Census data reveals: Re-Enlistment Crisis - Legacy of Persian Gulf War 1

Just received this by email.. thought interesting enough to post here...

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US Census data reveals: Re-Enlistment Crisis--A Legacy of Persian Gulf War 1

http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-04.html
By the spring of 2005, over 75% of Persian Gulf War 1 Veterans will be on
disability.

What should have been the backbone of the US military today,
the veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf War, a force of 650,000 healthy,
and predominantly young, men and women,
was broken by (Toxic-)Stormin' Norman's air campaign--

The desert wind was blowing south-west,
towards the Desert Storm troops waiting outside Kuwait,
while, to quote CENTCOM:

http://www.gulfwarvets.com/gulflink.htm (missing files)
http://www.gulfwarvets.com/gulflink/950719ah.txt
Jan 18
. CHEMICAL: THE LAST OF THREE FILLING LINES AT SAMARRA
CHEMICAL WEAPONS PRODUCTION FACILITY WAS DESTROYED. THIS
ELIMINATES THE CAPABILITY TO FILL ARTILLERY AMMUNITION, SO THAT
PRESENT STOCKS CANNOT BE REPLACED WHEN THEY ARE USED OR EXCEED
SHELF LIFE.

Jan 20

http://www.gulfwarvets.com/gulflink/950719ag.txt
C. CHEMICAL: ADDITIONAL PRODUCTION LINES AT THE
SAMARRA CHEMICAL WEAPONS PLANT HAVE BEEN SEVERELY DAMAGED,
REDUCING IRAQI CHEMICAL WEAPONS AGENT PRODUCTION CAPABILITY TO
30-40 PERCENT OF PREWAR LEVELS.

IRAQ'S CHEMICAL WEAPONS STORAGE
BUNKERS CONTINUE TO BE ATTACKED BY COALITION FORCES.

970719u
HEADER O 160205Z FEB 91 ZYH
5. NUCLEAR, BIOLOGICAL, CHEMICAL
A.< (b)(1) sec 1.3(a)(4) >

B. BIOLOGICAL: A SUSPECT IRAQI BIOLOGICAL AGENT
PRODUCTION FACILITY HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED ON THE SOUTHEASTERN EDGE OF THE
SHI'A HOLY CITY OF AN NAJAF. THIS WELL-SECURED FACILITY SHOWS SIMILARITIES
TO THE LATIFIYA SUSPECT BW FACILITY THAT WAS DESTROYED BY THE COALITION
BOMBING CAMPAIGN IN EARLY FEBRUARY. E.
NATIONWIDE, IRAQ'S CAPABILITY TO PRODUCE CW AGENTS AT IDENTIFIED LOCATIONS
HAS BEEN DEGRADED BY ABOUT 75 PERCENT.


Thus, military history's greatest friendly fire fiasco proceeds--
while Joint Chiefs' General Colin Powell is directing CENTCOM officers
(in their secure bunkers in Saudi Arabia)
to order US troops to ignore their M-81 Chemical Detectors:
all 14,000 field detectors are simultaneously sounding false alarms
leaving our troops exposed to the toxic fall-out.
Hence Rumsfeld's cryptic Freudian slip, upon landing in Iraq, about "US"
making "smaller footprints".

http://www.chronicillnet.org/PGWS/tuite/science6.html#bookmark3

Yet, in a kind of treasonous, collective amnesia, all is forgotten by
all.
Forgotten, too, are the Persian Gulf War's disabled Veterans, whose ranks
increase by 40,000 every year. These US Census numbers are nearly two
years
old now: Read 'em and weep.

http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-04.html

No.517.Veterans Compensation and Pension Benefits — (in thousands)
Number on Rolls by Period of Service and Status:1980 to 2003

Period of service and veteran status

2003
Gulf War ............. 490
Living ................. 479