Heads roll at Veterans Administration
- Mushrooming depleted uranium (DU) scandal
blamed
By Bob Nichols
Project Censored Award Winner - SF Bay View
Global Research.ca
February 28, 2005
Considering the tons of depleted uranium used
by the U.S., the Iraq war can truly be called a nuclear war.
Preventive Psychiatry E-Newsletter charged
Monday that the reason Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony
Principi stepped down earlier this month was the growing scandal
surrounding the use of uranium munitions in the Iraq War.
Writing in Preventive Psychiatry E-Newsletter
No. 169, Arthur N. Bernklau, executive director of Veterans for
Constitutional Law in New York, stated, "The real reason
for Mr. Principi's departure was really never given, however a
special report published by eminent scientist Leuren Moret
naming depleted uranium as the definitive cause of the 'Gulf War
Syndrome' has fed a growing scandal about the continued use of
uranium munitions by the US Military."
Bernklau continued, "This malady (from
uranium munitions), that thousands of our military have suffered
and died from, has finally been identified as the cause of this
sickness, eliminating the guessing. The terrible truth is now
being revealed."
He added, "Out of the 580,400 soldiers
who served in GW1 (the first Gulf War), of them, 11,000 are now
dead! By the year 2000, there were 325,000 on Permanent Medical
Disability. This astounding number of 'Disabled Vets' means that
a decade later, 56% of those soldiers who served have some form
of permanent medical problems!" The disability rate for the
wars of the last century was 5 percent; it was higher, 10
percent, in Viet Nam.
“The VA Secretary (Principi) was aware of this fact as far back as
2000,” wrote Bernklau. “He, and the Bush administration have been hiding
these facts, but now, thanks to Moret’s report, (it) ... is far too big to
hide or to cover up!”
"Terry Jamison, Public Affairs
Specialist, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public
Affairs, Department of Veterans Affairs, at the VA Central
Office, recently reported that 'Gulf Era Veterans' now on
medical disability, since 1991, number 518,739 Veterans,"
said Berklau.
"The long-term effects have revealed that
DU (uranium oxide) is a virtual death sentence," stated
Berklau. "Marion Fulk, a nuclear physical chemist, who
retired from the Lawrence Livermore Nuclear Weapons Lab, and was
also involved with the Manhattan Project, interprets the new and
rapid malignancies in the soldiers (from the 2003 Iraq War) as
'spectacular -- and a matter of concern!'"
When asked if the main purpose of using DU was
for "destroying things and killing people," Fulk was
more specific: "I would say it is the perfect weapon for
killing lots of people!"
Principi could not be reached for comment
prior to deadline.
References
1. Depleted uranium: Dirty bombs, dirty
missiles, dirty bullets: A death sentence here and abroad"
by Leuren Moret, http://www.sfbayview.com/081804/Depleteduranium081804.shtml.
2. Veterans for Constitutional Law, 112
Jefferson Ave., Port Jefferson NY 11777, Arthur N. Bernklau,
executive director, (516) 474-4261, fax 516-474-1968.
3. Preventive Psychiatry E-Newsletter. Email
Gary Kohls, gkohls@cpinternet.com, with Subscribe" in the
subject line.
