Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2005 16:13:00 -0400
From: "Susan Hammond" <shammond@...>
Subject: Depleted Uranium: States Take Action to Protect Their Soldiers
and Veterans

Articles : Iraq


Depleted Uranium: States Take Action to Protect Their Soldiers and
Veterans


Tue, 19 Jul 2005 06:17:50 -0700

_NEWS IMAGE_

DU rounds

By Kevin Zeese

Louisiana passes law giving returning veterans the right to get tested

Louisiana recently passed legislation giving all returning veterans the
right to get a best practices health screening test for exposure to
depleted
uranium. Interviewed here is Bob Smith, one of the activists that
helped
make this bill possible. He is with the Louisiana Activist Network. He
is
also I am a member of Veterans for Peace and the Viet Nam Veterans
Against
the War. Born a Texan and raised in a Navy family with three siblings,
moved
to Louisiana in 1977 a few years after returning from Viet Nam. He
worked
with adolescents in a psychiatric hospital where he met his wife, a
co-worker, returning to the military and retired eight years ago as a
Command Sergeant Major. He became actively involved the day Congress
gave
the President unconstitutional, power to make war on Iraq and has been
active ever since in the peace movement and with the Presbyterian
Church.

Zeese: What made you pursue legislation regarding depleted uranium in
Louisiana?

Smith: As a twenty year veteran I have been concerned about veterans
health
since I returned from Viet Nam. From first hand experience I knew the
treatment of veterans by our country was highly inadequate after their
service. Each year after Gulf War I, more and more veterans were being
diagnosed with a mysterious illness, Gulf War Syndrome (GWS) without
significant research for cause and effect much like what happened with
Agent
Orange contamination.

I learned about how the government dealt with Agent Orange
contamination
during the eighties as an outreach counselor at the VA's Viet Nam
Veterans
Outreach Center or Vet Center here in New Orleans. We were actively
involved
in trying to alert the VA to the effects of Agent Orange contamination.
For
twenty five years a government study done by the Rand Corporation
denied any
cause and effect between Agent Orange and health problems experienced
by
veterans and their offspring. Just this week the VA has finally
recognized
the connection between Agent Orange and diabetes. Remember the last
troops
returned from Viet Nam over thirty years ago. Worth mentioning is that
the
same Rand Corporation now denies any cause and effect between depleted
uranium contamination and health.

Late last year after a lot of reading I found out about depleted
uranium. In
January at the Jazz Funeral for Democracy, a peace march in New Orleans
organized by the Louisiana Activist Network, I met a young Gulf War I
veteran, Dennis Kyne. He talked with me about what he knew first hand
as a
combat medic about illnesses of our veterans even before they returned
home
and what he has found out about DU since returning home. I then did
more
research and studying. In March I met Leuren Moret, a geoscientist, who
reaffirmed everything that Dennis Kyne had told me and reaffirmed what
I had
been reading. I then did more research and studying including
conversation
with Doug Rokke. Doug was the overall supervisor in charge of the
clean-up
after Gulf War I and is an expert in depleted uranium. Thirty to forty
percent of his team are now dead.

I then became concerned about what could be done to bring this issue
out
into the public conversation. Leuren told me about a young lady in
Connecticut, Melissa Sterry, who was doing something about it. Working
with
Rep Patricia Dillon of Connecticut they were introducing a bill to have
all
of their state's veterans tested. The always unselfish Melissa
willingly
shared a copy of the Connecticut bill with me. Melissa had been a
member of
a depleted uranium clean-up team after Gulf War I. She herself was very
sick
and had six of her eight team members die since returning home. All six
were
less than thirty-five years old.

Taking the Connecticut bill, changing the name to a Louisiana bill, and
making a few minor amendments preceded a call to my Louisiana
congressperson, Rep. Jalila Jefferson-Bullock. The submission deadline
was
less than twenty-four hours after our meeting. Rep. Juan LaFonta
sponsored
and Rep. Jefferson-Bullock co-sponsored the bill. The deadline was
made.

Zeese: What does the legislation accomplish?

Smith: The legislation will allow all returning veterans to have the
right
to get a best practices health screening test for exposure to depleted
uranium. The test will use a bioassay procedure involving sensitive
methods
capable of detecting depleted uranium at low levels and the use of
equipment
with the capacity to discriminate between different radioisotopes in
naturally occurring levels of uranium and the characteristic ratio and
marker for depleted uranium.

This test will determine if a soldier has been contaminated. It will
prevent
mis-diagnosis so soldiers are not given the wrong medications that
usually
make them sicker. It will allow the contaminated soldier to decide
about
parenting further offspring who have an increased chance of serious
birth
illnesses or defects.

The bill also prescribes a reporting mechanism from the Louisiana's
Attorney
General to the legislature that requires that awareness sessions and
training have been done as required by Army regulations.

Zeese: What tips do you have for activists in other states interested
in
pursuing this in their state?

Smith: Stay focused. Depleted uranium testing is for discovery of
contamination of a very hazardous material made from radioactive
nuclear
waste. This is something that truly supports the troops. Remind your
elected
representatives of that often. Read, study, and discuss with the
experts and
others experienced in this type of legislation. Other advocates should
remember that the weapons manufacturers do not want this in the public.
They
make a lot of money off this death bringing material. Likewise the
military
does not want to give up these very effective offensive weapons
regardless
of how it effects our soldiers or civilians, enemy soldiers, or the
environment. Although we did not encounter resistance from those two
potential adversaries, weapons manufacturers or the military, others
might
and they should be prepared to bring in experts. Having veterans
testify
helps. Another veteran, Ward Reilly, from Baton Rouge was instrumental
in
helping get the bill through committee.

Zeese: What were some of the challenges you faced with this legislation
and
how did you overcome them?

Smith: The only real obstacle we encountered was educating our
representative. We knew we would have to educate her and do it quickly
but
fortunately she agreed to a minimum one-hour meeting. We were lucky as
both
representatives cared deeply about our troops and taking care of them
after
they come home. There were no other obstacles.

Zeese: What are your next steps?

Smith: We have been having awareness sessions at coffeehouses and
public
events to educate the public, either by passing out literature, making
educational speeches, posting literature on the internet, or showing
documentaries. We are also communicating with advocates in other states
by
sharing information, resources, networking, and offering tips to help.
And
if that doesn't work I may just stand on top of the roof and scream out
the
truth.

Note: I retired after 20 years in the Army and National Guard as a
Command
Sergeant Major, serving three tours in Viet Nam as a Special Forces
Green
Beret and was mobilized for Desert Storm. Education includes a Bachelor
of
Arts in Sociology and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.
Currently employed as an engineer living in New Orleans with Julie my
wife
and life partner for over twenty-six years and our dog, Maggie. Member
of
Veterans for Peace, Viet Nam Veterans Against the War, and the
Louisiana
Activist Network.

Kevin Zeese is a director of Democracy Rising. You can comment on this
column on his blog spot at DemocracyRising.US
<http://democracyrising.us/> .

For more on DU, see GNN's book <http://gnn.tv/articles/717/True_Lies>
True
Lies. Authors Lappé and Marshall travel to Iraq to conduct their own
radiation tests.





Susan Hammond

Deputy Director

Fund for Reconciliation and Development

355 West 39th Street

New York, NY 10018

Tel: 212-760-9903

Fax: 212-760-9906

Email: shammond@...

http://www.ffrd.org