http://deploymentlink.osd.mil • fall 2001 Deployment Quarterly

Features

6

7

8

Kidstuff. A new Web site aimed 

at military children and teens to 

provide them information on deployments.

Communication. Navy ombudsmen are a vital link between command and families. 

Research. VA research centers are 

looking for effects of environmental hazards on people.

It’s a Dog’s Life. The Armed 

Forces four-legged troops prepare 

to deploy.

Technology. Engineers improve 

and test new equipment designed 

to better protect U.S. troops. 

19

13

FALL

2001

In Every Issue

News From Around the World 2

New translation service added to DeploymentLINK. 

SecDef authorizes stop-loss. New passport law.

Ask Our Doctors 5

What causes recurring lower back pain? Will a flu 

shot prevent getting the flu this winter?

Gulf War Update 9

Kuwaiti Girls’ School investigation closes and other 

Gulf War-related reports. 

Health Beat 17

Doctors study the body’s response to pain.

Resource Guide 20

Unite. Soldier, Employer 

and Guard mission work together for common goal. 

Force Health Protection. 

Tighter restrictions placed on 

blood donations by personnel who lived in Europe.

On the Cover

Airman Roy Clark from Hemet, Calif., directs an 

E-2C Hawkeye from Carrier Airborne Early Warning 

Squadron One Two Six (VAW-126), “Seahawks,” 

into positon on catapult two on the flight deck of 

the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) 

on April 24, 2001. 

U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 3rd Class H. Dwain Willis

Lux is a Military Working Dog 

with the 568th Security Forces 

Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, 

Germany. 

Photo by Staff Sgt. Ken Bergmann
Deployment Quarterly fall 2001 • http://deploymentlink.osd.mil

Defense Secretary 

authorizes stop-loss

WASHINGTON (American Forces Press 

Service) — Under a new law that became 

effective July 2, the State Department now 

requires both parents’ consent to obtain 

passports for overseas travel of children 

under age 14.

The intent of the law is to lessen the 

chance that parents can abduct their 

children and use U.S. passports to escape 

with them overseas, said John M. Hotchner, 

acting managing director of the U.S. State 

Department’s Office of Passport Services. 

He said the State Department is working 

on about 1,000 overseas child abduction 

cases.

The law affects servicemembers, who are 

required to secure 

passports for spouses and children 

accompanying them to overseas 

duty stations, Hotchner remarked. 

Servicemembers themselves do 

not require passports, he added, if 

they are subject to military Status of 

Forces Agreements that allow 

them to travel and reside abroad 

on orders and their military identification card.

DoD civilians, Hotchner noted, 

are required to secure passports for 

themselves and non-military 

family members who will be accompanying them to overseas duty 

assignments.

He said both parents must now 

sign children’s passport application 

forms, unless one parent is unavailable because of geographical separation, divorce or other circumstances. 

In this case, Hotchner said, the parent applying for a child’s passport 

WASHINGTON (DefenseLINK) 

— Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld 

has delegated his “stop-loss” authority 

to the heads of the military departments. The stop-loss program allows 

the services to retain individuals on 

active duty beyond their date of separation. Those affected by the order generally cannot retire or leave the service 

as long as Reserves are called to active 

duty or until relieved by the President, 

whichever is earlier. 

Stop-loss was last used during 

Operation Allied Force over Kosovo. 

In 1990, then President George Bush 

delegated stop-loss authority to the 

Secretary of Defense during Operation 

Desert Shield. That delegation remains 

valid today. 

The Services are adopting various 

forms of stop-loss. They generally will 

target the program at servicemembers 

with critical military occupations. 

The Air Force has already applied 

stop-loss to all active, Guard and 

Reserve forces, stopping all separations 

and retirements for at least 30 days. 

This will not apply to those with an 

approved separation on or before Oct. 

1, 2001. The Air Force will continue to 

review and revise the policy as circumstances dictate. 

The Army has no immediate plans 

to implement stop-loss, while the Navy 

plans a limited stop-loss affecting approximately 10,500 people in 11 critical 

specialties. The Marine Corps expects 

to complete its 

stop-loss plan 

later this week. 

Most involuntary discharges would 

not be affected 

by stop-loss, 

nor will stoploss change 

any policies 

or regulations 

currently in effect that might 

lead to an 

administrative discharge.

New Children’s Passport 

Law Now in Effect
http://deploymentlink.osd.mil • fall 2001 Deployment Quarterly

WASHINGTON, (DeploymentLINK) – Keeping its promise to 

respond to the needs of servicemembers, veterans and their families, the 

Directorate for Deployment Health 

Support has added a link from their 

Web site, DeploymentLINK, to the 

Lycos® translation Web site. This 

addition will allow users to get information they need in a language they 

understand. The translation Web 

site is free and easy to use. It allows 

visitors to translate words, phrases 

or entire Web sites from Dutch, 

French, German, Italian, Portuguese 

or Spanish into English. This service 

works both ways and can also be 

used to translate English Web sites 

into any of those six languages.

Anthony DeNicola, chief information officer for the directorate, 

says listening to DeploymentLINK 

feedback is an integral part to ensuring the Web site is the most effective tool for its users.

“We are always looking for 

ways to help our deployed forces 

and keep them informed,” says 

DeNicola. “Some of our users 

overseas asked us for a way to 

translate documents and Web sites 

into English. As a direct result of 

their requests, the office responded 

by linking to Lycos® translation.” 

Family members who may be 

more comfortable reading in a language other than English can also 

use the Lycos® translation Web 

site. DeploymentLINK is a valuable resource to find current and 

accurate deployment and medical 

readiness information. DeNicola 

says this addition will allow the information to reach an even broader 

audience. 

“The Web site was established 

to keep the lines of communication 

open between the Department of 

Defense and the American public,” 

he says. “With this new feature, 

even more people can take advantage of this resource, have their 

questions answered and ease some 

of the uncertainty that comes with 

a deployment.”

Readers continue to provide 

feedback on what would be useful 

to them, and the Directorate responds with changes and updates 

where appropriate. 

needs a signed, non-notarized letter 

or statement from the absent parent 

that provides permission to take the 

child or children overseas. 

Hotchner said he has already 

heard of instances where permission 

letters were faxed from overseas.

Separated or divorced military 

or DoD civilians with sole custody agreements shouldn’t have 

a problem obtaining passports for 

their children under the new law, 

Hotchner said.

“It is fairly easy if there is a custody order. If one parent has sole 

custody, then consent from the other 

parent isn’t necessary,” he said.

Hotchner said the new law 

complements an existing program 

that allows parents concerned about 

possible abduction to register a 

child under age 18 with the State 

Department’ Office of Children’s 

Issues. The custodial parent files a 

copy of the (sole) custody order 

with State. Should the non-custodial 

parent then apply for a passport, it 

would not be issued, 

he said.

Ultimately, Hotchner said, the parents themselves must resolve issues 

affecting their children’s passports.

“We’ll take a look at any kind of 

documentation that an individual 

parent wants to submit that will 

help to overcome the presumption 

that there should be a second parent 

signing the passport application,” 

he said. 

In those instances when one of 

the parents simply won’t consent 

or participate in the process, “then, 

they’ll have to work it out between 

themselves and, if necessary, resort 

Service Available to 

Translate Web Sites 

into English

to the courts to get it settled,” Hotchner said.

A court-sanctioned custody agreement between separated or divorced 

parents can award custody to an 

individual parent and require that 

the couple work out travel arrangements, Hotchner said. For instance, 

he noted, it can be written to prevent 

a child from going abroad without 

both parents’ permission.
Deployment Quarterly fall 2001 • http://deploymentlink.osd.mil

news from around the world

Sailors Can Review 

Service Records 

Online



MILLINGTON, Tenn. (Navy 

News Service) — Sailors can now 

update their performance summary 

records and officer data cards online 

at Navy Personnel Command’s Center for Career Development Web site 

at http://www.staynavy.navy.mil.

This new feature provides service members instant access to their 

records via the Internet, and enables 

them to request changes or updates 

online.

“This feature accelerates the records 

verification process exponentially,” 

said Lt. Murry Carter, deputy director, records support branch (Pers-312). 

Carter added that the feature greatly 

reduces the need for hard-copy mailouts of the service record, thereby saving the Navy hundreds of thousands 

of dollars in postage. 

“We estimate that the Navy could 

save nearly $450,000 in the next fiscal 

year by moving away from traditional 

direct mailing of ODCs, and PSRs.”

The new online features will also 

eliminate hundreds of telephone calls, 

e-mails and questions from the fleet 

about contents of the record.

“We’re reaching out to people with 

our services better and faster than ever 

before,” said Carter. “This state-ofthe-art technology is definitely a winwin for our sailors and for our record 

support personnel.”

Carter said that record support 

personnel will now spend the time 

previously devoted to printing and 

mailing out the records monitoring 

the online records review link on the 

“Stay Navy” Web page and collecting 

changes submitted electronically by 

servicemembers.

“Instead of automatic annual mailing of ODCs or receiving requests 

for the hard-copy PSR records, we’re 

getting ODC e-mail record changes via 

the Web,” said Carter.

He noted the positive change taking 

place in his department and credits the 

new online feature.

“We are very pleased with the fact 

that the new online records review 

feature allows us to provide impeccable levels of customer satisfaction, in 

addition to customer service,” Carter 

added. “The road ahead for us is 

to continue providing fast, effective 

service to the fleet, and to remain an 

integral part of every sailor’s career 

management focus.”

For more information, go to http://

www.staynavy.navy.mil or contact the 

Pers-312 team at (901) 874-3351.

Commander explains 

U.S. Air Forces in 

Europe’s role in future 

operations

AVIANO AIR BASE, Germany 

(USAFENS) — The commander of U.S. 

Air Forces in Europe spoke about the 

Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United 

States, and explained U.S. Air Forces in 

Europe’s role in any retaliatory operations during a recent visit here.

Gen. Gregory S. Martin, who also 

commands NATO’s Allied Air Forces 

Northern Europe, said Sept. 20 that he 

wants people to know exactly what the 

U.S. military is going up against and expects that everyone in USAFE will play 

a role as America gears up.

“It’s important for everyone to understand that the enemy we are going 

against is a fairly large network of terrorists around the world,” Martin said. 

“It is also important we realize the U.S. 

military, along with forces of the other 

countries aligning with us, will have a 

bigger network and all of us will play.

“We don’t know which one of us will 

be the right sensor, or the right munitions loader or the right aircraft crew at 

the right time to make a difference,” he 

said. “But each and every one of us will 

play in this network, which is turning 

into a fairly extensive global war.”

As forces begin to move and position themselves for war, Martin said, 

“Each member of the USAFE team, each 

person, will have a role to play and a 

contribution to make.

“The men and women of USAFE 

will be supporting forces as they come 

through. In many cases, those people 

already assigned to an AEF (Air Expeditionary Force) bucket will be asked 

to deploy to different bases ... and support our expeditionary operations,” he 

added.

Considering everybody is critical to 

the success of the mission, he said, “Protecting people is a top priority.

“It is absolutely critical not to lose 

anyone. I think everyone can see it at the 

front gate and in our work areas; we’re 

all taking force protection seriously,” 

said the general.

But having good situational awareness and exercising vigilant force protection is not just a job for military 

members, he explained. “It requires 

a contribution from the entire Air 

Force family.

“We have to realize that we are 

all sensors. You just don’t know 

what vehicle may be harboring 

terrorists,” he said. “We all have to 

have our antennas up, looking 360 

degrees. It doesn’t matter if you are 

a military member, a civilian or a 

family member, we all have to play 

in this effort.”

Air Force officials 

ban uniforms on 

commercial flights

WASHINGTON (AFPN) — Air 

Force people are no longer authorized to wear their uniforms when 

traveling aboard commercial aircraft, Air Force officials said. 

The uniform prohibition, 

approved by Gen. John P. Jumper, 

Air Force chief of staff, Sept. 21, is 

directly related to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York and the 

Pentagon.

“The bottom line is force 

protection,” said Lt. Col. Bruce 

Lovely, chief of Air Force quality of 

life and uniform activities. “Due to 

our concern for force protection, we 

want to make our folks less visible 

on commercial aircraft.”

The policy ends the June 2000 

recommendation that colonels and 

above, and chief master sergeants, 

wear their uniforms when traveling 

on official orders within the United 

States.
http://deploymentlink.osd.mil • fall 2001 Deployment Quarterly

ask our

Q Q

A

doctors

Michael E. Kilpatrick, M.D.

A



I have recurring low back 

pain. What causes it and 

how do I get relief?

Back problems are the most 

common physical complaint 

among American adults. Back pain 

can be caused by stress or injury 

involving the back muscles, including back sprain or strain; chronic 

overload of back muscles caused by 

obesity; and short-term overload of 

back muscles caused by any unusual stress, such as lifting or during 

pregnancy. It can also be caused by 

degenerative (“wear and tear”) and 

inflammatory arthritis, a viral infection, poor posture and prolonged 

sitting. Often, the cause of the injury 

is unknown or not very obvious 

so that pain seems to “come out of 

nowhere.”

Treatment of low back pain 

should be a combination of rest and 

medication. Usually anti-inflammatory or muscle relaxant medications 

are prescribed to help 

ease the pain. Also you 

should avoid strenuous 

activity during the first 

six to eight weeks after 

the injury occurs so that 

the back is not reinjured. 

This may be what causes 

your “recurring” back 

pain. 

More than 90 percent 

of patients with back 

pain respond to conservative treatment. Only 

five percent of patients 

with back pain will have 

symptoms for more than 12 weeks 

and, even among these patients, 

most have no dangerous underlying 

cause of symptoms. 

Take it easy so that the back can 

heal completely and the cycle is 

broken. 

If you experience sudden weakness, numbness or tingling in a 

leg, or pain shoots into your legs, 

wakes you up at night or doesn’t go 

away within two to four weeks, you 

should call your doctor.

Francis O’Donnell, M.D.

Will getting a flu shot this 

winter prevent me from 

getting the flu? 

yearly between late 

September and Novemand cannot cause flu. The most 

common complaint is soreness 

where the shot is 

administered. The 

soreness can last 

up to two days, 

but is usually 

mild and does not 

affect a person’s 

ability to perform 

their normal daily 

activities. 

The flu is most 

commonly spread 

by airborne droplets from coughing 

or sneezing. The 

virus can enter the 

body through the mucus membranes, eyes, nose or mouth. 

Getting the flu shot is your 

best defense at preventing the flu. 

However, if you do get the flu , 

your doctor may recommend that 

you get bed rest, drink plenty of 

clear fluids (at least six cups daily) 

and take over-the-counter pain 

relievers and nasal decongestants 

to ease your symptoms. However, 

because influenza is a viral infection, antibiotics are not effective. 

A nationwide delay in delivery of the 

flu vaccine for the 2001-2002 season 

includes the Department of Defense and 

the U.S. Coast Guard, staff in the Office 

of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for 

Health Affairs report. Vaccines will be 

administered in October and November. 

To ensure military readiness, DoD will 

use early vaccine doses to target high 

priority populations – operational forces, 

health care workers, beneficiaries with 

high risk medical conditions, trainees 

and other groups in close contact with 

high-risk persons. For more information, please visit the TRICARE homepage at 

http://www.tricare.osd.mil (click on A-Z 

list, then click on Flu) or call 

1-800-TRICARE. 

And, should 

I get my kids 

flu shots this 

winter, too?

ber, is your best defense 

against the flu, or 

influenza. The vaccine 

is available to anyone, 

but it is strongly recommended for individuals over age 

65, people with chronic illnesses 

or compromised immune systems, 

children with asthma and those 

who work with the public, such as 

doctors, nurses and teachers.

The only people who should not 

get a flu shot are those allergic to 

eggs (the vaccine’s 

viruses are grown 

in eggs) and pregnant women in 

their first trimester. Flu shots are 

available during 

autumn and early 

winter at doctor’s 

offices, college 

campuses, pharmacies, schools, 

grocery stores and 

many workplaces.

Studies concerning the effectiveness of the flu shot are hard to 

quantify because the shot changes 

yearly. Experts believe it is 70 to 90 

percent effective for young adults 

in preventing influenza. 

There are three different influenza virus strains represented in the 

vaccine. Each year, the vaccine is 

updated to include the most current 

influenza virus strains. 

Contrary to popular myth, the 

flu shot does not give you the flu. 

The shot is made from a killed virus 

A flu shot, 

administered
Deployment Quarterly fall 2001 • http://deploymentlink.osd.mil

O

kidInformation for Kids of All Ages 

Now on DeploymentLINK

ne of the unique challenges to 

military family life is constant relocation. Children of all ages have just 

as many questions as their parents, 

if not more, about deployments and 

moving. Kids’ Information on Deployment Stuff, or K.I.D.S., a new 

section on DeploymentLINK, was 

launched in 

mid-August as an easy-to-use resource for answering the questions 

and responding to the concerns of today’s military youth. Whether a parent is deploying alone or taking the 

family with them, children and teens 

can now find useful information to 

help get ready for their family’s next 

assignment.

“We have always welcomed comments from the public about how to 

make our communication more effective,” says Barbara Goodno, deputy 

director of public affairs for the Directorate 

for Deployment Health 

Support. “Over the 

past few years, we’ve 

heard from families 

and military service 

organizations that 

they would like our 

office to look at issues 

that concern the entire 

family. And last year, 

when meeting with 

several focus groups, 

children told us they 

wanted something on 

the Web that was just 

for them. K.I.D.S. is one way we are 

doing that.”

The Web site focuses on a variety of subjects that concern young 

people facing a significant transition 

like moving or being separated from 

a parent. It includes facts about 

schools and installations around the 

world along with information about 

geography, language and culture, 

health and current events for different locations. There is so much 

information available to youth 

today, K.I.D.S. makes it easier for 

web surfers to find what they need 

quickly, says Goodno. 

Anthony DeNicola, chief information officer for the Directorate 

for Deployment Health Support, 

says K.I.D.S. is designed to be a 

portal for information, not a reinvention of what is already available. 

“There are several good Web 

sites for children available on the 

Internet,” says DeNicola. “K.I.D.S. 

brings together the most useful 

sites for military children and 

teens and makes them easily accessible from one location. The 

different sites are also divided by 

age groups. High school students’ 

concerns are much different than 

elementary or even middle school 

students. We want to ensure the 

information is presented in a way that 

is most helpful to our users.”

The Web site will continue to develop and grow as more visitors provide 

input and feedback. Kids Information 

on Deployment 

Stuff can be found at http://deploymentlink.osd.mil/kidslink/intro.htm, or 

simply by choosing 

the icon on the front page of DeploymentLINK at http://deploymentlink.osd.

mil.

by melissa burslie

Tell us how we are doing or if 

there’s more information you’d 

like to see on K.I.D.S. E-mail questions or comments to 

special-assistant@gwillness.osd.mil 

or call us toll-free at 

(800) 497 - 6261. 

Questions, comments?



K.I.D.S., a new section 

on DeploymentLINK, was 

launched in mid-August as 

an easy-to-use resource for 

answering the questions and 

responding to the concerns 

of today’s military youth.
http://deploymentlink.osd.mil • fall 2001 Deployment Quarterly

T

By diana berardocco

he Department of Defense has acknowledged for some time now that 

in order to preserve a strong military, 

the needs of military families must 

be supported. The equation is 

simple — healthy families equal mission readiness. 

Over the years, military family 

support services have empowered 

families to meet the challenges of 

separations due to deployments, 

new assignments and other disruptions associated with the military 

lifestyle. Deployments in particular 

often increase family stress due to 

the uncertainty and the inability to 

communicate with the deployed 

member. 

While all the services work hard to 

provide communication lifelines for 

those deployed members and their 

families, the Navy’s Family Ombudsman Program embodies a long 

and successful tradition of maintaining the well-being and morale of sea 

service families when servicemembers are away from home. 

“Many Navy families have been 

helped by the dedication of the 

spouses who serve as ombudsmen,” 

said David Tuma, the ombudsmanat-large and chairman of the Naval 

Services FamilyLine. “In addition to 

being a continuing source of strength 

to the families, they contribute to the 

readiness of our Navy by ensuring 

our sailors know their families have 

another resource to turn to that will 

help them when they are deployed 

and by allowing them to focus more 

readily on the important work they 

do for our country.”

In 1970, then-Chief of Naval 

Operations, the late Admiral Elmo 

Zumwalt, Jr., recognizing the issues 

and concerns unique to Navy families, established the Navy Family 

Ombudsman Program, which gave 

Navy spouses an opportunity to 

present complaints, viewpoints and 

suggestions directly to commanding officers. This 

volunteer program is 

designed to provide 

better communication between Navy 

families and Navy 

officials.

Zumwalt’s message authorized 

local wives’ organizations to select Navy 

spouses to act as 

the liaison between 

the command and 

families. Today, the 

commanding officer 

screens, selects and 

appoints spouses of 

the command’s active duty or Reserve 

members who voluntarily serve as the official liaison between 

the command and its families.

While the role of the ombudsman 

has grown and developed over the 

past 30 years, one of the ombudsman’s primary functions is that of 

communicator. Keeping family 

members informed regarding command policies and ship schedule 

changes and the command informed 

about family needs and concerns are 

major parts of the job.

Ombudsmen play a critical role in 

helping the individual naval command fulfill its responsibilities for 

the welfare of its families. They are 

problem solvers who are available 

and ready to aid families when there 

is a crisis or an emergency. Serving as advocates, the ombudsmen 

use their knowledge of the chain of 

command to access the appropriate 

command level for intervention and 

requests when needed. Responsibilities include ensuring families 

are advised of services and support 

groups, and interacting with organizations such as Family Service 

Centers, chaplain’s office, medical 

treatment facilities, the Navy-Marine 

Relief Society, the American Red 

Cross and legal assistance offices to 

obtain assistance for Navy family 

members when necessary.

The ship’s commanding officer determines the ombudsman program’s 

priorities, the roles and the relationships of those involved in it, and the 

level of support it receives. 

“The program was designed to 

belong to the commanding officer 

of the command,” explained Rocky 

Whray, Navy Family Ombudsman 

Program Manager. “He or she has 

ownership.”

Once appointed, the ombudsman 

and the commanding officer meet to 

determine how often the commanding officer wants to be briefed, the 

issues that merit immediate notification, the frequency of newsletters 

to be sent to families, the type of 

information that needs to be passed 

on to the executive officer and the 

command master chief and other activities that promote family welfare 

and morale.

OMBUDSMEN:

Linking together families and commands

- Continued on Page 16
Deployment Quarterly fall 2001 • http://deploymentlink.osd.mil

S

by austin camacho

cientists at the Department of 

Veterans Affairs are working to learn 

what kinds of exposures during a 

military career might 

result in illness when a soldier, sailor, 

airman or Marine becomes a veteran. 

That concern is demonstrated by 

the VA’s Environmental Hazards 

Research Centers, established to 

increase the knowledge about what 

exposure to chemicals might do to 

servicemembers during conflicts. 

Roberta F. White, Ph.D., a neuropsychologist, has been research 

director of the Environmental Hazards 

Research Center at 

the Boston VA Medical Center since the 

program began in 

1994, and the program’s overall director 

since 2000. She and 

her team of about 20 

scientists and technicians began their work 

because of concerns 

about the suspected 

causes of illness in 

Gulf War veterans, including chemical warfare agents and pesticides.

“In 1994, we wanted research centers that would look at these kinds 

of exposures and people’s health in 

connection with the 

Gulf War experience,” said White.

Several research papers were published based on the work done by 

the Center. Their results pointed to 

a relationship between self-reported 

exposures to specific chemicals and 

symptoms in the body systems that 

would be associated with those 

chemicals. For example, people 

reporting pesticide exposure had 

cognitive complaints and neurological symptoms. Their work also 

indicated that Gulf War veterans, as 

a group, reported many more health 

complaints than expected.

“Like every other study,” said 

White, “we’ve seen a great difference between the number of health 

symptoms in Persian Gulf veterans 

and the symptoms in other veteran 

groups, even some groups that were 

deployed to other places during the 

Gulf War era.”

Scientists from the Center were 

able to study a group of Gulf War 

veterans when they first returned 

from the deployment, and have followed up with that group four times. 

Data collected from those studies 

are very complicated to analyze, but 

some conclusions can be drawn.

“We’ve found that some people 

who believe they were exposed to 

chemical warfare agents because 

they had to suit up or were around 

scuds performed worse on neuropsychiatric tests than the Gulf veterans who don’t. People who reported 

pesticide exposure have a lot more 

mood complaints than those who 

didn’t.” 

She also says her team found the 

rate of post traumatic stress disorder 

to be very low in Gulf War veterans.

Today, the Center has a broader 

mission that includes the study of 

environmental exposures that may 

have occurred during active military 

duty, without specific reference to 

the Gulf War. White is quick to point 

out that everything the Environmental Hazards Center accomplishes is 

a team effort. The VA staff works 

closely with Boston University Medical School and the School of Public 

Health to pursue basic and clinical 

research in the field of environmental and 

occupational health. 

“Our center is developing ways 

to assess exposures that people may 

have had in the military to 

chemicals that may be affecting 

their health when they come in to 

the VA,” said White. “We’re also 

looking at clinical ways of detecting 

very early subtle effects of chemical 

exposures.”

Different chemicals tend to attack 

different organs or body systems. 

Asbestos, for example, usually affects the respiratory system. The 

Boston Center is primarily concerned with those chemicals that 

affect the central nervous system. 

White says she’s very interested 

in pesticides, organic solvents and 

chemical warfare agents such as 

sarin. These could possibly cause 

many of the types of symptoms 

Gulf War veterans have reported, 

things like headaches, memory loss, 

sleep disturbance, depression and 

concentration problems. White says 

harmful exposures are not a new 

problem. After all, World War I 

servicemembers faced mustard gas. 

And no one can say if the risks will 

be worse in the future.

“It depends on how much people 

use chemical warfare agents,” White 

said. “It depends on what chemicals 

are used in other aspects of military 

deployment.” Those chemicals 

could include pesticides, cleaning 

fluids or something as controversial 

as depleted uranium.”

To better prepare future military 

forces for a wide variety of possible 

exposures, the research center is 

working to more quickly spot the evidence of exposures. One of White’s 

research specialties is behavioral 

toxicology — the study of the effects 

of exposure to toxic substances on 

behavior and the central nervous 

system.

“If the central nervous system 

is the target of a chemical,” White 

says, “you’ll see it in behavior before 

you’ll see an obvious abnormality 

on a neurological exam or a change 

in an EEG or an MRI scan. The 

VA research center studies 

effects of environmental hazards

research

— Continued on Page 15
http://deploymentlink.osd.mil • fall 2001 Deployment Quarterly

T

gulf warupdate

Investigation of Kuwaiti 

Girls’ School closes

he Department of Defense and 

the United Kingdom’s Ministry of 

Defence jointly released the final version of their case narrative “Kuwaiti 

Girls’ School,” updating a 1998 interim release and officially closing the 

defense department’s investigation 

of this incident. The report details 

the significant events surrounding 

the discovery and testing of a liquid 

in a storage tank located at a school 

in Kuwait City, Kuwait, in early August 1991. Based on results of their 

investigation, the DoD and MoD 

assessed the liquid in the tank was 

“definitely not” a chemical warfare 

agent but was nitric acid, most likely 

inhibited red fuming nitric acid, a 

highly corrosive fuel component Iraq 

used in its missiles. 

Iraq used the girls’ school as a 

Seersucker anti-ship missile test and 

maintenance facility during the Gulf 

War. After the war, Coalition forces 

removed the missiles and associated 

equipment left behind by the Iraqis. 

A British explosive ordnance disposal firm discovered a suspicious 

storage tank outside the school’s 

perimeter wall several months later. 

Many initial tests of the substance in 

the tank indicated the presence of a 

chemical warfare agent, but further 

detailed analysis “showed no material of chemical warfare interest.” British forces concluded, “samples were 

entirely consistent with the contents 

of the tank being nitric acid.”

U.S. Senate hearings in 1994 raised 

the prospect that the tank contained 

a mix of chemical agents. The official Defense Department position 

on the contents reflected the British 

conclusion — nitric acid. The DoD 

position was further questioned by 

Congress, the British Parliament, 

in the media and in meetings of the 

Presidential Advisory Committee for 

Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses.

In 1997, the DoD’s Office of the 

Special Assistant for Gulf War Illnesses and the MoD’s Gulf Veterans’ 

Illnesses Unit conducted a joint 

investigation of the contents to reassess available information and study 

the matter further. The joint investigation included dozens of interviews 

with people directly involved in the 

events, obtaining documentation 

and expert analysis from at least 13 

U.K. and 15 U.S. government agencies, the United Nations, the Kuwaiti 

government, and three non-government organizations.

“This case is a milestone because it 

involved cooperation between 

our two countries,” said Michael 

E. Kilpatrick, M.D., director of Deployment Health Support for 

the TRICARE Management 

Activity. 

 “The MoD and DoD have developed an outstanding collaborative 

relationship, which can only help the 

Gulf War veterans of both countries.”

The narrative, including the documentary evidence and personal interviews, is posted on the GulfLINK 

Internet site at http://www.gulflink.

osd.mil/kuwaiti_final/. 

The Defense Department also 

released its final case narrative on Al 

Jaber Air Base related to its ongoing 

investigation into Gulf War illnesses. 

The narrative assesses the presence 

of chemical warfare agents as “unlikely” to have been present near Al 

Jaber Air Base, southwest of Kuwait 

City from the evening of February 

Final Report on 

Al Jaber Air Base 

Released

24, 1991, through the morning of 

February 26, 1991.

The final report concurs with 

investigators’ original findings 

released as an interim report in 1997. 

The reports findings are based upon 

interviews of Marines in the area, 

documentary evidence, the lack 

of evidence of chemical weapons 

delivery means, chemical injuries, or 

chemical weapons storage; and the 

assessment of the United Nations 

Special Commission that Iraq did not 

move, store or use chemical agents 

in Kuwait during the war.

Seven chemical warfare agent 

alerts were investigated. On the 

night of February 24, 1991, and 

morning of February 25, 1991, 

Marines five times misidentified 

artillery smoke from Marine guns 

as possible Iraqi chemical warfare 

agents. The investigation found no 

evidence of exposure. No information was found about a sixth alert 

reported at 6 p.m. on February 25, 

1991. Although contemporaneous 

written records place the alert in 

a Marine unit near Al Jaber, none 

of this unit’s Marines could recall 

specifics except that the tests did not 

identify agent presence. The seventh 

alert was detected by an XM93 Fox 

Reconnaissance Vehicle during an oil 

well fire. The unit was alerted to a 

possible vapor presence of a blister 

agent. The alert ceased after several 

minutes. All units complied with 

prescribed procedures by donning 

protective equipment and testing for 

chemical warfare agents. Upon further testing there was no identification of any chemical warfare agents. 

This narrative, as well as all other 

Gulf War-related reports, is posted 

on the GulfLINK Web site at http://

www.gulflink.osd.mil/al_jaber_ii/.


Deployment Quarterly fall 2001 • http://deploymentlink.osd.mil

It’s a Dog’s 

Life

Deployment:

U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Ken Bergmann

by kelly sharbel

reparing for deployment requires 

long hours of individual and unit 

training to hone skills and enhance 

cohesion and capability. Maintenance must be performed on equipment to ensure it will withstand the 

rigors of deployment. On a personal 

level, servicemembers must tend to 

numerous administrative details to 

make sure pay gets deposited in the 

bank, bills get paid and family members have access to military facilities 

and available support organizations. 

One special group of about 1,400 

servicemembers doesn’t worry 

about their pay or their families. 

Their training remains arduous and 

maintenance necessary, but personal 

preparation is limited to getting their 

coats properly treated to repel insect 

infestation and receiving immunizations to prevent infectious diseases 

to which they might be exposed. 

This small, some would say elite, 

and critically important group of 

servicemembers are the military 

working dogs who deploy with their 

handlers to help provide security for 

their two-legged counterparts or use 

their keen sense of smell as part of 

U.S. counter-terrorism efforts overseas or counter-drug efforts at home. 

Military working dogs can deploy 

anywhere human servicemembers 

can go. Adaptability to diverse 

climatic and environmental conditions is one reason Belgian Malanois 

and German Shepherds were chosen 

as the predominant breeds in this 

service, says Department of Defense 

K-9 Program Manager Bob Dameworth. Among other attributes, 

they are also known as 

breeds with exemplary 

character. 

“These breeds were 

also selected because 

they are courageous,” 

Dameworth adds. 

“They are brave dogs.” 

Like their human 

colleagues, the dogs’ 

training and skills are 

matched to mission 

requirements. Today, 

Army and Air Force 

military dogs are deployed in the Balkans 

and in Southwest Asia, 

serving as sentries and 

explosives detectors. 

In other missions, they 

may also be called upon 

to support the U.S. Customs Service or Drug 

Enforcement Administration in counter-drug activities and 

even the Secret Service when extensive President travel or a presidential 

political campaign overwhelms that 

agency’s own four-legged assets. 

Like their human colleagues in 

uniform, military working dogs and 

their handlers are on call 24 hours, 

seven days a week. While they don’t 

have to worry about whether direct 

deposit will get their pay checks 

into the bank, their deployment 

preparation is physically strenuous 

as dog and handler work together to 

improve conditioning, enhance skills 

and blend together as one potent and 

significant asset. In addition, deployment preparation involves a strict 

routine medical process to protect 

the dogs against the greatest threat to 

their health — insects and other pests 

that could cause serious, if not fatal, 

disease. 

“The main things we have to worry 

about are the insects and parasites 

that may be indigenous to a particular region,” says Dameworth. “The 

veterinarians determine how to deal 

with that problem.”

The dogs’ deployment preparation 

actually begins before a decision to 

deploy them is made. They receive 

prescribed, routine, year-round mediBruno is a military working dog at Ramstein 

Air Base, Germany.
http://deploymentlink.osd.mil • fall 2001 Deployment Quarterly

cal care designed to prevent or detect 

health problems before they become 

acute. 

“The entire process for our dogs 

has been developed to keep up with 

what is going on with them medically,” notes Col. Larry Carpenter, 

director of Department of Defense 

Military Working Dog Veterinary 

Services. “These dogs are like 

athletes. They can shrug off minor 

problems but minor problems can 

accumulate. We want to head off 

problems before they become serious.”

To achieve that goal, the dogs receive physicals every six months and 

are immunized against infectious 

diseases annually. They also receive 

monthly treatments to prevent heartworm. Topical flea and tick control 

treatments are applied each month. 

Every year, veterinarians also take a 

serum sample from each dog to track 

the dog’s health over time. Those 

samples are saved for comparison to 

assist in diagnosing any subsequent 

illness. 

Based on the health data collected during preventive care, the 

veterinary service gives each dog a 

deployability classification that reflects the animal’s military readiness. 

There are four classifications: available for worldwide deployment, 

available for restricted deployment, 

temporarily non-deployable and not 

deployable. 

“The classification 

system for deployment status was 

developed based 

upon actual experiences from previous deployments,” 

explains Carpenter. 

“It is a way of getting 

a medical estimate 

of whether the dog 

is physically capable 

of completing the 

mission.”

A dog’s medical 

condition gets closer 

scrutiny when the 

dog and his/her 

handler are notified 

that they are being 

deployed. At that 

point, the handler is 

responsible for getting his fourlegged teammate a departure physical examination, having his/her 

preventive medications updated, 

and getting any additional immunizations necessary to protect the 

dog against diseases indigenous to 

the area to which the two will be deployed. For example, the handlers 

of dogs deploying to the Balkans 

receive a supply of doxcycline 

capsules to give for daily protection 

against tick-borne infection, which 

is a particular concern in that region, 

according to Colonel Carpenter. 

The handlers also receive a supply 

of the monthly preventive medications with which to treat the dog 

while deployed. When they arrive 

in-theater, the dog receives another 

physical from an 

in-theater veterinarian. 

This preventive monitoring 

process ensures that handlers and 

veterinarians have a thorough 

knowledge of the dog’s medical condition up to the actual deployment. 

Unfortunately, those comprehensive 

steps do not lessen life-threatening 

risks such as biological and chemical 

warfare agents that may be encountered because there is no individual 

gear such as gas masks and Mission 

Oriented Protective Posture equipment for dogs. However, dogs receive the same treatment as humans 

if they are exposed to biological and 

chemical agents.

As thorough as current medical 

treatment of military working dogs 

is, the veterinary science community 

is conducting research aimed at 

gaining an even better understanding 

of the effects of different types of environmental exposures on deployed 

military working dogs. Maj. Dawn 

Harris, Chief of Epidemiology in the 

DoD Military Working Dogs Veterinary Service, is heading a team studying the 118 dogs that deployed to 

the Gulf region for Operation Desert 

Shield and Desert Storm.

After the war, the veterinary 

services office made a special effort 

to ascertain the medical condition of 

each dog at the time of death. The 

last Gulf War canine veteran died in 

May 2001. Harris’ team is currently 

working on a clinical analysis of the 

medical conditions that affected the 

dogs. The analysis is still a work 

in progress, but when finished, will 

include a comparison of the causes of 

death of the dogs. The team 

hopes the information will lead to 

further improvements in their health 

care in future deployments. 

Handlers who work with the dogs 

every day attest to what remarkable 

animals military working dogs are, 

and those who have worked with 

them in combat testify to their courage under even the most adverse 

circumstances. In return for their valiant services, the veterinary services 

office is committed to providing the 

most effective force health protection for this small but highly effective component of the U.S. military 

services. 
Deployment Quarterly fall 2001 • http://deploymentlink.osd.mil

B

by melissa burslie

uilding on lessons learned from the 

Gulf War, the Joint Service General 

Purpose Mask will replace the Army, 

Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force 

M40/M42 and MCU-2/P series masks. 

These masks are currently used for 

protection from chemical and biological threats. To ensure the final Joint 

Service General Purpose Mask is the 

most effective piece of equipment available, a major part of the development 

process is capability trials by servicemembers. These real-world application 

trials allow developers to 

see their product in action 

and adjust the design to 

be more comfortable and 

more compatible with 

existing weapons systems 

and equipment. 

“The differences in the 

new mask are improved 

vision, reduced breathing 

resistance and improved 

compatibility,” says 

Wayne Davis, product director for respiratory protection at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, 

Md. The new mask will have a single 

eyepiece, a different filter system and 

be more form fitting for increased protection and comfort, but there is more 

testing to be done.

“The earlier trials were done using 

hand fabricated models. The mask is 

still in development and will enter the 

engineering design phase in November where we will test quality, fully 

functioning prototypes. We’ll complete 

engineering design testing in February 2002 at which time we’ll see what 

changes to make in the design. Our 

engineering design testing will include 

laboratory testing and evaluation by 

soldiers so we will get both a technical 

and usage evaluation during the test 

phase in which to base our decisions 

regarding design changes” Davis continued.

During the first series of prototype 

testing, developers found that a 

single eyepiece is more effective 

than the previous binocular eyepieces. The single eyepiece gives 

the servicemember a much larger 

field of view. Continued testing 

on the single eyepiece is being 

done to ensure it will work with 

night vision equipment, individual 

weapons and different weapon 

sighting systems. 

Weapon sighting systems were 

also a consideration when testing 

the various filter configurations. 

Depending on which sighting 

systems shooters were using, the 

numbers and positions of the 

filters affected their ability differently. Several configurations were 

tested to find the best combination 

for all systems and they will be 

incorporated into the final Joint 

Service General Purpose Mask 

design. The filter itself will also 

improve a servicemember’s ability to perform mission essential 

tasks. Physiological burdens, such 

as breathing resistance, will be reduced. The new filtered canisters 

cut breathing resistance in half. 

Making it easier to breathe keeps 

the wearer from tiring as quickly. 

Filter changes will also be made 

easier to perform in a contaminated environment. 

Repairs on the new mask will 

be made at the operator and unit 

level as done with existing masks. 

However, the development team 

has taken great care to simplify 

mask maintenance. The number 

of parts is being reduced from 36 

to 12. The parts inside the mask 

requiring maintenance by service 

personnel will be color coded instead of the standard black. 

One mask can serve all the services because all soldiers, Marines, 

sailors and airmen face the same 

types of chemical and biological 

threats and environments. It also 

eliminates a logistics challenge 

that was highlighted during the 

Gulf War. Repair stations set up in 

the Gulf were approached with several different types of masks from 

all the services. It was difficult to 

get the spare parts needed for the 

different masks. The single mask 

approach dramatically simplifies 

logistical planning and helps to reduce cost.

“An important goal in any procurement is to have a product that 

is sustainable and cost-effective,” 

said a project manager working on 

the Joint Service General Purpose 

Mask. “And considering that operational sustainment costs are estimated at five times the procurement 

cost for each item, it can get very 

expensive.”

Developing new equipment can 

also be very expensive, but because 

of their work towards fielding the 

Joint Services General Protection 

Mask and the savings it will bring, 

the team responsible was awarded 

the Army Materiel Command 

Outstanding Integrated Product/

Weapon System Team of the Year 

Award for 2001. The award is 

given for an extraordinary record of 

achievement which inspires others 

to improve quality and quantity of 

their work. The team was praised 

for the estimated cost avoidance of 

over $50 million in research and development, $105 million in production and $250 million over the total 

life cycle of the JSGPM. It was also 

cited for its unique cradle-to-grave 

contract with Avon Rubber and 

Plastics, Inc. The contract will follow the project through to completion in 2006, when initial fielding of 

the new mask will occur. 

technology

Improvements Under Way to 

Enhance Troops’ Protection


http://deploymentlink.osd.mil • fall 2001 Deployment Quarterly

W

hen Colorado businessman Tim 

McMaster released Bart Cosart from 

his civilian job for military duty in 

Bosnia, they both knew they’d see 

each other again. However, neither 

of them ever anticipated that when 

they did, it would be just miles from 

the Serbian border.

McMaster, president of TrimCraft, 

Inc., a small interior wood trim firm, 

had always supported Cosart in his 

military commitment, but this time 

that commitment would have to last 

for six long months. 

“It’s tough sometimes to be gone 

so long,” says Cosart, who left his 

family and career behind to serve. 

“In addition to the stress of just being away, many soldiers also worry 

about losing their positions at work 

and that’s tough.”

While the Uniformed Services 

Employment and Reemployment 

Rights Act provides job protection 

and reinstatement rights to employees who participate in the National 

Guard and Reserve, the best protection comes from supportive civilian 

employers.

With no military experience himself, McMaster admits it was difficult 

to fully understand what National 

Guard members like Cosart endure 

when deployed. However, he was 

about to get a first-hand look. 

Accompanied by Wyoming governor Jim Geringer, Wyoming Adjutant 

General Major General Ed Boenisch 

and seven legislators, McMaster had 

the opportunity to join the Wyoming 

Guard on their recent Cowboy Dustoff Tour. 

Originating from F.E. Warren Air 

Force Base, located three miles west 

of Cheyenne, Wyo., the Dust-off 

Tour served as 

the state’s command visit to the 

1022nd Medical 

Company, which 

deployed earlier 

this year to wartorn Bosnia-Herzegovina in support of Operation 

Joint Guard/Joint 

Forge. Civilian 

employers of 

those deployed 

were asked to 

come along to 

observe National 

Guard members 

on duty and see their employees in 

action. 

Composed of personnel from both 

the Wyoming and Colorado National 

Guard, the 1022nd provides air ambulance services from Camp Eagle in 

Tuzla, Bosnia, extracting injured personnel from land mined areas via the 

steady hand of a UH-60A helicopter 

pilot and a flight medic attached to a 

long steel cable. Cosart, a pilot, also 

serves as the unit’s safety officer. 

Under a damp and overcast sky, 

the Dust-off plane taxied to a stop 

near the small wooden terminal at 

Camp Eagle. With great anticipation and mixed emotions, McMaster 

waited as the arrival crew placed the 

stairs next to the plane.

Cosart, a four-year employee of 

Trim Craft, is there to greet him with 

a warm handshake and even warmer 

smile.

“You know, I really 

didn’t know what to expect when I got here,” 

said McMaster. “All I 

really knew about this 

part of the world is 

what I saw on television, which made it 

even more difficult to 

understand why Bart 

would deliberately 

want to come. With no 

military experience myself, I really had nothing to prepare me for 

what I saw here today.”

“I think it’s great my 

boss Tim got to come,” said Cosart. 

“I think it’s important not only for 

Tim, but for employers of Guardsmen and Reservists everywhere, to 

realize the way of life as a soldier 

— when deployed — is very different. There are great sacrifices made, 

both here and at home, and by being 

able to witness those sacrifices first 

hand, perhaps they can better underUniting Soldier, 

Employer and 

Guard Mission

story and photos by Tech. Sgt. Deborah Smith

Deputy State Public Affairs Officer, Colorado National Guard

Uniting Soldier, 

Employer and 

Guard Mission 

Flight medic Sgt. Terry Carpenter (standing) and his 

assistant Sgt. Ian Minton prepare Spc. Ricky Barlett 

(kneeling) for extraction from a simulated mine field in 

Tuzla, Bosnia.

— Continued on Page 14
Deployment Quarterly fall 2001 • http://deploymentlink.osd.mil

stand why we operate the way we 

do. Unless you’re here, you don’t 

know what it’s all about.” 

McMaster and Cosart enjoyed a 

brief tour of the tiny NATO air base 

including lunch, a helicopter tour 

of the Bosnian countryside and the 

opportunity to visit with other deployed soldiers.

As the Guard and Reserve components take on an advancing role 

in both national and global security, 

the probability for extended deployments increases significantly. As 

a result, civilian employers may 

be asked to let go of their military 

personnel more frequently and for 

longer periods of time.

The National Committee of 

Employer Support of Guard and 

Reserve understands the hardships 

employers face. Through special 

programs and opportunities — like 

the one McMaster experienced 

— ESGR takes a proactive stand in 

educating civilian companies and 

supervisors on the importance of 

Guard and Reserve contributions to 

the total force concept.

“Educating civilian employers 

has become so important to the 

mission of the Guard and Reserve,” 

said ESGR Mission One coordinator Ed Janay. “If our troops don’t 

have employer support, the mission 

stops and it’s not just the Guard 

mission — it can sometimes be the 

whole mission. Right now with the 

recent military downsize, the Guard 

and Reserve components comprise 

a significant part of the total military force. Many active duty units 

depend heavily on our personnel, 

assets and equipment to meet their 

military mission objectives.”

“I tried to come here with an open 

mind,” added McMaster. “It’s just 

simply amazing from an employer’s 

view to see what these men and 

women accomplish over here. It’s 

not just soldier stuff — I mean this is 

really building and running a whole 

city. There has to be water, supplies 

and other things for the comfort of 

the soldiers — and they’re doing it 

all within the potential of war.”

Janay added, “We at ESGR need 

to continue to take on a bigger role 

in employer education. And its 

people like Tim [McMaster] that 

take the time to understand the mission of the Guard and Reserve that 

can help us.”

McMaster confessed that it has 

been tough without Cosart on the 

job. As one of only 75 employees, 

Cosart contributes enormously to 

the productivity and success of his 

growing business.

“Bart is one of our best interior 

trimmers and we have really missed 

him,” said McMaster. “I know I see 

a lot of his military attributes on the 

Left: Colorado Guard Member CWO3 Bart Cosart welcomes his civilian employer Tim 

McMaster (center) and ESGR Mission One, Area 10 Coordinator (left) to NATO’s Eagle Air 

Base in Tuzla, Bosnia. 

job — his professionalism, a great 

work ethic and he’s resourceful. I’m 

very much looking forward to having him back.”

But while McMaster’s company 

has had to overcome the personnel 

deficit, he understands that Cosart’s 

absence is a good trade-off and he 

insists other employers should see 

the tremendous value of Guard and 

Reserve employees.

“I would encourage any employer 

out there to take a look at the individual guardsman and recognize 

what they bring to the workplace, 

said McMaster. “They bring competence, commitment, dedication, a 

positive attitude and a strong work 

ethic. While it’s painful to let them 

go, what you get in return from the 

Guard and Reserves is a higher-caliber employee.” 

— Continued from Page 13

Also known as “bodysnatchers,” the 1022nd 

Medical Company provides air ambulance 

services extracting injured personnel from land 

mined areas via Black Hawk helicopter and 

cable.

Employer, Soldier and Guard 

Unite for Common Good
http://deploymentlink.osd.mil • fall 2001 Deployment Quarterly

neuropsychological tests I use are 

very sensitive for picking up early 

indicators of exposure to chemicals 

that cause changes in the brain.”

Suspecting that a servicemember 

was exposed to something does not 

open the door to just what the person was exposed to, at least not yet. 

Chemicals that attack the nervous 

system create similar symptoms. 

And many of them are not as easy 

to detect as lead. White started 

studying workers with occupational 

exposure to lead in 1980. A recognized technique allows 

scientists to establish the 

“body burden,” that is, 

how much lead is in a 

person’s system. White 

says some day it may 

be possible to detect the 

body burden of chemical exposures, or find 

some other biological 

marker. In the meantime, 

there are other avenues 

to explore to distinguish 

which exposure is causing certain health effects.

“There are some differences in different classes 

of compounds in the kinds of behavioral effects they have,” White said, 

“because different compounds affect 

different parts of the brain. While 

what people say is wrong with them 

has a lot of overlap from one chemical to another, the actual kinds of 

changes you see on cognitive tests 

or behavioral tests can vary among 

chemicals.”

White says the research center is 

also pursuing even more high tech 

possibilities. Using magnetic resonance imaging of the brain, scientists 

are able to actually see changes in 

the amounts of certain chemicals 

called neurotransmitters. Some of 

these changes may be associated 

with different chemical exposures. 

Enough research could reveal predictable patterns in those changes.

“Maybe at some time in the 

future, when we know more about 

this, we’ll be able to use that type of 

information to get a handle on what 

people might have been exposed to,” 

White said.

White also said that brain imaging may some day allow doctors to 

clearly define some of the effects of 

exposure to toxic chemicals that are 

otherwise very difficult to quantify 

and measure. For example, her studies of Japanese victims of exposure to 

sarin indicated that, a year after their 

exposure, their primary symptom 

was a mood change. She believes 

that the sarin affected the parts of 

the brain that mediate emotions. By 

looking at the functioning brain, new 

imaging techniques could help to 

verify suspected symptoms.

“If these brain structures start 

functioning or looking different after 

an exposure that causes an emotional change, maybe we can figure 

out what happened to people,” 

continued White. “One of the aims 

of my research is to try to figure out 

some other ways of documenting the 

change that don’t rely on a patient 

saying ‘I feel angry,’ or a spouse saying ‘he’s different’.”

She admits there were challenges 

to working with Gulf War veterans 

that made that research different 

from her previous work with lead 

exposure. For one thing, Massachusetts has a lead registry that 

lists people who had a known high 

exposure to lead. She was able to do 

those studies with a population of 

people with a measurable exposure. 

Exposure information on Gulf War 

veterans is lacking.

“We know something about what 

things were out there,” says White, 

“but we don’t know how much of 

any given chemical each person 

was exposed to. We don’t know the 

dose.”

For occupational exposure studies 

it’s fairly simple to go into a factory and put a small dosimeter on 

worker’s lapels to see how much 

solvent enters their environment 

during the day. White says similar 

types of recording devices would 

be a great help in understanding 

military exposures as well. And, in fact, 

military units currently maintain much 

better environmental surveillance on 

deployments than they did during the 

Gulf War. Armed with a record of what 

a person was exposed to in their military and occupational career, plus the 

tools being developed at the Environmental Hazards Research Center, White 

believes that someday wartime chemical effects may be less mysterious. 

“Then we’ll have some idea of what 

kinds of chemicals they may have 

worked with or been around either in 

different conflicts or in their daily life,” 

White says. “That will give us some 

cues about what the health effects might 

be. We also hope to have ways of picking up chemical effects at a very early 

stage. Then, if you have people coming 

back from something like the Gulf War 

and they have central nervous system 

effects, maybe by knowing about the 

patterns of 

different chemical exposures on functional imaging or on neuropsychological testing we’ll be better able to figure 

out what might have happened to 

them.”

It’s an ambitious goal, but White says 

the whole purpose of her research is to 

try to find effects at earlier and earlier 

stages to prevent clinical disease and 

dysfunction later in life. When we 

consider the chemical agents, industrial 

pollution, pesticides and various other 

potentially toxic substances our forces 

could encounter when deployed around 

the world, it seems clear that the work 

of the VA’s Environmental Hazards Research Center could be important, not 

just to today’s veterans, but to veterans 

of the future as well. 

Scientists Study Effects of Environmental 

Hazards at VA Research Centers

— Continued from Page 12


Deployment Quarterly fall 2001 • http://deploymentlink.osd.mil

Because ombudsmen often become involved in families’ personal 

matters, they are bound by a strict 

code of confidentiality. Trust is one 

of the most important elements of 

the role. 

“Ombudsmen can’t be effective 

without first laying the foundation 

of trust,” said Tuma. “They must 

know the boundaries of what they 

can and cannot do. If you have that, 

then you will be able to meet the 

commitments that you’ve made.”

Unlike the earlier days of the 

program, ombudsmen benefit from 

a program organizational structure 

that provides logistic support from 

command and fleet and family support centers.

First and foremost, the command 

furnishes direct support by overseeing the program’s administrative activities, the publication of a 

newsletter, and determining how 

the ombudsman will be reimbursed 

for certain things like mileage and 

supplies. In an era of technology-enhanced communications, command 

support can be readily accessed 

when the ship is deployed.

To prepare the ombudsman 

for the demands of the position, 

ombudsman coordinators — located at approximately 57 fleet and 

family support centers worldwide 

— schedule 40-hour training 

workshops where certified trainers 

present standardized and consistent 

information from a basic manual as 

well as other key resources necessary to efficiently execute program 

responsibilities.

“It is absolutely essential to the 

program that the ombudsmen 

receive their professional training 

as soon as possible. Maintaining 

the Ombudsman Code of Ethics and 

confidentiality is one of the more 

important things we talk about,” 

said Whray. 

Organizations such as fleet and 

family support centers — formally 

called family support centers — and 

ombudsman assemblies also offer 

guidance and arrange additional 

training on specialized topics. 

Each serves as a clearinghouse 

for materials and new information on resources, referrals and 

policies. Additionally, the ombudsman assembly forwards ideas and 

innovations to the Ombudsman 

Quality Management Board, whose 

membership includes the Bureau of 

Navy Personnel Ombudsman Program Manager, a chaplain advisor, 

the two Navy-wide ombudsmen-atlarge, ombudsmen representatives, 

two fleet/force master chiefs and at 

least one commanding officer and 

any others who may be appointed. 

The board meets annually to review 

how the program is being implemented worldwide and to recommend changes.

The Naval Services FamilyLine, 

another all-volunteer organization 

dedicated to improving the quality of life of sea service families, 

publishes the Ombudsman Journal

quarterly to provide informative 

articles to those who are serving as 

command ombudsmen. The nonprofit organization enjoys a close 

association with the ombudsman 

program and reinforces efforts to 

ensure it is properly supported.

“The chairman of the Naval 

Services FamilyLine and the spouse 

of the Master Chief Petty Officer 

of the Navy are appointed by the 

Chief of Naval Operations to serve 

as the two Navy-wide ombudsmen-at-large,” said Tuma, who 

served as commanding officer of the 

decommissioned ballistic missile 

submarine USS Stonewall Jackson 

from 1980 to 1984, has been a Navy 

spouse for more than 10 years, and 

was appointed chairman of FamilyLine and Ombudsman-at-Large in 

April 2000. 

“The Naval Reserve Force also 

has a Navy Reserve Ombudsmanat-large. We meet quarterly as part 

of the Ombudsman Advisory Committee to identify program improvements,” continued Tuma.

While not within the official 

chain of command, the involvement 

of the spouse of the commanding 

officer can be a valuable asset to 

the ombudsman. During training, 

ombudsmen are encouraged to reach 

out and establish a strong working 

relationship with the commanding 

officer’s spouse in order to benefit by 

her experience and knowledge of the 

Navy and its support programs.

In his role as program manager, 

Whray receives feedback from ombudsmen who think that deploying 

sailors do not prepare themselves 

or their families well enough for 

deployment. Therefore, these crises 

arise. He said, in order to better 

serve family members, the Navy 

has organized a working group to 

examine the manner in which critical 

information is deployed to family 

members at different stages of a 

sailors life.

Whray views the role of the ombudsman as having a wide-reaching 

impact that affects 

mission readiness.

“Sailors don’t make career decisions sitting in the career counseling 

office. They do it at the kitchen table 

with their wives, children and even 

their parents. When the ombudsmen 

help family members have a successful tour, 

they create an atmosphere that is 

conducive to reenlisting, and retention impacts readiness,” he said.

Those who volunteer to 

become ombudsmen take on an 

enormous job. Setting aside time to 

serve unselfishly, they are the daily 

manifestation of the Navy’s 

tradition of “taking care of its own.”

— Continued from Page 7

Ombudsmen provide link 

between families and command


http://deploymentlink.osd.mil • fall 2001 Deployment Quarterly

by kelly sharbel

hen a health care professional says that 

a patient’s unexplained chronic pain is all 

in his or her head, it may be a more accurate diagnosis than previously thought. 

Recent research indicates that such a 

diagnosis refers to a neurological rather 

than psychological condition. 

Medical researchers and scientists 

studying pain have made great strides in 

understanding how the human nervous 

system receives and transmits pain 

signals and how the brain reacts to those signals. Much 

of what pain research has 

revealed focuses on chemicals in the brain known as 

“neurotransmitters.” These 

chemicals receive and transmit pain signals from one 

cell to another and trigger 

the brain’s production of 

pain suppressing chemicals. 

According to the National 

Institute of Neurological 

Disorders and Stroke, research studies have discovered that the 

brain is capable of producing numerous 

pain suppressing chemicals. 

Three such groups of chemicals are 

known as endorphins, enkephalins and 

dynorphins. The brain releases these 

opiate-like compounds into the nervous 

system when the human body experiences an event that produces pain. 

More than killing pain at its source, the 

chemicals block pain signals being sent 

through the nervous system to the brain. 

The National Institute of Neurological 

Disorders and Stroke clinical investigators have found that some chronic pain 

patients have lower than normal levels of these natural pain suppressors, 

which may contribute to chronic 

pain symptoms. 

“Some people may have a 

diminished ability to subordinate 

pain,” says U.S. Army Colonel Frank 

O’Donnell, M.D., deputy director of 

medical readiness for the Directorate 

for Deployment Health Support. “It 

is not psychological, but involves the 

neurotransmitters.”

Dr. Daniel Clauw, chief of the 

division of rheumatology, immunology, and allergy at Georgetown 

University in Washington, D.C., and 

a respected voice on pain diagnosis 

and treatment puts its another way,

“Think of chronic central pain as a 

disturbance in the ‘volume control’ in the nervous system. When 

the volume control is set too high, 

information that most individual’s 

nervous systems would suppress is 

instead transmitted as pain,” Clauw 

says.

In other words, the brain’s ability 

to produce chemicals to suppress 

pain is overwhelmed by neurotransmitters constantly firing pain signals. 

Scientific researchers and medical 

practitioners are examining these 

research findings to develop new 

approaches to treating chronic pain. 

Among the purposes of these nontraditional approaches is to attempt 

to increase the levels of pain-suppressing chemicals in the brain. 

“Many pain clinics are using alternative medical practices to alleviate 

unexplained chronic pain because 

standard medicine has not been able 

to relieve pain,” says Dr. Michael E. 

Kilpatrick, director of Deployment 

Health Support for the TRICARE 

Management Activity. 

Drug-based treatment traditionally prescribed for patients suffering from chronic pain might start 

with over-the-counter drugs such as 

aspirin, ibuprofen or acetaminophen 

and progress to more powerful pain 

relievers, as necessary. Just as some 

researchers are investigating new 

methods of therapy, others are also 

studying new pain relievers and 

examining how drugs not normally 

prescribed for pain can be used to 

treat chronic pain.

Increasingly, however, chronic 

pain patients are encouraged to 

consider broad-based, integrated, 

multi-disciplinary therapies that 

go beyond simply taking medication each day. These therapies may 

include non-drug treatments such as 

exercise, behavior modification, and 

counseling to help patients acquire 

skills necessary to manage their pain. 

Some pain researchers theorize this 

therapy may also increase the brain’s 

production of pain suppressing 

chemicals. 

Broad-based therapy differs from 

the traditional drug treatment of 

chronic pain in more ways than one. 

In addition to relying less on medication, the broad-based approach also 

requires a personal commitment on 

the part of the patient and extensive 

involvement in the treatments. 

The commitment component of 

the treatment often requires that patients change their perspective from 

health beat

Examining the 

human body’s 

response to pain

— Continued on Page 18
Deployment Quarterly fall 2001 • http://deploymentlink.osd.mil

one that focuses on the past to one 

that emphasizes what must be done 

in the future to help them get better. 

“Many patients focus on what 

happened to them [to cause the 

pain],” says Clauw. “Looking backwards gets in the way of reaching a 

solution to their 

problem.” 

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Charles Engel, 

M.D., director of the Deployment 

Health Clinical Center at Walter 

Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., agrees. The extensive 

involvement by the patient requires 

a partnership between physician and 

patient. Engel characterizes the relationship as a collaboration between 

two experts. 

“In this collaboration the doctor is 

the medical expert with knowledge 

on treating pain and the patient is 

the pain expert with knowledge of 

what [he or she] is feeling,” he says. 

Engel used a collaborative pain 

clinic approach to develop a threeweek protocol at the clinical center 

for servicemembers with chronic 

pain or chronic illnesses occurring 

after deployments. Patients enrolled 

in that program engage in an integrated course of therapy that covers 

three key elements addressing both 

physical and psychological factors. 

Engel refers to them as activation 

strategies, intensive education and 

family involvement. While participating in the program, patients 

receive care from many different 

medical disciplines including a variety of medical specialists, internists, 

physical and occupational therapists 

and health psychologists. 

The activation strategy focuses 

on each patient’s physical capabilities and is designed to help them 

achieve greater levels of activity 

through exercise. The process 

starts slowly and progresses based 

upon the patient’s individual medical circumstances. Intensive education is geared toward helping the 

patients understand the steps they 

can take to cope with their condition. It includes helping patients 

learn to pace themselves while accomplishing tasks, maintaining an 

even psychological temperament, 

and using progressive relaxation 

techniques to reduce pain. 

Family involvement is aimed at 

bringing the patient’s family into 

the treatment process to make them 

part of the solution. This element 

of treatment addresses the family’s 

concerns that come from watching 

their loved one become less and 

less able to function normally while 

also addressing any sense of guilt 

or confusion that may exist because 

family members don’t know what 

to do to help the patient. 

Engel’s assessment of the effectiveness of this treatment therapy 

is based on the progress made by 

his patients at the center. He notes 

that improvement is clearly evident 

in patients’ ability to function 

and in a reduction in the levels of 

distress they feel. Engel also says 

patients who have gone through 

the therapy program feel reassured 

that they are not suffering from an 

undiagnosed condition for which 

nothing can be done; that sense of 

reassurance grows over time. 

While Engel’s evaluation is based 

upon his patients’ experience at his 

center, more scientific data on the 

effectiveness of this approach is 

expected to be available early next 

year. The Department of Veterans 

Affairs is managing a study of the 

multi-discipline therapy in 18 VA 

health facilities and two Department of Defense health facilities 

around the country. More than 

1,000 Gulf War veterans are participating. 

Engel is the first to say that this 

approach does not eliminate the 

patient’s condition. Instead, it is designed to help the patients improve 

their physical ability to function 

while acquiring the skills needed to 

manage their chronic pain. 

“We explain to the patient up 

front that this is not a curative 

program. It is a program that helps 

them manage their chronic illness 

in what will probably be a lifelong 

struggle.” Engel says.

“Patients with chronic pain and 

illness often focus narrowly on 

finding the right medicine for their 

symptoms. We help them see what 

they have already experienced 

– there are no magic bullets out 

there, and a pill is only one part of 

an overall chronic illness management plan.” 

The study of how the body responds to pain as a field of medical 

science inquiry is relatively new, 

emerging in the last half of the 20th

century. It is not proven yet, but 

building on the research of the past 

40 years may enable researchers to 

demonstrate how medical science 

can use powerful and naturally 

occurring capabilities of the human 

body to relieve pain. 

health beat

Examining the body’s response to pain

— Continued from Page 17

To read more about ongoing research, 

go to: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/health_

and_medical/disorders/chronic_pain.htm

More Information


http://deploymentlink.osd.mil • fall 2001 Deployment Quarterly

T

o reduce further the risk of spreading “mad cow disease” by way of 

blood transfusions, the Department 

of Defense is tightening its restrictions on blood donations by personnel who have lived in Europe for 

extended periods during the past two 

decades.

The stringent rules will cut the 

active-duty donor pool by 18 percent 

and civilian donors by about five 

percent. However, DoD can continue 

collecting the 105,000 units of blood 

that it needs annually by stepping up 

recruitment of donors to replace the 

18 percent loss, according to officials 

in the Armed Services Blood Program 

Office.

This can be done only by increasing command support, hiring some 

additional blood-collection personnel, integrating DoD and service 

blood assets, and optimizing collection sites by putting them at large 

installations and training bases, the 

program official added.

The new donor restrictions, which 

are called deferral criteria, will be 

implemented by Oct. 29. They are 

in line with tightened U.S. Food and 

Drug Administration guidelines, 

said U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Rebecca 

Sparks, deputy director of the Armed 

Services Blood Program Office.

Under the new rules, DoD-affiliated personnel — whether activeduty military, civil-service employee 

or family member — will be barred 

from donating blood if he or she 

meets any one of the following three 

criteria:

(1) If, at any time from 1980 

through the end of 1996, he or she 

traveled or resided in the United 

Kingdom for three months or more; 

or if, at any time from 1980 to the 

present, he received a blood 

transfusion in the U.K.

(2) If, at any time from 1980 

through the end of 1996, he or she 

traveled or resided anywhere in Europe for six months or more.

(3) If, at any time from January 1, 

1997, to present, he or she traveled or 

resided anywhere in Europe for a 

five years or more.

The FDA criteria distinguish 

between Europe north of the Alps 

and south of it, applying the more 

stringent six-month rule only to 

the 1980-1990 period in northern 

Europe. Convinced that many 

DoD people might have trouble 

remembering temporary-duty and 

travel days in various countries, 

DoD opted to apply the six-month 

rule to the whole 1980-1996 period in all parts of Europe, Sparks 

explained.

Both the FDA and DoD rules 

are less stringent than guidelines 

announced by the American Red 

Cross, which bar all donations from 

any person who has been in Europe 

for more than six months from 1980 

to present.

The estimated difference in risk 

reduction between the two sets 

of criteria is very small. The FDA 

calculates that the new FDA criteria 

cut the risk of mad cow disease by 

91 percent. The Red Cross approach 

would improve the risks by 92 

percent.

The actual risk is small, 

according to officials. In three 

countries that have suffered human 

cases, less than a 100 people have 

been infected out of 122 million.

Mad cow disease is a popular 

term for a disease called Bovine 

Spongiform 

Encephalopathy 

in cows and variant CreutzfeldtJakob Disease 

in humans. It is 

a fatal, brainwasting illness 

caused by runamok proteins 

called prions.

The rare 

human cases 

apparently have 

all come from 

eating infected 

meat. None of 

the European victims caught 

the disease from blood transfusions, says U.S. Army Col. Mike 

Fitzpatrick, ASBPO director. He 

said there is no evidence that 

humans can get the disease that 

way.

However, animal testing suggests that there is a theoretical 

possibility of transmission via 

blood. Therefore, in view of the 

disease’s devastating effects and 

the lack of any way to test blood 

for renegade prions, 

DoD and other health officials 

have opted to exercise extreme 

caution.

The only debate has been 

over how far to go in taking 

precautions — how to balance 

the remote risk of spreading 

mad cow disease to a handful 

of unfortunate people against 

the much larger risk of a blood 

shortfall that could jeopardize 

thousands of lives.

DoD veterinary officials say 

the risk of mad cow disease for 

DoD personnel is even lower 

than the tiny risk that 

Europeans face. That’s because 

the Americans in Europe get 

most of their meat from American sources through military 

supply channels.

DoD tightens blood donor safety criteria

force health protection



To learn more about donating blood and blood safety, see:

American Red Cross 

http://www.redcross.org

Department Health and Human Services 

http://www.hhs.gov/topics/blood.html

To learn more about mad cow disease, see:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/cjd/cjd.htm

Food and Drug Administration

http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/bse.html

For More Information
Deployment Quarterly fall 2001 • http://deploymentlink.osd.mil

RESOURCE guide

Air Force Association

1501 Lee Highway

Arlington, VA 22209-1198

Phone: (800) 727 - 3337

http://www.afa.org

American Legion

1608 K St., NW

Washington, DC 20006

Phone: (202) 861 - 2700

http://www.legion.org

American Red Cross

17th & D Streets, NW

Washington, DC 20006

Phone: (202) 639 - 3520

http://www.redcross.org

AMVETS

4647 Forbes Blvd.

Lanham, MD 20706

Phone: (877) 726 - 8387

http://www.amvets.org

Association of the U.S. Army

2425 Wilson Blvd.

Arlington, VA 22201

Phone: (800) 336 - 4570

http://www.ausa.org

Department of 

Veterans Affairs

810 Vermont Ave, NW

Washington, DC 20400

Phone: (202) 273 - 4300

http://www.va.gov

Disabled American Veterans

807 Maine St., SW

Washington, DC 20024

Phone: (202) 554 - 3501

http://www.dav.org 

Enlisted Association of 

the National Guard

1219 Prince St.

Alexandria, VA 22314

Phone: (800) 234 - 3264

http://www.eangus.org

Fleet Reserve Association

125 N. West St.

Alexandria, VA 22314-2754

Phone: (703) 683 - 1400

http://www.fra.org

Marine Corps Association

715 Broadway Street

Quantico, VA 22134

Phone: (866) 622 - 1775

http://www.mca-marines.org

Marine Corps League

8626 Lee Highway, #201

Merrifield, VA 22031

Phone: (800) 625 - 1775

http://www.mcleague.org

National Guard Association

of the United States

1 Massachusetts Ave., NW

Washington, DC 20001

Phone: (202) 789 - 0031

http://www.ngaus.org

Naval Reserve Association

1619 King St.

Alexandria, VA 22314-2793

Phone: (703) 548 - 5800

http://www.navy-reserve.org

Navy League

2300 Wilson Blvd.

Arlington, VA 22201

Phone: (800) 356 - 5760

http://www.navyleague.org

Non Commissioned 

Officers Association

225 N. Washington St.

Alexandria, VA 22314

Phone: (703) 549 - 0311

http://www.ncoausa.org

Reserve Officers Association

1 Constitution Ave., NE

Washington, DC 20002

Phone: (800) 809 - 9448

http://www.roa.org

The Retired Officers Association

201 N. Washington St.

Alexandria, VA 22314

Phone: (800) 245 - 8762

http://www.troa.org

Veterans of Foreign Wars

200 Maryland Ave., NE

Washington, DC 20002

Phone: (202) 543 - 2239

http://www.vfw.org

Vietnam Veterans of America

8605 Cameron Street, Suite 400

Silver Spring, MD 20910-3710

Phone: (301) 585 - 4000

http://www.vva.org

Department of Defense

http://www.defenselink.mil

Department of Veterans Affairs

http://www.va.gov/

Department of Veterans Affairs Benefits 

and Services

http://www.va.gov/vbs/health/

DeploymentLINK

http://www.deploymentlink.osd.mil

GulfLINK

http://www.gulflink.osd.mil

National Archives and Records 

Administration

http://www.nara.gov/research/

National Personnel Records Center

http://www.nara.gov/regional/stlouis.html/

TRICARE

http://www.tricare.osd.mil/

Phone Numbers

Direct Hotline for Servicemembers, 

Veterans and Families 

(800) 497 - 6261

Department of Veterans Affairs

(800) 827 - 1000

VA Persian Gulf War Registry 

(800) 749 - 8387

VA Benefits and Services 

(877) 222 - VETS

TRICARE Information

(800) TRICARE

Web Sites

moreinformation