“A chronic and multisymptomatic disorder affecting returning military veterans and civilian workers of the 1990–91
Gulf war.”
“The
United States Congress mandated the
National Academies of Science Institute of Medicine to provide nine reports on Gulf War Syndrome since 1998.
[17] Aside from the many physical and psychological issues involving any war zone deployment, Gulf War veterans were exposed to a unique mix of hazards not previously experienced during wartime. These included
pyridostigmine bromide pills (given to protect troops from the effects of nerve agents), depleted uranium munitions, and
anthrax and
botulinum vaccines. The oil and smoke that spewed for months from hundreds of burning oil wells presented another exposure hazard not previously encountered in a war zone. Military personnel also had to cope with swarms of insects, requiring the widespread use of pesticides. High-powered microwaves were used to disrupt Iraqi communications, and though it is unknown whether this might have contributed to the syndrome, recent research suggests that safety limits for electromagnetic radiation are too lenient.
[18]”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_War_syndrome
I once had a friend whose brother returned home very ill from the Gulf War. At the time, he was not helped by the VA (Veterans Administratiin), because back then there was no such thing as “Gulf War Illness”. He was told he was a homosexual, his illness was related to being a homosexual, and his symptoms were not related to his service in the Gulf War. Fortunately he was married to a woman who was born in Germany, so they both left the US to reside in Germany, so he could seek medical help. To make a long story short, once in Germany he was properly medically treated and thus became well again.
So I find it sort of amusing that many years later we have a term called “Gulf War Illness”, and now it’s being studied with ME (to look for similarities?). But looking at the list of chemicals/toxins the soldiers were exposed to, along with microwaves, it’s no surprise some returned very ill. And if my memory serves me correctly, the soldiers were issued chemical hazard suits, but because they were stationed in the desert, it was impractical to wear them. And as I recall the chemical alarm warnings were frequently going off, and after awhile the soldiers ignored the alarms (and thus did not put on their suits).
Note: Don’t mean to offend anyone, but in 1990/1991 some people in the US were cruel and dismissive toward others deemed as not being heterosexual.