Heads roll at Veterans Administration: Mushrooming depleted uranium (DU) scandal

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Heads roll at Veterans Administration: Mushrooming depleted

uranium (DU) scandal blamed

21 Dec 2005 08:57:56 PST

 

 

 

 

Heads roll at Veterans Administration

 

Mushrooming depleted uranium (DU) scandal blamed

 

 

by Bob Nichols

Project Censored Award Winner

http://www.sfbayview.com/012605/headsroll012605.shtml

 

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is

distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior

interest in receiving the included information for research and

educational purposes.

 

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.

 

Considering the tons of depleted uranium used by the U.S., the Iraq

war can truly be called a nuclear 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, with " Subscribe " in the subject line.