactive dust everywhere.
"In the first two weeks of combat, 700 Tomahawks, at a cost of $1.3 million each, blasted Iraqi real estate into small radioactive mushroom clouds. ["Navy Seeks Cash for More Tomahawks," David Rennie in Washington, Telegraph Group Limited, 1-4-03, news.telegraph.co.uk]. Millions of DU tank rounds liter the terrain. Cleanup is impossible because there is no place on the planet to put so much contaminated debris [Worthington, op. cit] and such debris is so fine that, by the time it settles, it is just dust indistinguishable from regular dust.
The U.S. military insists that DU on the battlefield is not a problem. Colonel James Naughton of the U.S. Army Material Command recently told the BBC that complaints about DU "had no medical basis." ["US To Use Depleted Uranium," BBC News, 3-18-03].
However, U.S. Army internal writings show that this is simply not true! Read the following carefully:
"A 1993 Pentagon document warned that "when soldiers inhale or ingest DU dust they incur a potential increase in cancer risk." ["Depleted Uranium Symptoms Match US Report As Fears Spread," Peter Beaumont, The Observer (UK) 1-14-01]
"A U.S. Army training manual requires anyone who comes within 25 meters of DU-contaminated equipment to wear respiratory and skin protection." ["Iraqi Cancer, Birth Defects Blamed on US Depleted Uranium," Seattle Post- Intelligencer, 11-12-02]
"The U.S. Army Environmental Policy Institute admitted: "If DU enters the body, it has the potential to generate significant medical consequences." ["US To Use Depleted Uranium," BBC News, 3-18-03]
In fact, internal communication reveals that, not only does the DOD understand DU long-term health effects, they also understand the disastrous costs the government would incur if they ever admitted the truth. Our government is very good at covering up the truth when it comes to radioactive particulate.
"The financial implications of long-term disability payments and healthcare costs would be excessive." [US Army Environmental Policy Institute: Health and Environmental Consequences of Depleted Uranium in the U.S. Army, Technical Report, June 1995]
As a matter of fact, if we allow the argument to be carried out solely on the basis of the radioactivity, or the lack thereof, we may be badly understating the problem. A major unstated problem with DU may be its chemical toxicity! Read the following carefully:
"In the aftermath of the Gulf War, research on rats conducted by the military's Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute found that depleted uranium's chemical toxicity--not its radioactivity--may cause immune system damage, central nervous system problems and may contribute to the development of certain cancers." [Depleted Uranium: America's Military 'Gift' That Keeps on Giving", By Dan Fahey, L.A. Times, 2/18/01]
What sort of medical problems have others experienced because of an exposure to Depleted Uranium munitions? Read the following carefully and cry.
"U.S and British troops deployed to the area are the walking dead. Humans and animals, friends and foes in the fallout zone are destined to a long downhill spiral of chronic illness and disability. Kidney dysfunction, lung damage, bloody stools, extreme fatigue, joint pain, unsteady gait, memory loss and rashes and, ultimately, cancer and premature death await those exposed to DU." [Worthington, op. cit.]
Part of the insidious nature of this DU poisoning is that its effects take a long time to develop; therefore, when a soldier becomes ill 3-10 years later, the Pentagon is already primed to deny that the origin of the sickness is this Gulf War. This is the principle the DOD is using to deny Gulf War I claims. What gains have come in having the Federal Government pay for medical bills for these veterans has come very slowly, very begrudgingly.
United Nations' Debate On Depleted Uranium Health Risks
"DU munitions are classified by a United Nations resolution as illegal weapons of mass destruction. Their use breaches all international laws, treaties and conventions forbidding poisoned weapons calculated to cause unnecessary suffering." [Worthington, op. cit]
Since this is true, we should expect Iraq to complain to the United Nations about our use of Depleted Uranium munitions in the 1991 Gulf War -- and they did! Let us review a little bit of the pertinent information.
NEWS BRIEF: "Iraq Charges United States, United Kingdom, With Use of Depleted Uranium in 1991 Gulf War; Also In 'Aggression Against Yugoslavia", United Nations Press Release, DC/2702, 1 May 2000.
"Saeed Hasan (Iraq) said backing away from implementation of the provisions of the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty) was symptomatic of an unhealthy international atmosphere ... Those actions ... had also caused damage to Iraq through the continuation of an embargo which which was nothing more than a verifiable genocide being carried out in the name of the United Nations. Iraq demanded compensation for those acts of aggression. The United States and the United Kingdom, both depositories of the NPT and permanent members of the Security Council, had also used depleted uranium in their aggression against Iraq in 1991 and again in their aggression against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1999. The 300 tons used against his country had polluted Iraq's environment with radiation and significantly increased the registered cases of cancer, especially among children. The radioactive effects of the depleted uranium would continue for centuries to come unless action was taken to free his country's environment from them."
Thus, Iraq did complain bitterly to the United Nations about our use of Depleted Uranium during the 1991 Gulf War! What is the reference the Iraqi representative made to "an embargo which was nothing more than a verifiable genocide being carried out in the name of the United Nations."? Iraq had petitioned the U.N. to relax its embargo so they could bring in medicine and equipment that would enable them to combat the effects of the uranium poisoning of their people, and the United States blocked the move!
Now, let us return to this United Nations Press Release:
"He (Iraq's representative) invited the Conference to include in its resolutions a call for a prohibition of the use of depleted uranium for armament purposes. He also invited the Conference to take concrete steps to help Iraq reduce the negative effects of that disaster on the environment and on human life, and affirm Iraq's right to demand compensation for the unjustified use against if of weapons of mass destruction." [Ibid.]
Did you catch the significance of this statement? The Iraqi representative accused the United States of using a Weapon of Mass Destruction against it during the Gulf War? What was that WMD? Depleted Uranium! Iraq said her people were suffering terribly because of their continuous exposure to this uranium. Another news story, written about 8 months after this United Nations Press Release, gives some insight into the condition of the exposed Iraqi citizenry.
NEWS BRIEF: "Iraq Urges UN Inquiry Into Use of Depleted Uranium Weapon, World Section, People's Daily, January 18, 2001.
"Iraq Wednesday urged the United Nations to order an inquiry into the use of depleted uranium weapons against it by the United States and Britain in the 1991 Gulf War. In a letter to the United Nations, Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed Al-Sharaf said 'admission made by many US and British officials have confirmed that depleted uranium munitions were used against Iraq'."
"Unusual pathological conditions of which Iraq has no experience prior to the war had emerged since the end of the Gulf War,' the foreign minister said. 'Seventy-five percent of cases involved children, who began to suffer increasingly from leukemia and congenital and genetic deformities,' he said. 'Lung, digestive-tract, blood and skin cancers became increasingly widespread. The primary cause of all these types of cancer is exposure to radiation,' the foreign minister noted."
Notice his claim: Iraqi citizens began to suffer pathological conditions that were totally foreign to anything they had ever suffered from before the Gulf War. However, analyzing the conditions from which the people -- primarily children -- were suffering led them to conclude the various cancers breaking out among the population had to have come from exposure to uranium. Thus, it was important to this discussion that both the U.S. and the U.K. had admitted using Depleted Uranium munitions during the 1991 Gulf War.
Remember these facts as we get further into the discussion later in this article. However, we have substantiated the fact that Iraq was fighting severe cancers that were caused by Depleted Uranium munitions in 1991, and that the United Nations did debate this issue. If you go to a search engine and perform an advanced search of "United Nations Iraq Depleted Uranium" you will be shocked at the number of entries you will get.
But, the Iraqi people are not the only ones who suffered; our own soldiers were exposed, and the majority of them are slowly dying. America effectively nuked her own soldiers in Gulf War I! Let us review the facts.
Gulf War I Vets
Now that we have come 21 full years since Gulf War I, the rotten fruits are evident for all to see. Let us review the facts. Prepare to be shocked!
"Bush Sr.'s Gulf War I was also a 'nuclear war' as 320 tons of depleted uranium were used against Iraq in 1991.A 1998 report by the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances confirms that inhaling DU causes symptoms identical to those claimed by many sick vets with Gulf War Syndrome." ["Depleted Uranium Symptoms Match US Report As Fears Spread," Peter Beaumont, The Observer (UK) 1-14-01, http://www.guardianlimited.co.uk]
In fact, since the 1999 Clinton war against Yugoslavia, citizens of the Balkans are suffering almost identical illnesses, a condition they call the "Balkans Syndrome".
"The Gulf War Veterans Association reports that at least 300,000 Gulf War I vets have now developed incapacitating illnesses. ["Gulf War Illnesses Affect 300,000 Vets," Ellen Tomson, Pioneer Press, www.pioneerplanet.com. See also American Gulf War Veterans Association at http://www.gulfwarvets.com.]
"To date, 209,000 vets have filed claims for disability benefits based on service-connected injuries and illnesses from combat in that war." ["2 of Every 5 Gulf War Vets Are On Disability: 209,000 Make VA Claims," World Net Daily, 1-28-03, WorldNetDaily.com]
However, these statistics serve to hide the true horror of the sickness amongst our Gulf War I veterans, because they do not take into account the full picture as to how our armed forces were deployed. While it is true that 600,000 men were deployed to the region, fully 200,000 of them were on naval ships or in the airforce in Saudi Arabia or some other airfield far removed from the field of battle. Very few of these men ever set foot upon the contaminated land in Kuwait and southern Iraq.
Therefore, the number of men actually on the ground is closer to 400,000! This statistic means that 75% of the ground troops and their supporting soldiers have now come down with chronic "incapacitating illnesses" that are slowly killing them! Yet, even though the Pentagon is fully aware of this reality, we continue to fire off DU munitions, threatening both civilians (whom we claim to care so much about) and 75% of our brave men who are fighting the war.
Of the 300,000 veterans who have come "incapacitating illnesses", a very high percentage of them are very sick.
"Dr. Asaf Durakovic, a professor of nuclear medicine at Georgetown University, is a former army medical expert. He told nuclear scientists in Paris last year that tens of thousands of sick British and American soldiers are now dying from radiation they encountered during Gulf War I. He found that 62 percent of sick vets tested have uranium isotopes in their organs, bones, brains and urine." ["Research on Sick Gulf Vets Revisited, "New York Times, 1-29-01; "Tests Show Gulf War Victims Have Uranium Poisoning," Jonathon Carr-Brown and Martin Meissonnier, The Sunday Times (UK) 9-3-02]
Thus, the Pentagon has killed far, far more American soldiers than the Iraqi enemy could ever have hoped to kill! The retired Army Major with whom I have consulted felt that the Pentagon looks at each group of soldiers as a "use and throw away" force. If the wars they fight with DU are spread far enough apart, the Pentagon can restock their ranks through fresh soldiers to fight the next war, while its spokesmen are fighting the rear guard Public Relations battle designed to confuse the subject, to throw up obstacles, and to discourage sick men and their families until the problem just "goes away".
But, the problem gets far worse, because a number of wives of Gulf War I vets have become similarly ill.
"In other studies, some sick vets were found to be expressing uranium in even their semen. Their sexual partners often complained of a burning sensation during intercourse, followed by their own debilitating illnesses." ["Catastrophe: Ill Gulf Vets Contaminated Partners With DU," The Halifax Herald Limited, Clare Mellor, 2-09-01. This article is available in archives at http://www.rense.com]
Now, let us return to the battlefield of 1991. The U.S. Army did make an effort to salvage contaminated tanks that had been destroyed during the famous "100-hour war".
Attempted Decontamination of Gulf War I Tanks
"As an Army health physicist, Dr. Doug Rokke was dispatched to the Middle East to salvage DU-contaminated tanks after Gulf War I. His Geiger counters revealed that the war zones of Iraq and Kuwait were contaminated with up to 300 millirems an hour in beta and gamma radiation plus thousands to millions of counts per minute in alpha radiation. Rokke recently told the media: 'The whole area is still trashed. It is hotter than heck over there still. This stuff doesn't go away'." [Worthington, op. cit.]
In fact, scientifically, we learned that DU remains "hot" for 4.5 billion years. Radiation expert Dr. Helen Caldicott confirms that the dust-laden winds of DU-contaminated war zones "will remain effectively radioactive for the rest of time." [San Francisco Chronicle, 10-10-02]
Now, let us return to our story of Dr. Doug Rokke.
"Of the 100 people on Rokke's decontamination team, 30 have already 'dropped dead'. Rokke himself is ill with radiation damage to lungs and kidneys. He has brain lesions, skin pustules, chronic fatigue, continual wheezing and painful fibromyalgia. Rokke warns that anyone exposed to DU should have adequate respiratory protection and special coveralls to protect their clothing because, he says, you can't get uranium particles off your clothing." [Worthington, op. cit.]
These the kinds of illnesses many, many of our young, brave soldiers will be facing some time after they return back from this Gulf War. In fact, the dreams of many a young couple to have children and raise a family will be absolutely, totally ruined by exposure to DU contaminant on the battlefield. Young wives have reason to fear have physical relations with their beloved soldier husband, as the above information makes quite clear.
We talk extensively about the tragic incidents in which our soldiers are killed by accidental "friendly fire", yet this sobering statistic tells us that the Pentagon will ultimately kill many of our own soldiers than the enemy could have ever hoped to kill.
Personal Testimony of 1996 Marine Corps Vet
One of Cutting Edge subscribers served in the Marine Corps and was stationed in Kuwait in 1996. He saw the effects of Depleted Uranium poisoning first hand. Even though he wishes to remain anonymous, he has agreed to allow us to post his first-hand testimony, exactly as he emailed to me. This email is dated May 1, 2003. This is the scene he witnessed over and over again while serving in Kuwait.
"When I was in Kuwait, back in 96, I saw some of the most horrible things , that still haunt my dreams to this day from DU. I literally saw children born with there butts where there head would be. With tails, and multiple arms and legs. I could go on and on and be more descriptive, but you kinda get my point. Imagine seeing alien babies from some weird science fiction movies, and multiply it times 100. Some of the saddest images that I have ever seen in my life. We didn't use near the DU that we used in this war either. That is one reason the Arabs hate us so much, is the use of those munitions. Could you imagine your boy being born with his head where his arse should be? I would hate to be the man to answer to God for using those weapons. Christ said that what we do unto children we do unto him. I just wonder if the mutated babies isn't some sick plot to make a point or sacrifice..."
Back To Medical Facts
Let us quote Worthington again, reiterating what we listed above, as a springboard into the final discussion.
"U.S and British troops deployed to the area are the walking dead. Humans and animals, friends and foes in the fallout zone are destined to a long downhill spiral of chronic illness and disability. Kidney dysfunction, lung damage, bloody stools, extreme fatigue, joint pain, unsteady gait, memory loss and rashes and, ultimately, cancer and premature death await those exposed to DU." [Worthington, op. cit; Emphasis added.]
Now, listen to this medical doctor serving in the military of a foreign country, in a follow-up testimony. This email speaks to how our soldiers will, in all likelihood come down with severe sickness.
"Understand that the US government has now admitted that the soldiers in Iraq are fighting a guerrilla warfare. This takes a lot of activity, in excessive heat, and dehydration can occur rapidly. Men can't just stop every hour for a water break, to allow the body time to acclimate and adjust to less water intake in extreme climate conditions. The first noticeable effects will be less mental acuity, with a slowing of reflexes and general malaise. This puts our men in extreme immediate danger if in combat readiness. If the men don't die of guerrilla assault, then they will surely die when more severe effects of dehydration occur, and ESPECIALLY quickly under toxic conditions. I don't know if you saw the news report last week, but the government is saying Iraq will be a year-long tour for some of them. If those men make it past guerrilla assault, and dehydration, then they get to carry home their illness!"
These revelations shed possible new light on the reason Saddam used the tactics he did. His forces fought well for the first two weeks, in southern Iraq, giving the Coalition Forces a decent fight. During this time, we were pounding Baghdad with huge amounts of munitions, much of it Depleted Uranium. Then, after approximately 20 days of battle, Saddam gave up Baghdad, strategically retreating in a move that shocked everyone. Huge amounts and types of modern fighting equipment were never committed to battle. Saddam just ordered his troops to vanish, allowing the Americans to flood into the city.
Since April 9, Coalition Forces have been working, and fighting, daily in grueling heat, wearing very hot combat suits that are bulletproof. Since April 9 -- approximately 3 1/2 months -- our forces have been daily breathing in the radioactive dust swirling around the countryside and in the cities. Whenever a strong wind comes up, and especially when one of those monster dust storms strike, that radioactive dust goes airborne -- even though it is heavier than normal dust -- and can be carried for hundreds of miles. One need not necessarily be adjacent to a battlefield to be exposed to radioactive dust.
Now, some of our men are getting sick, showing symptoms consistent with depleted uranium poisoning. We cannot know how many men are affected, nor how this sickness has affected fighting morale. If this sickness becomes widespread and if many more men start dropping dead, our fighting efficiency could erode in a hurry, and just might tempt Saddam to come back fighting with all those men and all that sophisticated equipment he refused to commit to battle originally. In this scenario, time is Saddam's friend and our deadly enemy.
Are The Iraqi People Suffering Depleted Uranium Poisoning?
The obvious question is whether the Iraqi people are currently suffering from Depleted Uranium poisoning. In the above section, we demonstrated that the Iraqi people were suffering greatly from the effects of the Depleted Uranium from Gulf War I, especially the children and mothers giving birth to deformed babies. In this Gulf War II, the effects will likely be much more devastating, but remember that for a people used to living in this heat, and pacing themselves through the day, the poisoning may take months, if not years, to affect large numbers of people. However, some Iraqi citizens are already showing effects.
NEWS BRIEF: "The Current Health Situation in Iraq", IslamOnline.com, August 24, 2003.
"The use of weapons coated with depleted uranium (nuclear waste) during the Gulf war and the subsequent prevention of the necessary equipment needed by the Iraqi government to clean up its battlefields, has lead to a six-fold increase in cancer cases. The DU dust can enter the body by inhalation or by the ingestion of contaminated food or drink. According to former US Attorney General, 900 tons of radioactive waste was spread over Iraq during the Gulf War. In a press release of 4 August 1998, the US Department of Defense stated: “The Gulf War was the arena for the first battlefield use of armor-piercing munitions and reinforced tank armor incorporating depleted uranium.”
"According to the World Health Organization, the health risks of depleted uranium include: damage to kidney functions (chemical toxicity), possible higher risk of lung cancer and bone cancer (radiological toxicity), and the need for more information regarding the incidence of leukemia. As far as chemotherapy is concerned, there are insufficient drugs available (even if people could afford them) or the hospital receives only partial components of a chemotherapy protocol, which renders it useless (Europa). Although the incidence of cancer has risen sharply following the war the most effective painkiller, morphine, used to ease the pain of cancer patients has been banned by the Security Council."
Remember our first article about Josh from Missouri, who collapsed in Baghdad and was flown to Germany? After doctors began treating him for pnuemonia, "... his liver, kidneys and muscles started to break down ..." This death and the symptoms reportedly affecting our sick soldiers, are consistent with depleted uranium poisoning.
The Iraqi people are suffering from Depleted Uranium poisoning, beginning with the nuclear war we waged against them in 1991 and continuing to the present time. More than any other factor, I believe it likely that this poisoning of the Iraqis in 1991 is the most important reason the Iraqis have not welcomed us as "liberators" with open arms. This poisoning is likely the motivating factor behind the determination to fight a guerilla war in the heat of the summer against a foe that, while he is superior on the battlefield, is dying slowing in the heat, being taken down by poisoning and dehydration as he fights a guerilla enemy.
British and Australian Troops Are Sick From Depleted Uranium
NEWS BRIEF: "Aussie troops report uranium sickness", June 23, 2003, ninemsn.com
"Australian servicemen and women who served in the recent Iraq war were reporting symptoms of uranium sickness, a United States nuclear weapons expert said ... Speaking in Melbourne on Monday, Dr Rokke said Iraqi women and children and American and Iraqi military personnel had reported respiratory illnesses and rashes after the recent conflict, and he had also been told of Australian servicemen and women with similar symptoms. "That's the reports I received from the US Army medical department ... "
Did you hear Dr. Rokke clearly? He verified the report Cutting Edge received from our foreign military medical source. American troops are showing the symptoms of Depleted Uranium poisoning! Dr. Rokke also said the Iraqi people were suffering from D.U. also. Then, Dr. Rokke delivered his bombshell.
""When American soldiers are sick and the Iraqis are sick there's nothing that says an Australian soldier is going to be isolated when he goes through those areas and he is not going to become ill ... "What I have learned from my work is that uranium munitions must be banned," Dr Rokke said." [Ibid.]
American soldiers are sick! Australians are coming home sick. The Iraqi people are sick. How about the British? The British are well aware of the risk.
NEWS BRIEF: "Gulf troops face tests for cancer", by Paul Brown, environment correspondent, The Guardian, U.K., Friday April 25, 2003
"Soldiers returning from the Gulf will be offered tests to check levels of depleted uranium in their bodies to assess whether they are in danger of suffering kidney damage and lung cancer as a result of exposure, the Ministry of Defence said last night. The ministry was responding to a warning earlier in the day from the Royal Society, Britain's premier scientific body, that soldiers and civilians might be exposed to dangerous levels ... "It is essential that we measure exposures in a sample of soldiers across the battlefield, not just those who may have had substantial exposures, but also foot soldiers and field hospital staff across Iraq."
We have heard of no results of any such tests, but at least the Royal Society is raising the awareness, even though they are fighting the British Defense Establishment in their effort. If men exposed to D.U. are brought home early after exposure and live a normal life in a cooler climate, symptoms may be years in coming, but come they will. Such men may also poison their wives, and babies conceived under these conditions may be born with defects, ranging from mild to severe. What did Worthington say in his quote, above?
"U.S and British troops deployed to the area are the walking dead."
Almost 15 years ago, the Pentagon decided to start using Depleted Uranium extensively in our munitions. Depleted Uranium (DU) was dirt cheap, since it was the left over material from processing Uranium into nuclear weapons and was normally just being thrown away -- in specially built containers in which all handling was done with men wearing special radiation protection suits, because in the commercial field, this stuff is considered "toxic waste"!
Depleted Uranium also possessed several one other characteristic that made it very useful to a modern fighting force. It is extremely dense and pyrophoric, which enables it to punch and burn its way through hard targets such as tanks. Therefore, DU is used extensively in all armor piercing munitions. ["Depleted Uranium: America's Military 'Gift' That Keeps on Giving", By Dan Fahey, L.A. Times, 2/18/01.
DU has proven so effective, the United States is using it also in the following weapons systems:
1. Navy ships carrying Phalanx rapid fire guns are capable of firing thousands of DU rounds per minute. [."DOD Launches Depleted Uranium Training," Linda Kozaryn, American Forces Press Service, 8-13-99]
2. Some Tomahawk missiles launched from U.S. ships and subs are DU-tipped. [."Nukes of the Gulf War," John Shirley, Zess@aol.com. See this article in archives at http://www.gulfwarvets.com]
3. M1 Abrams tanks are armored with DU, as are British tanks. [BBC News, "US To Use Depleted Uranium," March 18, 2003; U.S. General Accounting Office, Operation Desert Storm: "Early Performance Assessment of Bradley and Abrams," 1-2-92; covered also by Shirley, op. cit]
4. The A-10 "tank buster" aircraft fires DU 30-mm shells at machines and people on the battlefield. [Shirley, op. cit.]
"When a DU shell is fired, it ignites upon impact. Uranium, plus traces of plutonium and americium, vaporize into tiny, ceramic particles of radioactive dust. Once inhaled, uranium oxides lodge in the body and emit radiation indefinitely. A single particle of DU lodged in a lymph node can devastate the entire immune system according to British radiation expert Roger Coghill." ["US Shells Leave Lethal Legacy," Toronto Star, July 31, 1999; also "Radiation Tests for Peacekeepers in the Balkans Exposed to Depleted Uranium," www.telegraph.co.uk, 12-31-02]
As we stated above, Depleted uranium is relatively benign before it is fired. Thus, handlers of these munitions are at little risk until the battle starts. Once munitions containing DU are fired, the risk changes dramatically; when a DU warhead or bullet hits its target, it virtually vaporizes the warhead, as well as much of the target. Most of the warhead becomes either extremely small fragments -- though larger ones are possible -- and a whole lot of radiation dust. Thus, when a person travels through the battlefield, they breathe in the particles that are now lingering in the air, plus they get a lot of radiation on their clothes. Let us hear from an expert on this type of exposure.
"The Royal Society of England published data showing that battlefield soldiers who inhale or swallow high levels of DU can suffer kidney failure within days. ["Depleted Uranium May Stop Kidneys In Days," Rob Edwards, New Scientist.com, 3-12-02; also "Uranium Weapons Too Hot to Handle," Rob Edwards, New Scientist.co.uk, 6-9-99]
Other soldiers that breathe in lesser amounts do not suffer immediately, but have a high chance of breathing in enough to cause serious problems later on. How many of the ground soldiers are contaminated enough with Depleted Uranium residue?
"Any soldier now in Iraq who has not inhaled lethal radioactive dust is not breathing." [Death By Slow Burn - How America Nukes Its Own Troops", Worthington, Amy The Idaho Observer, 4/16/03] It is not as bad now, but if you go out to the scenes of battle, there is still plenty of Uranium particulate in the sand and soil, and on a windy day you can breath that particulate in just like the Iraqis do.
Virtually 100% of the ground troops are radiated to a degree that is troublesome; if Gulf War I is any guide, 75% of the men now serving on the ground will develop one or more of the exceedingly serious medical conditions listed below, in the section covering Gulf War I. In fact, the soldiers who come after the fighting troops to occupy and administer the land are the ones who are most affected! This radioactive dust is virtually impossible to clean up because it is so fine and covers everything -- from burned out and wrecked vehicles to houses in the area to the ground on which children may ultimately play. In residential areas like Basra, the contamination is frightening.
Even though much of the fighting did occur in the desert area, the Iraqis tried very hard to not get their vehicles caught in the open area; they preferred to fight in more congested areas, and in residential locations. Further, we were blasting urban targets continuously; as many Americans were cheering the sight of exploding munitions in Baghdad, for example, few realized such munitions were spreading radioactive dust everywhere.
"In the first two weeks of combat, 700 Tomahawks, at a cost of $1.3 million each, blasted Iraqi real estate into small radioactive mushroom clouds. ["Navy Seeks Cash for More Tomahawks," David Rennie in Washington, Telegraph Group Limited, 1-4-03, news.telegraph.co.uk]. Millions of DU tank rounds liter the terrain. Cleanup is impossible because there is no place on the planet to put so much contaminated debris [Worthington, op. cit] and such debris is so fine that, by the time it settles, it is just dust indistinguishable from regular dust.
The U.S. military insists that DU on the battlefield is not a problem. Colonel James Naughton of the U.S. Army Material Command recently told the BBC that complaints about DU "had no medical basis." ["US To Use Depleted Uranium," BBC News, 3-18-03].
However, U.S. Army internal writings show that this is simply not true! Read the following carefully:
"A 1993 Pentagon document warned that "when soldiers inhale or ingest DU dust they incur a potential increase in cancer risk." ["Depleted Uranium Symptoms Match US Report As Fears Spread," Peter Beaumont, The Observer (UK) 1-14-01]
"A U.S. Army training manual requires anyone who comes within 25 meters of DU-contaminated equipment to wear respiratory and skin protection." ["Iraqi Cancer, Birth Defects Blamed on US Depleted Uranium," Seattle Post- Intelligencer, 11-12-02]
"The U.S. Army Environmental Policy Institute admitted: "If DU enters the body, it has the potential to generate significant medical consequences." ["US To Use Depleted Uranium," BBC News, 3-18-03]
In fact, internal communication reveals that, not only does the DOD understand DU long-term health effects, they also understand the disastrous costs the government would incur if they ever admitted the truth. Our government is very good at covering up the truth when it comes to radioactive particulate.
"The financial implications of long-term disability payments and healthcare costs would be excessive." [US Army Environmental Policy Institute: Health and Environmental Consequences of Depleted Uranium in the U.S. Army, Technical Report, June 1995]
As a matter of fact, if we allow the argument to be carried out solely on the basis of the radioactivity, or the lack thereof, we may be badly understating the problem. A major unstated problem with DU may be its chemical toxicity! Read the following carefully:
"In the aftermath of the Gulf War, research on rats conducted by the military's Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute found that depleted uranium's chemical toxicity--not its radioactivity--may cause immune system damage, central nervous system problems and may contribute to the development of certain cancers." [Depleted Uranium: America's Military 'Gift' That Keeps on Giving", By Dan Fahey, L.A. Times, 2/18/01]
What sort of medical problems have others experienced because of an exposure to Depleted Uranium munitions? Read the following carefully and cry.
"U.S and British troops deployed to the area are the walking dead. Humans and animals, friends and foes in the fallout zone are destined to a long downhill spiral of chronic illness and disability. Kidney dysfunction, lung damage, bloody stools, extreme fatigue, joint pain, unsteady gait, memory loss and rashes and, ultimately, cancer and premature death await those exposed to DU." [Worthington, op. cit.]
Part of the insidious nature of this DU poisoning is that its effects take a long time to develop; therefore, when a soldier becomes ill 3-10 years later, the Pentagon is already primed to deny that the origin of the sickness is this Gulf War. This is the principle the DOD is using to deny Gulf War I claims. What gains have come in having the Federal Government pay for medical bills for these veterans has come very slowly, very begrudgingly.
United Nations' Debate On Depleted Uranium Health Risks
"DU munitions are classified by a United Nations resolution as illegal weapons of mass destruction. Their use breaches all international laws, treaties and conventions forbidding poisoned weapons calculated to cause unnecessary suffering." [Worthington, op. cit]
Since this is true, we should expect Iraq to complain to the United Nations about our use of Depleted Uranium munitions in the 1991 Gulf War -- and they did! Let us review a little bit of the pertinent information.
NEWS BRIEF: "Iraq Charges United States, United Kingdom, With Use of Depleted Uranium in 1991 Gulf War; Also In 'Aggression Against Yugoslavia", United Nations Press Release, DC/2702, 1 May 2000.
"Saeed Hasan (Iraq) said backing away from implementation of the provisions of the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty) was symptomatic of an unhealthy international atmosphere ... Those actions ... had also caused damage to Iraq through the continuation of an embargo which which was nothing more than a verifiable genocide being carried out in the name of the United Nations. Iraq demanded compensation for those acts of aggression. The United States and the United Kingdom, both depositories of the NPT and permanent members of the Security Council, had also used depleted uranium in their aggression against Iraq in 1991 and again in their aggression against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1999. The 300 tons used against his country had polluted Iraq's environment with radiation and significantly increased the registered cases of cancer, especially among children. The radioactive effects of the depleted uranium would continue for centuries to come unless action was taken to free his country's environment from them."
Thus, Iraq did complain bitterly to the United Nations about our use of Depleted Uranium during the 1991 Gulf War! What is the reference the Iraqi representative made to "an embargo which was nothing more than a verifiable genocide being carried out in the name of the United Nations."? Iraq had petitioned the U.N. to relax its embargo so they could bring in medicine and equipment that would enable them to combat the effects of the uranium poisoning of their people, and the United States blocked the move!
Now, let us return to this United Nations Press Release:
"He (Iraq's representative) invited the Conference to include in its resolutions a call for a prohibition of the use of depleted uranium for armament purposes. He also invited the Conference to take concrete steps to help Iraq reduce the negative effects of that disaster on the environment and on human life, and affirm Iraq's right to demand compensation for the unjustified use against if of weapons of mass destruction." [Ibid.]
Did you catch the significance of this statement? The Iraqi representative accused the United States of using a Weapon of Mass Destruction against it during the Gulf War? What was that WMD? Depleted Uranium! Iraq said her people were suffering terribly because of their continuous exposure to this uranium. Another news story, written about 8 months after this United Nations Press Release, gives some insight into the condition of the exposed Iraqi citizenry.
NEWS BRIEF: "Iraq Urges UN Inquiry Into Use of Depleted Uranium Weapon, World Section, People's Daily, January 18, 2001.
"Iraq Wednesday urged the United Nations to order an inquiry into the use of depleted uranium weapons against it by the United States and Britain in the 1991 Gulf War. In a letter to the United Nations, Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed Al-Sharaf said 'admission made by many US and British officials have confirmed that depleted uranium munitions were used against Iraq'."
"Unusual pathological conditions of which Iraq has no experience prior to the war had emerged since the end of the Gulf War,' the foreign minister said. 'Seventy-five percent of cases involved children, who began to suffer increasingly from leukemia and congenital and genetic deformities,' he said. 'Lung, digestive-tract, blood and skin cancers became increasingly widespread. The primary cause of all these types of cancer is exposure to radiation,' the foreign minister noted."
Notice his claim: Iraqi citizens began to suffer pathological conditions that were totally foreign to anything they had ever suffered from before the Gulf War. However, analyzing the conditions from which the people -- primarily children -- were suffering led them to conclude the various cancers breaking out among the population had to have come from exposure to uranium. Thus, it was important to this discussion that both the U.S. and the U.K. had admitted using Depleted Uranium munitions during the 1991 Gulf War.
Remember these facts as we get further into the discussion later in this article. However, we have substantiated the fact that Iraq was fighting severe cancers that were caused by Depleted Uranium munitions in 1991, and that the United Nations did debate this issue. If you go to a search engine and perform an advanced search of "United Nations Iraq Depleted Uranium" you will be shocked at the number of entries you will get.
But, the Iraqi people are not the only ones who suffered; our own soldiers were exposed, and the majority of them are slowly dying. America effectively nuked her own soldiers in Gulf War I! Let us review the facts.
Gulf War I Vets
Now that we have come 21 full years since Gulf War I, the rotten fruits are evident for all to see. Let us review the facts. Prepare to be shocked!
"Bush Sr.'s Gulf War I was also a 'nuclear war' as 320 tons of depleted uranium were used against Iraq in 1991.A 1998 report by the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances confirms that inhaling DU causes symptoms identical to those claimed by many sick vets with Gulf War Syndrome." ["Depleted Uranium Symptoms Match US Report As Fears Spread," Peter Beaumont, The Observer (UK) 1-14-01, http://www.guardianlimited.co.uk]
In fact, since the 1999 Clinton war against Yugoslavia, citizens of the Balkans are suffering almost identical illnesses, a condition they call the "Balkans Syndrome".
"The Gulf War Veterans Association reports that at least 300,000 Gulf War I vets have now developed incapacitating illnesses. ["Gulf War Illnesses Affect 300,000 Vets," Ellen Tomson, Pioneer Press, www.pioneerplanet.com. See also American Gulf War Veterans Association at http://www.gulfwarvets.com.]
"To date, 209,000 vets have filed claims for disability benefits based on service-connected injuries and illnesses from combat in that war." ["2 of Every 5 Gulf War Vets Are On Disability: 209,000 Make VA Claims," World Net Daily, 1-28-03, WorldNetDaily.com]
However, these statistics serve to hide the true horror of the sickness amongst our Gulf War I veterans, because they do not take into account the full picture as to how our armed forces were deployed. While it is true that 600,000 men were deployed to the region, fully 200,000 of them were on naval ships or in the airforce in Saudi Arabia or some other airfield far removed from the field of battle. Very few of these men ever set foot upon the contaminated land in Kuwait and southern Iraq.
Therefore, the number of men actually on the ground is closer to 400,000! This statistic means that 75% of the ground troops and their supporting soldiers have now come down with chronic "incapacitating illnesses" that are slowly killing them! Yet, even though the Pentagon is fully aware of this reality, we continue to fire off DU munitions, threatening both civilians (whom we claim to care so much about) and 75% of our brave men who are fighting the war.
Of the 300,000 veterans who have come "incapacitating illnesses", a very high percentage of them are very sick.
"Dr. Asaf Durakovic, a professor of nuclear medicine at Georgetown University, is a former army medical expert. He told nuclear scientists in Paris last year that tens of thousands of sick British and American soldiers are now dying from radiation they encountered during Gulf War I. He found that 62 percent of sick vets tested have uranium isotopes in their organs, bones, brains and urine." ["Research on Sick Gulf Vets Revisited, "New York Times, 1-29-01; "Tests Show Gulf War Victims Have Uranium Poisoning," Jonathon Carr-Brown and Martin Meissonnier, The Sunday Times (UK) 9-3-02]
Thus, the Pentagon has killed far, far more American soldiers than the Iraqi enemy could ever have hoped to kill! The retired Army Major with whom I have consulted felt that the Pentagon looks at each group of soldiers as a "use and throw away" force. If the wars they fight with DU are spread far enough apart, the Pentagon can restock their ranks through fresh soldiers to fight the next war, while its spokesmen are fighting the rear guard Public Relations battle designed to confuse the subject, to throw up obstacles, and to discourage sick men and their families until the problem just "goes away".
But, the problem gets far worse, because a number of wives of Gulf War I vets have become similarly ill.
"In other studies, some sick vets were found to be expressing uranium in even their semen. Their sexual partners often complained of a burning sensation during intercourse, followed by their own debilitating illnesses." ["Catastrophe: Ill Gulf Vets Contaminated Partners With DU," The Halifax Herald Limited, Clare Mellor, 2-09-01. This article is available in archives at http://www.rense.com]
Now, let us return to the battlefield of 1991. The U.S. Army did make an effort to salvage contaminated tanks that had been destroyed during the famous "100-hour war".
Attempted Decontamination of Gulf War I Tanks
"As an Army health physicist, Dr. Doug Rokke was dispatched to the Middle East to salvage DU-contaminated tanks after Gulf War I. His Geiger counters revealed that the war zones of Iraq and Kuwait were contaminated with up to 300 millirems an hour in beta and gamma radiation plus thousands to millions of counts per minute in alpha radiation. Rokke recently told the media: 'The whole area is still trashed. It is hotter than heck over there still. This stuff doesn't go away'." [Worthington, op. cit.]
In fact, scientifically, we learned that DU remains "hot" for 4.5 billion years. Radiation expert Dr. Helen Caldicott confirms that the dust-laden winds of DU-contaminated war zones "will remain effectively radioactive for the rest of time." [San Francisco Chronicle, 10-10-02]
Now, let us return to our story of Dr. Doug Rokke.
"Of the 100 people on Rokke's decontamination team, 30 have already 'dropped dead'. Rokke himself is ill with radiation damage to lungs and kidneys. He has brain lesions, skin pustules, chronic fatigue, continual wheezing and painful fibromyalgia. Rokke warns that anyone exposed to DU should have adequate respiratory protection and special coveralls to protect their clothing because, he says, you can't get uranium particles off your clothing." [Worthington, op. cit.]
These the kinds of illnesses many, many of our young, brave soldiers will be facing some time after they return back from this Gulf War. In fact, the dreams of many a young couple to have children and raise a family will be absolutely, totally ruined by exposure to DU contaminant on the battlefield. Young wives have reason to fear have physical relations with their beloved soldier husband, as the above information makes quite clear.
We talk extensively about the tragic incidents in which our soldiers are killed by accidental "friendly fire", yet this sobering statistic tells us that the Pentagon will ultimately kill many of our own soldiers than the enemy could have ever hoped to kill.
Personal Testimony of 1996 Marine Corps Vet
One of Cutting Edge subscribers served in the Marine Corps and was stationed in Kuwait in 1996. He saw the effects of Depleted Uranium poisoning first hand. Even though he wishes to remain anonymous, he has agreed to allow us to post his first-hand testimony, exactly as he emailed to me. This email is dated May 1, 2003. This is the scene he witnessed over and over again while serving in Kuwait.
"When I was in Kuwait, back in 96, I saw some of the most horrible things , that still haunt my dreams to this day from DU. I literally saw children born with there butts where there head would be. With tails, and multiple arms and legs. I could go on and on and be more descriptive, but you kinda get my point. Imagine seeing alien babies from some weird science fiction movies, and multiply it times 100. Some of the saddest images that I have ever seen in my life. We didn't use near the DU that we used in this war either. That is one reason the Arabs hate us so much, is the use of those munitions. Could you imagine your boy being born with his head where his arse should be? I would hate to be the man to answer to God for using those weapons. Christ said that what we do unto children we do unto him. I just wonder if the mutated babies isn't some sick plot to make a point or sacrifice..."
Back To Medical Facts
Let us quote Worthington again, reiterating what we listed above, as a springboard into the final discussion.
"U.S and British troops deployed to the area are the walking dead. Humans and animals, friends and foes in the fallout zone are destined to a long downhill spiral of chronic illness and disability. Kidney dysfunction, lung damage, bloody stools, extreme fatigue, joint pain, unsteady gait, memory loss and rashes and, ultimately, cancer and premature death await those exposed to DU." [Worthington, op. cit; Emphasis added.]
Now, listen to this medical doctor serving in the military of a foreign country, in a follow-up testimony. This email speaks to how our soldiers will, in all likelihood come down with severe sickness.
"Understand that the US government has now admitted that the soldiers in Iraq are fighting a guerrilla warfare. This takes a lot of activity, in excessive heat, and dehydration can occur rapidly. Men can't just stop every hour for a water break, to allow the body time to acclimate and adjust to less water intake in extreme climate conditions. The first noticeable effects will be less mental acuity, with a slowing of reflexes and general malaise. This puts our men in extreme immediate danger if in combat readiness. If the men don't die of guerrilla assault, then they will surely die when more severe effects of dehydration occur, and ESPECIALLY quickly under toxic conditions. I don't know if you saw the news report last week, but the government is saying Iraq will be a year-long tour for some of them. If those men make it past guerrilla assault, and dehydration, then they get to carry home their illness!"
These revelations shed possible new light on the reason Saddam used the tactics he did. His forces fought well for the first two weeks, in southern Iraq, giving the Coalition Forces a decent fight. During this time, we were pounding Baghdad with huge amounts of munitions, much of it Depleted Uranium. Then, after approximately 20 days of battle, Saddam gave up Baghdad, strategically retreating in a move that shocked everyone. Huge amounts and types of modern fighting equipment were never committed to battle. Saddam just ordered his troops to vanish, allowing the Americans to flood into the city.
Since April 9, Coalition Forces have been working, and fighting, daily in grueling heat, wearing very hot combat suits that are bulletproof. Since April 9 -- approximately 3 1/2 months -- our forces have been daily breathing in the radioactive dust swirling around the countryside and in the cities. Whenever a strong wind comes up, and especially when one of those monster dust storms strike, that radioactive dust goes airborne -- even though it is heavier than normal dust -- and can be carried for hundreds of miles. One need not necessarily be adjacent to a battlefield to be exposed to radioactive dust.
Now, some of our men are getting sick, showing symptoms consistent with depleted uranium poisoning. We cannot know how many men are affected, nor how this sickness has affected fighting morale. If this sickness becomes widespread and if many more men start dropping dead, our fighting efficiency could erode in a hurry, and just might tempt Saddam to come back fighting with all those men and all that sophisticated equipment he refused to commit to battle originally. In this scenario, time is Saddam's friend and our deadly enemy.
Are The Iraqi People Suffering Depleted Uranium Poisoning?
The obvious question is whether the Iraqi people are currently suffering from Depleted Uranium poisoning. In the above section, we demonstrated that the Iraqi people were suffering greatly from the effects of the Depleted Uranium from Gulf War I, especially the children and mothers giving birth to deformed babies. In this Gulf War II, the effects will likely be much more devastating, but remember that for a people used to living in this heat, and pacing themselves through the day, the poisoning may take months, if not years, to affect large numbers of people. However, some Iraqi citizens are already showing effects.
NEWS BRIEF: "The Current Health Situation in Iraq", IslamOnline.com, August 24, 2003.
"The use of weapons coated with depleted uranium (nuclear waste) during the Gulf war and the subsequent prevention of the necessary equipment needed by the Iraqi government to clean up its battlefields, has lead to a six-fold increase in cancer cases. The DU dust can enter the body by inhalation or by the ingestion of contaminated food or drink. According to former US Attorney General, 900 tons of radioactive waste was spread over Iraq during the Gulf War. In a press release of 4 August 1998, the US Department of Defense stated: “The Gulf War was the arena for the first battlefield use of armor-piercing munitions and reinforced tank armor incorporating depleted uranium.”
"According to the World Health Organization, the health risks of depleted uranium include: damage to kidney functions (chemical toxicity), possible higher risk of lung cancer and bone cancer (radiological toxicity), and the need for more information regarding the incidence of leukemia. As far as chemotherapy is concerned, there are insufficient drugs available (even if people could afford them) or the hospital receives only partial components of a chemotherapy protocol, which renders it useless (Europa). Although the incidence of cancer has risen sharply following the war the most effective painkiller, morphine, used to ease the pain of cancer patients has been banned by the Security Council."
Remember our first article about Josh from Missouri, who collapsed in Baghdad and was flown to Germany? After doctors began treating him for pnuemonia, "... his liver, kidneys and muscles started to break down ..." This death and the symptoms reportedly affecting our sick soldiers, are consistent with depleted uranium poisoning.
The Iraqi people are suffering from Depleted Uranium poisoning, beginning with the nuclear war we waged against them in 1991 and continuing to the present time. More than any other factor, I believe it likely that this poisoning of the Iraqis in 1991 is the most important reason the Iraqis have not welcomed us as "liberators" with open arms. This poisoning is likely the motivating factor behind the determination to fight a guerilla war in the heat of the summer against a foe that, while he is superior on the battlefield, is dying slowing in the heat, being taken down by poisoning and dehydration as he fights a guerilla enemy.
British and Australian Troops Are Sick From Depleted Uranium
NEWS BRIEF: "Aussie troops report uranium sickness", June 23, 2003, ninemsn.com
"Australian servicemen and women who served in the recent Iraq war were reporting symptoms of uranium sickness, a United States nuclear weapons expert said ... Speaking in Melbourne on Monday, Dr Rokke said Iraqi women and children and American and Iraqi military personnel had reported respiratory illnesses and rashes after the recent conflict, and he had also been told of Australian servicemen and women with similar symptoms. "That's the reports I received from the US Army medical department ... "
Did you hear Dr. Rokke clearly? He verified the report Cutting Edge received from our foreign military medical source. American troops are showing the symptoms of Depleted Uranium poisoning! Dr. Rokke also said the Iraqi people were suffering from D.U. also. Then, Dr. Rokke delivered his bombshell.
""When American soldiers are sick and the Iraqis are sick there's nothing that says an Australian soldier is going to be isolated when he goes through those areas and he is not going to become ill ... "What I have learned from my work is that uranium munitions must be banned," Dr Rokke said." [Ibid.]
American soldiers are sick! Australians are coming home sick. The Iraqi people are sick. How about the British? The British are well aware of the risk.
NEWS BRIEF: "Gulf troops face tests for cancer", by Paul Brown, environment correspondent, The Guardian, U.K., Friday April 25, 2003
"Soldiers returning from the Gulf will be offered tests to check levels of depleted uranium in their bodies to assess whether they are in danger of suffering kidney damage and lung cancer as a result of exposure, the Ministry of Defence said last night. The ministry was responding to a warning earlier in the day from the Royal Society, Britain's premier scientific body, that soldiers and civilians might be exposed to dangerous levels ... "It is essential that we measure exposures in a sample of soldiers across the battlefield, not just those who may have had substantial exposures, but also foot soldiers and field hospital staff across Iraq."
We have heard of no results of any such tests, but at least the Royal Society is raising the awareness, even though they are fighting the British Defense Establishment in their effort. If men exposed to D.U. are brought home early after exposure and live a normal life in a cooler climate, symptoms may be years in coming, but come they will. Such men may also poison their wives, and babies conceived under these conditions may be born with defects, ranging from mild to severe. What did Worthington say in his quote, above?
"U.S and British troops deployed to the area are the walking dead."