Features

2

7

8

Guest Commentary. U.S. 

Air Force Maj. Gen. Leonard M. Randolph Jr., M.D., provides advice on how 

to communicate with your health care 

provider.

United We Read. USS Vicksburg 

crew members stay in touch with families back home through an innovative 

program.

Record Keeping. The Center for Unit 

Records Research performs an unique 

service to DoD.

Up for Adoption. Non-profit organization adopts soldiers deployed overseas. 

Research. Two ongoing research projects evaluate health trends of National 

Guard and Reserve members.

14

2002

In Every Issue

News From Around the World 3

Troop Protection Is New DoD Health Official’s 

Top Job. New National Defense Medal Is Authorized. 

Rumsfeld Says Iraq Is Lying About Weapons of Mass 

Destruction.

Ask Our Doctors 5

How To Prevent Diarrhea During Deployment.

Drugs & Herbs 5

Updated Nerve Agent Antidote Auto-Injector 

Kit Is Under Way.

Gulf War Update 9

DoD Releases Two Khamisiyah Reports. 

Participants Needed For Chronic Fatigue Study.

Health Beat 17

Arm Yourself Against Skin Cancer.

Resource Guide 20

On the Cover

10

summer

M O U N T A I N W A R F A R E T R A I N I N G 

CENTER, Pohang, Korea - Cpl. Brandon 

Fabian, a reconnaissance Marine, rappels 

Australian style down a cliff at the training 

facility. While in Korea, Marines of the 31st 

Marine Expeditionary Unit trained with the 

Republic of Korea Marine Corps during 

Foal Eagle ‘02, an annual combined arms 

exercise between U.S. and Korean forces.

Official Marine Corps photo

Reevaluation. Results from a 

mortality study by VA scientists 

are reevaluated.

Update Info. DoD officials encourage servicemembers to update 

DEERS info before deployment.

Men’s Health. Health care officials say men need regular checkups and exams to stay healthy.

13

15

17

Airmen pass in review with the colors May 31 during a 

basic military training graduation parade at Lackland 

Air Force Base, Texas.

Photo by retired Col. Bob Hunter

AdoptaPlatoon,

see story Page 10. 
Deployment Quarterly summer 2002 • http://deploymentlink.osd.mil

Good communication can 

improve patient care

by U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Leonard M. Randolph Jr., M.D.

ne of the greatest barriers to 

communications between physicians 

and patients is time. No one seems 

to have enough of it these days. However, there are things you can 

do to enhance communications and 

make the most of the time you spend 

in your doctor’s office.

Listen to your body. Take time to 

make a self-assessment. Before your 

appointment, consider writing a diary 

of the symptoms. Focus on descriptive terms for your symptoms, such as 

intense, dull or pulsating. 

Try to relate the symptoms to your 

activities, time of day, and how they 

compare to other past experiences. 

Many clinicians find it helpful when a 

patient can relate a “pattern of experiences.”

Try not to feel embarrassed. Clinicians are highly-trained 

professionals and must keep patient 

information confidential. Since there 

is usually a pattern of symptoms relating to an illness, the clinician often 

has an insight into how the illness 

occurred. He or she may even expect 

to hear the patient state a potentially 

embarrassing phrase in order to make 

a diagnosis. Failure 

to tell all of your concerns (embarrassing or not) to your clinician can 

result in a missed diagnosis with poor 

outcomes.

In the military community, fear of 

reprisals for having a mental or sexual 

health problem may be a concern for 

the patient. A patient’s illness can 

affect the unit’s military readiness and 

possibly the patient’s career. Fortunately, military clinicians have the 

same sacred patient relationship as 

civilian providers and keep patient 

confidentiality as their first priority. 

Not receiving proper treatment may 

cause more harm to a unit’s medical 

readiness, and negatively affect the 

guest commentary

patient’s long-term health.

The clinic staff may ask (multiple 

times) why you are here to see the doctor. This question helps make 

sure that all the proper equipment is 

available in the exam room. If you 

only wish to speak to the clinician, just 

answer that you have several symptoms and are not sure of the problem.

Bring a list. Always keep a card 

in your wallet with a list of your allergies and current medications 

in case of an emergency. Doublechecking your prescription list with 

your clinician is always important. 

A list of questions or concerns is usually helpful during your visit. 

As a patient, you may feel rushed 

or your train-of-thought may be interrupted. Relying only on memory 

for symptoms or concerns from the 

past weeks or months may not be as 

accurate as a list. It can help to check 

with family members about your family history. The use of a list can also 

be helpful when talking to a different 

physician.

Communicating consistent information will keep everyone current on 

your health care. Tell the clinician 

all the medications and supplements 

that you are taking. There are many 

supplements on the market that claim 

to improve health. Vitamins, herbs, 

over-the-counter medications, diet 

pills, etc., can interact with your prescription and may even be the cause of 

your symptoms. For 

example, simple nose spray can 

raise the blood pressure, while a 

high dose of vitamin K can affect 

blood-thinning medication. Checking 

with your pharmacist is also very important when taking supplements.

Don’t believe everything you read. 

The Internet is a fascinating tool for information (good and bad). Anyone can 

write articles for the Internet, and they 

do not require any proof for their claims. 

Bringing in articles from any source to 

the physician’s office can help aid in discussion. However, if 

the clinician seems cautious, please understand that he or she may not trust the 

source of information or 

may have more insight into your particular case.

Give yourself time to heal and stay 

healthy. The best physician plan in 

the world will not work if the patient 

is too busy to comply. Taking time off 

for the rest prescribed can be difficult 

for “indispensable people.” Ask for 

additional assistance whenever you 

can. Timers for medications are not only 

for the elderly. They can help anyone 

taking medications. Scheduling time 

for lifestyle changes is just as important. 

Any change takes time, especially if it involves exercise. An exercise prescription 

may be the best treatment the patient 

ever takes.

Keep the plan simple. The physician 

may discuss or provide a lot of information. Ask questions of the physician in 

order to clarify the instructions. Request 

a telephone consult or schedule a follow-up appointment sooner, if you have 

questions or concerns. 

Good communication is critical to a 

good relationship with your clinician, 

and helps make you a true partner in 

determining which treatments you might 

need, and how to maintain 

your good health. ■ 

U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Leonard M. 

Randolph Jr., M.D., is the executive deputy 

director in the TRICARE 

Management Activity.
http://deploymentlink.osd.mil • summer 2002 Deployment Quarterly

W

ASHINGTON — As the war against 

global terrorism continues, the Defense 

Department is putting added emphasis 

on servicemembers’ health and medical 

needs before, during and after 

deployments. 

DoD’s force health protection program “focuses on the full continuum of 

care for our servicemembers from the 

time they are brought into the service 

until the time they retire or leave the service,” said Ellen P. Embrey, chief of the 

recently established Deployment Health 

Support Directorate. 

Embrey, also the deputy assistant 

secretary of defense for force health protection and readiness, noted the importance of keying on troops’ 

health protection needs as they serve 

worldwide in the anti-terrorism war. 

“That’s the core of our mission. We 

need to make sure they are protected 

before they go, when they’re there, and 

when they return,” she emphasized. 

Embrey said the services use many 

systems to track troops’ health needs 

in the field. Setting up and maintaining proper medical records can be hard, 

however, when there are no permanent hospital computer databases and 

records offices “just down the hall,” she 

said. 

Leveraging available technology, 

hand-held computers are being tested 

for field medical record-keeping, “but 

we still have a lot of work to do there,” 

Embrey said. 

Meanwhile, she noted, “we’re [telling] 

the services to do the best they possibly 

can to ensure that we maintain good 

records on the forces that are deployed.”

Troop Protection Is New 

DoD Health Official’s 

Top Job

Embrey noted servicemembers should understand that deployment is 

inherently stressful. That 

means it’s essential they 

complete pre-deployment health assessments 

truthfully. The assessments ask servicemembers whether they are 

fit and ready to deploy, 

and whether they have 

known health or medical 

vulnerabilities, she said. 

When troops arrive 

in the field “we will be 

monitoring their health 

as closely as we possibly 

can to be sure that they 

are able to complete their 

mission,” Embrey said. 

DoD also evaluates 

medical intelligence data 

being gathered around 

the world to assess the 

environmental and infectious disease risks to deployed troops, she said. 

That information helps 

to better prepare deployable forces for 

the areas where they are going, such as 

preventive medicine education for their 

specific deployment locales, she said. 

Troops undergo a post-deployment 

health assessment upon return to the 

garrison, she noted. 

“We are going to be focusing very 

strongly on those assessments to ensure 

that we do the necessary 

follow-up if they believe they have a 

health-related problem associated 

with that deployment,” she explained, 

to include deployments of years past. 

For example, Embrey said, her organization and the Department of Veterans Affairs work together to continue 

focusing on the concerns of servicemembers who’ve experienced health 

issues since their Gulf War service. 

DoD is scientifically evaluating and 

correlating the illnesses that surface, 

she said, while trying to match them 

to servicemembers’ Gulf War 

experiences. 

— Continued on Page 4

Mail Call

Senior Airman April Heller, 376th Air Expeditionary Wing 

Communications Squadron Postal Specialist, completes 

the paperwork for newly-received mail on May 25, 2002, 

at a forward-deployed location in Kyrgyzstan. Airman 

Heller is deployed from Yakota Air Base, Japan, in support of 

Operation Enduring Freedom. 

U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt Jerry A. King
Deployment Quarterly summer 2002 • http://deploymentlink.osd.mil

news from around the world

WASHINGTON — All servicemembers, including Coast Guard 

members, who were on active duty 

on or after Sept. 11, 2001, are eligible 

to wear the National Defense Service 

Medal, defense officials announced 

May 1. 

“The sacrifices and contributions 

made by the armed forces in direct 

response to the terrorism attacks on 

the United States and to the long-term 

resolution of terrorism merit special 

recognition,” said Deputy Secretary of 

Defense Paul Wolfowitz. 

Members of the National Guard 

and Reserve may also be awarded the 

medal if they were on federal active 

duty on or after Sept. 11. Exceptions 

are if they were on active duty for 

training, on short tours of active duty 

to serve on boards, courts, commissions and the like, or on active duty 

solely to get a physical exam. 

Servicemembers previously have 

worn the National Defense Service 

Medal for duty in three distinct periods, starting with the Korean War era, 

defined as June 27, 1950, to July 27, 

1954. 

Executive Order 11265 authorized 

the secretary of defense to establish 

periods of eligibility after Dec. 31, 

1960. The second period of eligibility 

was a loosely termed “Vietnam War 

era” of Jan. 1, 1961, to Aug. 14, 1974. 

The medal was again authorized by 

DoD Authorizes National 

Defense Service Medal 

for War on Terrorism

Deployments pose “many unknown 

factors,” Embrey noted, adding to the 

difficulty of obtaining accurate information needed to help Gulf War veterans find the cause of their illnesses. 

“It’s important that everyone understand that, regardless of the cause, 

if a person is having a problem, we 

want to take care of them,” Embrey 

emphasized. “We are truly committed 

to focusing on the health and well-being of our deployable forces.” ■

a memorandum from the secretary of 

defense dated Feb. 20, 1991, for active 

service on or after Aug. 2, 1990 — the 

beginning of Operation Desert Shield. 

The termination date was later set as 

Nov. 30, 1995. 

No closing date has been established for this newest period. Eligible 

servicemembers can receive and 

wear the award immediately. Those 

already awarded the medal for an 

earlier period will receive a bronze 

service star device to attach to the 

ribbon. 

Images, a description and history of 

the National Defense Service Medal 

are on the Web at http://www- perscom.

army.mil/tagd/tioh/medals/ndsm.htm. ■

Rumsfeld Says Iraq Lying 

About Not Having WMD

MANAMA, Bahrain — Defense 

Secretary Donald Rumsfeld summarily dismissed Iraq’s June 9 statement 

that it doesn’t have weapons of mass 

destruction and isn’t developing them. 

“They’re lying. It’s just false, not 

true, inaccurate and typical,” Rumsfeld said of the Iraqi statement in response to a reporter’s question shortly 

before leaving Kuwait. He said Iraq 

has weapons of mass destruction and 

continues to “weaponize” chemical 

weapons and to work to develop biological and nuclear weapons. 

“I don’t know what other kinds of 

weapons 

would 

fall in the 

group of 

weapons 

of mass 

destruction,” he 

said. “But 

if there 

are more, 

I suspect 

[the Iraqis 

are] working on 

them as 

well.”

The secretary said 

it’s up to 

Kuwait 

to decide how seriously to take Iraq’s 

recent pledges on non-aggression and 

recognition of Kuwaiti sovereignty. 

He offered his own opinion on that 

issue. 

“It’d be like a lion inviting a chicken 

into an embrace. What good, in the 

past, have the Iraqi representations of 

good will [been] to their neighbors?” 

he said. “Should hope spring eternal? 

Maybe not. I think it depends on the 

risks. How much does one want to 

bet on that?”

Rumsfeld said he hopes to see 

Hussein ousted during his tenure as 

defense secretary. “I would think 

most of the people in the region and 

in the world recognize that the world 

would be a better place without that 

regime,” he said. 

The Bush administration has repeatedly said it favors a change of regime 

in Iraq. Toward that end, Rumsfeld 

said, the United States and other coalition nations are working to enforce 

sanctions and no-fly zones in the 

north and south of the country. 

He wouldn’t, however, discuss military action against Iraq. “What might 

take place prospectively is 

not ... for me to be talking about,” 

Rumsfeld said. “But clearly, ... the 

policy of our country is that the 

regime of Saddam Hussein is a destabilizing factor.” ■
http://deploymentlink.osd.mil • summer 2002 Deployment Quarterly

Q

Q

A

A

drugs& herbs

ask the doc

My buddies and I are in an Army 

field unit, and we have heard 

from some of the medics that 

alty occurs, 

will provide 

a healthcare 

system that can 

care for and 

manage any 

medical event. 

But the foundation remains 

the preparation 

and actions of 

the individual 

servicemember. 

Therefore, any 

information 

that helps you 

do your job better and results in a 

more prepared fighting force is worth 

asking for. Having said that, let me 

provide a little background for the 

benefit of our readers who may not 

be familiar with the topic of the nerve 

agent antidote kit, referred to as the 

Mark-I.

The currently fielded, 

FDA-approved, Mark-I kit 

consists of two separate injection units linked together in a 

common carrier or clip. One 

unit contains atropine and 

the other pralidoxine. These 

antidotes are both needed to 

counter the effects of nerve 

agent poisoning and must be 

given sequentially, one after 

the other. Under battlefield 

conditions, administration 

of two auto-injections in a 

timely manner is difficult at 

best. As you could imagine, 

the stress of combat, the uncertainty of 

operating in a lethal chemical warfare 

environment and the confinement of 

MOPP suits all combines to reduce 

your combat efficiency. Given this, 

some servicemembers may fail to 

— Continued on Page 6

What can I do to keep from getting diarrhea or dysentery during 

my deployment?

The short answer is to be 

careful about what you eat 

and drink. Military deployto prevent the 

bacteria and 

viruses from 

entering our 

system. The 

usual sources of 

such organisms 

are food, water 

and contact 

with persons 

who are already 

infected.

Throughout 

U.S. military 

history, bacterial and viral causes of diarrhea and 

dysentery have been a constant threat 

to the health of deployed U.S. forces. 

Military history is full of 

well-documented episodes in which 

outbreaks of diarrheal disease and 

other food and water-borne diseases 

have weakened forces during wartime. 

The rather strict U.S. military regulations, doctrine, and training on food 

and water sanitation are designed to 

counter this historical problem. During 

the Gulf War, vigorous measures to 

supply wholesome food and water to 

our troops were very effective 

in minimizing the occurrence 

of diarrheal disease. Nevertheless, many U.S. service-members in the Gulf experienced at 

least one episode of diarrhea. 

There were several instances 

of large outbreaks in troop 

populations.

While deployed, you should 

drink only water that you are 

confident is free of contaminating germs. You must assume 

that raw water from a surface 

source, such as a lake or a 

stream, is heavily contaminated with 

bacteria from the waste of animals 

and other humans. If there is no other 

available source of water, then such 

water should be filtered, if possible, 

but it absolutely must be disinfected 

with chlorine or iodine or by boiling 

in accordance with standard military 

doctrine. You should also disinfect 

water from a deep well or from a pipe 

in a community unless you have solid 

evidence that the water has already 

been treated and is safe. Ice made from 

ments may involve not only strenuous 

travel but also a prolonged stay in an 

unfamiliar setting. Travelers often 

experience changes in their health or 

how they feel. Causes include physical exertion, jet lag, loss of sleep and 

a different diet. Perhaps the commonest adverse health effect of travel 

is a bout of diarrhea. Although the 

ordinary stresses of travel may cause a 

change in how our intestines function, diarrhea is usually provoked by 

an infection. Both bacteria — such as 

Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, and 

E. coli — and viruses, such as various 

enteroviruses, and Norwalk virus, can 

cause gastroenteritis — inflammation 

of the stomach and intestines — resulting in diarrhea often accompanied 

by cramping, vomiting and fever. The 

key to preventing such infections is — Continued on Page 6

an updated version of the Mark-I (nerve 

agent antidote auto-injector kit) is in development. I won’t lie to you, but I have 

only been in the Army two years, and I’m 

just a little skeptical about anything new 

that comes down the pipeline. What can 

you tell my buddies and me about this? 

Are we going to be human guinea pigs?

First of all, you won’t be subjected to any untested medical products. However, I appreciate 

the question because you, 

as a servicemember, are the 

one person most responsible for your 

health. The fundamental tenets of 

force health protection are that the 

Defense Department will ensure a 

healthy and fit force, will do everything possible to prevent casualties, 

and, in the unfortunate event a casu-
Deployment Quarterly summer 2002 • http://deploymentlink.osd.mil

properly administer the life-saving 

antidotes properly. Therefore, an 

improved delivery system was proposed and has been in development 

for almost ten years. This development process is finally reaching the 

final stages.

This improved system is called 

the Antidote Treatment Nerve 

Agent Autoinjector. This product is 

being developed by the pharmaceutical and medical products company, Meridian Medical Technology 

in conjunction with DoD’s researchers and combat developers. The 

Antidote Treatment Nerve Agent 

Autoinjector contains the same 

active drugs found in the Mark-I, 

atropine and pralidoxine, but has 

the two drugs in a multi-chambered 

auto-injector, which delivers the 

antidote drugs through a single 

needle. This improved autoinjector has the same antidotes, but it still 

must go through the FDA’s rigorous 

process that ensures this product has 

the same clinical effects and delivers 

the same or higher maximum blood 

levels as the Mark-I. Essentially the 

FDA must ensure that the Antidote 

Treatment Nerve Agent Autoinjector is safe, effective, and performs 

as well as, or better than, the older 

Mark-I. 

What you may have heard from 

the medics, or seen in press reports, 

was that the FDA has approved Meridian Medical Technology’s manual 

filling process of the Antidote Treatment Nerve Agent Autoinjector. The 

next phase will be full rate production process when the FDA gives 

final approval. I can not say when 

this will happen. However, since the 

Mark-I is still in the stock system, 

and the plan 

is to transition to the Antidote Treatment Nerve Agent Auto-injector in 

a phased approach (use up the old 

type and buy the new), I would 

not expect you folks in the field 

to see the new product for some 

time. I am certain when that time 

approaches there will be training 

information disseminated and 

notifications at all levels. 

Thanks for the question. ■

Cmdr. Gene DeLara, Medical 

Service Corps, U.S. Navy, serves as the 

medical planner in the Directorate for 

Deployment Health Support. He has 

a Doctorate of Pharmacy degree and a 

Masters of Business Administration 

degree. DeLara is both a pharmacist 

and medical planner holding the 1805 

Plans, Operations, and Medical Intelligence specialty code. 

Drugs & Herbs

— Continued from Page 5

U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate Airman Andrew Betting

U.S. Marines from Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, prepare to land on a simulated 

enemy controlled beach during excercises in San Diego Bay. The Marines are stationed at 

Camp Pendleton, Calif., and practice this simulation annually. 

local water sources is no safer than the 

source water. Putting contaminated 

ice in an alcoholic drink does not disinfect it. Bottled water obtained from 

U.S. military supply channels should 

be safe to drink when it is opened, 

although 

it could become contaminated afterwards. 

During deployments, the safest 

food to eat comes from sources approved by U.S. medical personnel. 

U.S. military rations such as 

Meals-Ready-to-Eat, or MRE, meet 

that standard. Hot meals prepared by 

U.S. military personnel should normally be safe to consume, although 

military medical technicians periodically inspect mess operations to ensure that safe food handling practices 

remain in effect. If you must procure 

food from a local, non-U.S. source, 

you should avoid foods that have not 

been freshly cooked. Raw foods, such 

as salads, vegetables and fruits may 

be heavily contaminated and should 

be avoided unless you have a way to 

decontaminate them. You may eat 

fruits that can be peeled if you thoroughly wash the outside, carefully 

peel away the skin and discard it.

The above precautions are effective in preventing not only diarrheal 

disease, but also other food and waterborne infections such as Hepatitis A, 

Hepatitis E and several parasites. ■ 

Editor’s Note: After serving 30 years 

in the U.S. Army, Col. Francis L. 

Ask the Doc

— Continued from Page 5

O’Donnell, M.D., retired on May 31. 

He was the deputy director of medical 

readiness in the Deployment Health Support Directorate. 

Catch A Wave
http://deploymentlink.osd.mil • summer 2002 Deployment Quarterly

T

here’s no sadder scene than Navy families bidding each other a fond farewell as a ship leaves 

for deployment. It’s enough to make even a veteran of many deployments shed a tear or two.

The weather was overcast and cold the morning the cruiser USS Vicksburg (CG 69) prepared 

to get underway for a six-month deployment in 

support of Operation Enduring Freedom. 

On the pier, sailors mingled with family and 

friends, cherishing those final moments prior 

to their parting. Couples hugged tearfully as 

children clung close to their parent’s legs and 

looked anxiously into 

the eyes of their departing sailors. 

Soon the call went 

out for the crew to come 

aboard as Vicksburg 

made final preparations 

for getting underway. 

The long-awaited hour 

had come at last. As 

tugs pulled Vicksburg 

away from her berth, 

nearly every sailor had 

someone watching, waving, and waiting on the 

pier, waiting for the day 

when they would gather 

again to welcome home 

their loved ones. 

In the meantime, the 

Vicksburg crew stays in 

touch with their families 

back home through 

an innovative program called Uniting Through 

Reading. 

The Uniting Through Reading program keeps 

deployed sailors connected to their children by 

giving them opportunities to read to their kids 

on videotape. These tapes are then sent home to 

waiting children for viewing. 

Parents at home are encouraged to photograph 

their children’s reactions while watching their 

favorite sailor on TV then mail the photos back 

to Vicksburg; completing a full circle of 

communication.

The benefits for morale both at home and at sea 

are immense. Children are delighted to see their 

deployed parents on tape, and sailors love nothing more than getting photos from home while 

serving their country on some lonely sea.

Planning for the Uniting Through Reading 

program began recently when representatives from 

the Family Literacy Foundation hosted training for 

the ships of the John F. Kennedy 

Battle Group. 

Vicksburg’s Commanding Officer U.S. Navy 

Capt. David Britt immediately recognized the positive impact of this program and strongly supported 

its establishment on board by 

appointing the ship’s chaplain, U.S. Navy Lt. 

Cmdr. Michael Gore, to administer the program 

with the aid of Religious Programs Specialist 1st 

Class (SW) Robert Gorman. 

A great deal of support was needed in order to 

get the program off the ground. Fortunately, many 

people saw its value and were eager to assist. 

For example, the ship’s Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Fund provided money for videotapes and 

books. 

The Navy Federal Credit Union led a book drive 

in the ship’s homeport of Mayport, Fla., and donated additional books to the ship’s library. When 

the children of St. Joseph’s School in Herndon, Va., 

learned of the program through Britt’s sister-inlaw, they quickly organized a book drive of their 

own and sent several boxes of books to be used by 

members of the crew. 

Within a few short weeks the program was up 

and running and excitement for it began to grow. 

No one knew how popular the program would be 

when the first sign-up sheets were posted in the 

chaplain’s office, but within hours the sheets were 

full, and a waiting list was established. 

Halfway through Vicksburg’s deployment the 

Uniting Through Reading program has proved 

itself a huge success. 

Not only have fathers participated in the program but numerous other sailors have also participated in making videos for wives, 

girlfriends, friends and various family members 

back home. With only three months of the 

deployment complete, 180 sailors out of a crew of 

400 have participated and more than 150 children 

have benefited. 

Although there’s no empirical data to show the 

value of the program, there has been quite a bit 

of anecdotal feedback. Perhaps an excerpt from a 

letter written by Barbara Halliburton, a teacher at 

Mayport Elementary School, says it best. 

One of Halliburton’s students, Victoria Jack , is 

the daughter of Vicksburg Gunner’s Mate 1st Class 

Raymond Jack. Soon after the ship got underway, 

Petty Officer Jack made a video for his two daughters — Victoria and Cassandra. When Victoria got 

the video, she took it to school to share with her 

Vicksburg Families Stay Connected 

Using New Video Reading Program

United We Read: 

by uss vicksburg public affairs

— Continued on Page 8
Deployment Quarterly summer 2002 • http://deploymentlink.osd.mil

W

by austin camacho

hat servicemembers experience during their military career, depend to an 

extent on their location on any particular day. That is what might determine 

what dangerous situation a person 

gets exposed to, and also what kind 

of benefits a military member might 

qualify for later in life. When that kind 

of information really matters, veterans 

of all the services turn to the Army’s 

Center for Unit Records Research. 

“We’re part of the Department of 

Defense, but we really work for the 

veteran,” says Don Hakenson, director 

of the Center for Unit Records Research. 

“It’s our job to document every unit’s 

location. We also document the activities of units.”

That has been Hakenson’s mission since 1980 when the organization 

began, as the Army Agent Orange 

Task Force. The herbicide, commonly 

called Agent Orange, was one of the 

plant-killing chemicals used by the 

U.S. military in Vietnam. The chemical compound included a toxic substance called dioxin. Herbicides were 

dispensed from airplanes, helicopters, 

trucks and backpack sprayers. When 

the Department of Veterans Affairs began paying benefits for illnesses related 

to Agent Orange exposure, it became 

important to be able to verify the extent 

of a veteran’s exposure. The task force 

developed that ability and still does so 

today.

“If you want to know how many 

spray missions took place near you, we 

can tell you, if you know your unit and 

the dates,” Hakenson says.

The work of the Agent Orange Task 

Force proved valuable. In 1982, the VA 

asked if they could also help with Post 

Traumatic Stress Disorder claims. Post 

Traumatic Stress Disorder is a psychiatric disorder that can occur after experiencing or witnessing of life-threatening 

events such as military combat. Those 

suffering from PTSD may relive the 

experience through nightmares. In the 

early 1980s, the VA was seeing a large 

number of patients who might suffer 

from this disorder because of their military experience.

However, in order to process benefit 

claims, the VA needed to verify who 

had been exposed to such an event. 

Hakenson’s team developed the skills 

and systems to research unit records 

and verify who was present at battles 

and other events that could give rise 

to PTSD. The organization was soon 

given a new name to reflect that ability.

Today, researching PTSD claims 

represents about 85 percent of CURR’s 

work. They receive between 4,500 and 

5,000 PTSD cases every year, and not 

just because of combat. PTSD is a problem that can arise on every deployment, 

and even when there is no combat 

experience. Natural disasters, terrorist 

incidents, serious accidents or violent 

personal assaults like rape can result in 

PTSD. Any veteran who experienced 

such an event while on active duty 

might qualify for benefits.

The center gained another mission 

in the mid-1990s. The VA established a 

Gulf War Registry to track the servicemembers deployed to Operations 

Desert Shield and Storm. Then DoD 

learned that U.S. forces destroyed a 

cache of rockets containing the nerve 

agents sarin and cyclosarin in an Iraq 

weapons storage facility at Khamisiyah. 

It was imperative that DoD learn which 

servicemembers were in the potential hazard area and may have been 

exposed to low levels of those nerve 

agents. The Center for Unit Records 

Research and the Defense Manpower 

Data Center provided the databases 

used to determine unit locations during 

the Gulf War, and who was in each unit 

in the possible exposure hazard areas. 

Hakenson says their requirement was 

to track the location of every unit, down 

to the company level, for every day of 

the war.

“It was a massive project,” he says. 

“First we had to go through all the 

records that had been retired. Then we 

gathered the S-3’s and G-3’s [battalion 

level and higher unit operations officers] to fill in the gaps.”

The S-3/G-3 conferences came after 

a lot of work had already been done. 

The Center for Unit Records Research 

started reviewing records in mid-1994, 

deriving unit locations from a large 

number of Gulf War unit records. They 

gathered unit location information from 

a wide range of sources, including unit 

history data archives, operational logs, 

situation reports, after action reports 

and historical reports. The initial effort 

to record unit location data received a 

big boost in 1995 when the deputy secretary of defense established the Gulf 

War Declassification Project. The services’ declassification offices joined the 

effort to review Gulf War operational 

records, declassify them, and routinely 

make these documents available to the 

center. 

The center declared its database 

operational late in 1995. Since then it 

has continually updated the database as 

additional unit locations are obtained. 

Today, it has more than 900,000 unit 

locations in its database of daily unit 

locations during the war. 

Today, Hakenson’s staff of 16 researchers continue to provide both location and event data for servicemembers 

of past conflicts. In addition to Gulf 

War and Vietnam veterans, they receive 

about 500 cases each year concerning 

World War II 

and Korea veterans, as well as the occasional World War I case. ■ 

classmates. 

After seeing the video, Halliburton 

wrote to Britt saying, “All the kids in 

class said ‘Hi!’ to Mr. Jack and we listened intently. I was so touched; it was 

so sweet. Even my assistant, an old Navy 

wife, had tears in her eyes. This is such a 

wonderful program!”

The Navy demands much from its 

sailors and just as much from its families. But programs like Uniting Through 

United

— Continued from Page 7

Reading temper those hardships 

attempting to support families during 

deployments.

To learn more about how your 

ship can participate in the Uniting 

Through Reading program, visit the 

Family Literacy Foundation’s Web site 

at http://www.read2kids.org or contact 

George Gruber via telephone at (757) 

850-7001 or via e-mail at george@read2kids.org. ■

Center for Unit Records Research 

Providing Valuable Information and Services to Veterans 
http://deploymentlink.osd.mil • summer 2002 Deployment Quarterly

J

T

gulf warupdate

ohns Hopkins University is still looking for participants to complete its 

enrollment in an ongoing study of 

chronic fatigue in Gulf War veterans. 

The study, under way since 2000, is 

being conducted by researchers at the 

Johns Hopkins University Hospital 

in Baltimore, Md. Researchers are 

investigating whether some Gulf War 

veterans who suffer from chronic 

fatigue might have a treatable medical 

condition that the study team can 

diagnose.

Researchers need participants who 

are no older than 50, and who served 

in the Gulf War between August 1990 

and July 1991. To qualify for the 

study, participants must have persistent tiredness which is not explained 

by another illness, and which began 

during or after deployment to the Gulf 

War theater. They must also have 

other symptoms which began during 

or after that deployment, and which 

are not explained by another illness. 

Healthy Gulf War veterans are also 

participating as a control element of 

the study, as are veterans who did not 

serve in Operations Desert Shield and 

Desert Storm.

The investigators are testing for two 

medical conditions in Gulf War veterans: neurally mediated hypotension 

and postural tachycardia syndrome. 

In layman’s terms, these conditions 

describe low blood pressure or an 

excessive decrease in blood pressure 

when a person stands up, resulting 

in a reduced blood flow to the brain. 

Both conditions occur after periods of 

sitting or standing upright. 

Normally, in an upright or standing 

position, gravity causes blood to pool 

in the blood vessels of the abdomen, 

arms and legs. To allow a person 

to remain sitting or standing, the 

nervous system makes internal adjustments that keep a proper amount of 

blood flowing to the brain. When 

these adjustments are not effective, 

the result can be neurally mediated 

hypotension or postural tachycardia 

More Participants Needed in 

Study of Chronic Fatigue in 

Gulf War Veterans

DoD Releases Khamisiyah Demolition Ops Reports 

demolition operations on U.S. servicemembers. In addition, investigators 

began detailed computer modeling of 

events in the spring and summer of 

1997 to determine the size and path of 

the potential hazard area created by 

demolition activities. The modeling 

resulted in the Defense Department 

sending notification letters to approximately 99,000 veterans in 1997. 

Further refinement of computer 

modeling of the Khamisiyah pit 

demolition was completed in January 2000. This information combined 

with an updated CIA estimate of how 

much chemical warfare agent was 

released, addition of deposition and 

decay to the models and consideration 

of toxicity of both sarin and cyclosarin in the models resulted in a second 

interim report published in December 

2000. The improved modeling allowed 

investigators to redefine the potential 

hazard area, resulting in slight changes 

to the estimated numbers — 101,000 

vs. 99,000 — of U.S. servicemembers 

possibly exposed to low-levels of nerve 

agent by the Khamisiyah demolitions. 

More than 66,000 service-members 

were shown to be in the potential 

hazard area by both the 1997 and 2000 

modeling. In December 2000, the 

Defense Department notified more than 

140,000 servicemembers of their status 

based on their unit location inside or 

outside of the 2000 potential hazard 

area. 

syndrome. Symptoms of these two 

conditions include fatigue, lightheadedness, headaches, nervousness, sleep 

disturbance, muscle pain, trouble 

thinking, concentrating or remembering, and a fast heart rate. If there is a 

further reduction in blood and oxygen 

flow to the brain, some people may 

faint or come close to fainting. Several 

of these symptoms are similar to those 

experienced by Gulf War veterans.

Study leader Peter C. Rowe, M.D., 

a professor at the Johns Hopkins 

University School of Medicine, says 

the study “will help us understand 

whether abnormal control of heart 

rate and blood pressure contribute to 

fatigue and other symptoms in those 

with Gulf War illnesses.” 

Study participants complete a 

series of questionnaires. They then 

undergo a physical examination and 

a tilt-table test where participants lie 

on a table that is gradually tilted to 70 

degrees, almost the angle of standing. 

Participants are then tested for either 

— Continued on Page 16

by joan kennedy

— Continued on Page 14

he Department of Defense released 

two reports in May relating to the 

events at Khamisiyah during the Gulf 

War in April. The first report is a final 

version of its case narrative “U.S. Demolition Operations at Khamisiyah.” 

The second, “Modeling and Risk 

Characterization of U.S. Demolition 

Operations at the Khamisiyah Pit,” is 

a technical report detailing the modeling and risk characterization of possible chemical warfare agent exposure 

in the Gulf War. 

After publishing the first interim report in 1997, investigators working for 

DoD’s special assistant for Gulf War 

Illnesses, Medical Readiness and Military Deployments intensified their efforts to address unanswered questions 

and to fully understand the effect of 
Deployment Quarterly summer 2002 • http://deploymentlink.osd.mil

S

by diana berardocco

Moms Adopt 

Soldiers Deployed 

Overseas

an 11th-grade English teacher from 

Rio Hondo, Texas, whose son recently 

completed a four-year enlistment in the 

U.S. Army. It was her son’s deployment 

with the 4th Battalion, 5th Air Defense 

Artillery Regiment to Camp Dobol, 

Bosnia, in 1998 that stirred her patriotic 

duty and motherly compassion.

“My son would write or make quick 

calls and tell me about the nine soldiers in his platoon who stood for mail 

call every day, and every day nothing 

came,” Hägg recalled. “These soldiers 

were 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds, like my 

son. He asked if I would send some 

cards and goodies to them, and not 

forget them during the holidays that 

were coming.” 

Hägg responded to her son’s request. 

And then she decided to try to find nine 

other mothers who would each adopt 

one of the soldiers. Within a week, 

each soldier had a mom who pledged 

her support. Several weeks later, the 

platoon leader sent Hägg an e-mail 

message stating that morale for those 

nine had so significantly changed that 

perhaps she could perform the same 

miracle for the entire platoon, an organizational unit that generally consists of 

10 to 40 soldiers. Using the resources in 

her community, including local schools, 

churches and businesses, 4-H Clubs, 

Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, she quickly 

linked her son’s entire platoon and 

additional Camp Dobol soldiers with a 

community eager to express support.

When interest soon outpaced her 

source of soldiers, Hägg wrote to thenU.S. Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Byrnes, a 

former commander of U.S. Forces in 

Bosnia, and described the outpouring 

of community support for the young 

men and women. Impressed with her 

success, Byrnes approved the linkage 

of soldiers from the 82nd Field Artillery 

stationed at Eagle Base Camp in Bosnia 

with supporters — just in time for 

Christmas 1998. Less than two years 

later, the program had grown from the 

initial nine to 10,000 soldiers.

“I kept linking support and it grew 

from there. I never dreamed it would 

be what we have today,” said Hägg, 

who marked the program’s third anniversary last year. 

While most AdoptaPlatoon support 

requests come from Kosovo and Bosnia, 

the program also links soldiers in 

Macedonia, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, 

and has sent support to soldiers via the 

American Red Cross on special projects 

in the Balkans and at Camp Stanley, 

Korea.

“We’ve helped every branch of the 

services who have requested our asAdoptaPlatoon Board Director and Platoon Mom Joyce 

Lisiewski of Ohio and U.S. Army spouse and Platoon Mom 

Lesley Stephens, of Pennsylvania.

Left: Ida Hägg poses with her son, then U.S. Army 

Pvt. Chauncey Hägg shortly after basic training at 

Fort Sill, Okla., in 1997

“You have renewed a belief in an old soldier and a great deal of young ones that 

we are not forgotten. Every soldier looks 

forward to mail call as it’s a rather sacred 

tradition in the military. But it’s a tradition that can bring happiness as well as 

sadness. You have continued to bring 

happiness into the lives of my soldiers. 

For that I am eternally grateful.”

entiments such as this one from a 

first sergeant serving with the 529th 

Military Police Company in Kosovo 

give Ida Hägg and her dedicated army 

of volunteers the energy to sustain 

AdoptaPlatoon. AdoptaPlatoon is a 

soldier-support grassroots effort that 

provides morale-lifting mail and care 

package support to more than 10,000 

servicemembers deployed overseas.

“I never tire of reminding people that 

our soldiers do not deserve to be forgotten and that they need us,” said Hägg, 
http://deploymentlink.osd.mil • summer 2002 Deployment Quarterly

sistance,” said Hägg, noting that an Air 

Force staff sergeant serves on the fivemember board of directors. 

During the last three years, approximately 20,000 supporters have adopted 

or corresponded with a soldier. 

Named AdoptaPlatoon by the 

soldiers themselves, the program is 

managed primarily through e-mail 

communication between Hägg, her 

board of directors and 20 volunteer 

mothers who assist with database and 

web site content and link other mothers, grandmothers, families, pen-pals, 

churches, schools, civic organizations 

and companies to deployed soldiers.

The program encourages families 

to support soldiers in the form of an 

“adoption” and offers single people the 

opportunity to support single soldiers through a pen-pal arrangement. 

Support consists of sending a weekly, 

cheerful card or letter, acknowledging 

a soldier’s birthday, and sending at 

least one care-package per month. Care 

packages usually contain hard candies, 

gum and cookies that a soldier can 

share with the entire platoon. 

More than a year ago the organization created a special type of support 

person — the “Platoon Mom” — who 

embraces an entire platoon of deployed 

soldiers and rallies support for her 

adopted platoon within her local community. Currently, there are almost 100 

volunteer mothers in approximately 20 

states who support entire platoons. 

“The Platoon Mom is a 

very special person. She 

meets a rigorous interview 

and screening process,” 

said Hägg, noting that a 

“Mom” may be single or 

divorced and must be 

at least 30 years of age. 

“They support a platoon 

soldier or soldiers during one rotation, which 

usually lasts four to 

six months. They also 

communicate with 

the platoon leader to 

determine the needs of the platoon as 

a whole.” 

Hägg emphasized the care she and 

Fran Dobson, known as the Platoon 

Mom Commander, take in admitting a potential Platoon Mom into the 

program.

“We are very overprotective of our 

soldiers,” she said, explaining that since 

the recent anthrax scare, volunteers are 

working harder to verify information 

and perform follow-up phone calls. 

Hägg stresses that the program wants 

sincere and committed supporters who 

consider their efforts a “gift we give 

ourselves.” 

AdoptaPlatoon Moms effusively 

share what the program means to them.

“I will tell you something, without 

ever seeing one of them in person, or 

ever even knowing what most of them 

look or sound like, I love each of my 

adopted soldiers as if they were my 

own.” said New Jersey Platoon Mom 

Rose Podolsky. 

Platoon Mom Elaine Harmon, another New Jersey resident and retired 

first grade teacher, became involved 

with the program two years ago after 

a friend forwarded an e-mail about 

AdoptaPlatoon. Starting first with a 

small platoon, Harmon’s support has 

extended to several hundred soldiers, 

including 150 servicemembers from 

Alpha Company, 201st Forward Support Battalion serving in Kosovo. Her 

ongoing dedication to the soldiers led 

to an invitation to attend the changeof-command ceremony in Vilseck, Germany, for the commander of the 201st 

Logistics Task Force. While in Germany, she had the emotionally gratifying 

experience of visiting with many of her 

adopted soldiers.

“You know you are making a difference in the lives of these soldiers, 

especially the lonely ones,” Harmon 

said. “You send them things, anything 

that 

will brighten 

their day and make them 

smile.”

The AdoptaPlatoon program makes 

a difference in the lives of students who 

participate as well. Harmon regularly visits the classroom of a friend 

and teacher to assist the children with 

preparing the letters, cards, holiday 

greetings and gifts they send overseas 

to Harmon’s adopted platoon. She said 

she believes in teaching kids to be patriotic; and the kids enjoy the program 

immensely.

The program has also helped Nancy 

Parra’s sixth grade Lowell Elementary 

class to see beyond the boundaries of 

Mesa, Ariz. When the class adopted a 

staff sergeant attached to the 101st Airborne in Kosovo two years ago, Parra 

developed a world studies curriculum 

to solidify the educational experience. 

“We studied the region of Kosovo 

and Bosnia, wrote a class book for the 

district writing contest that described 

what the soldiers are doing there, and 

tackled issues like religious tolerance 

and how it related to our civil rights 

movement,” she explained.

To develop her class’s writing skills, 

she taught the elements of the writing 

process as her children drafted letters to 

their adopted soldier. The staff sergeant 

reciprocated by sending pictures and 

writing personal letters to every child in 

the class. 

“We sent a care package every month 

with candy or a pair of new socks and 

things that would help to make his 

deployment easier,” she said. “The 

children were very motivated that they 

were taking care of somebody else. For 

them, that’s a first, and they really liked 

that role.” 

Sometimes the interaction becomes 

even more personal. The sixth grad- — Continued on Page 12
Deployment Quarterly summer 2002 • http://deploymentlink.osd.mil

ers’ most recent adopted soldier often 

exchanges e-mail with the students from 

Kosovo, answering questions such as 

“Who does your laundry?” and “What 

kind of food do you eat there?” 

While on leave to visit his family in 

New Mexico this past summer, he made 

a special journey — driving from New 

Mexico to Arizona — to visit the class. 

The kids were absolutely thrilled, 

Parra recalled.

From the exchange of correspondence, 

the Lowell elementary schoolchildren 

learned about the needs and hardships 

of the children in Kosovo. 

“Our teachers organized a drive and 

the school sent packages of pens, pencils 

and other school supplies to Kosovo, 

and the children felt good about doing 

that,” Parra said.

“We’ve developed many projects from 

soldiers requests or needs,” said Hägg.

Two years ago, when a military 

police battalion deployed to Bosnia 

needed crayons for coloring books that 

the Army wanted to give the Bosnian 

schools, they contacted AdoptaPlatoon. 

The organization created “Operation 

Crayon,” and in 30 days volunteers delivered enough crayons to fill an Army 

supply truck. 

Today, “Operation Crayon” assists the 

soldiers’ efforts to help children in the 

war-torn region by supplying Bosnian 

and Kosovo schools and orphanages 

with items such as winter clothing, 

socks, undergarments, school supplies 

and other necessities.

“When we support our soldiers’ 

humanitarian efforts, it helps raise their 

morale,” said Hägg. “They love to provide aid to the children who are the real 

victims of the war.”

Corporate America has also embraced 

the program. Southwest Airlines recently approved a company-wide, AdoptaPlatoon effort which links 250 soldiers 

with thousands of employees 

and employee groups in their 59 

airport stations and other departments nationwide. 

 “Supporting the troops is of 

utmost importance to us,” said 

Lacey Waldrep, a Southwest Airlines customer relations representative. 

She said employees are placing boxes in 

their work areas to fill with magazines, 

snacks and candies to send to the troops. 

The ripple effect has been enormous and 

employees’ families, friends and church 

groups have expressed interest in sending mail and care packages.

As a non-profit organization, the 

primary challenge for AdoptaPlatoon is 

raising the necessary funding to maintain the growing support flowing to the 

soldiers, said Hägg.

Buster Dobson, a “Platoon Dad,” oversees fundraising responsibilities to meet 

the immediate requirement for administrative, grant-writing and computerbased resources.

“We all work out of our homes. We 

don’t have a big copier and my emails smoke-out a printer every three 

months,” Hägg continued. “We have 

grown so big so fast our greatest need is 

a paid staff.”

In June 2001, the organization was 

awarded a $2,500 grant by the jointly 

sponsored Fisher House Foundation, 

the Military Times Media Group and 

Newman’s Own, an organization headed 

by actor Paul Newman, for its innovative 

program to improve military quality of 

life. The Veterans of the Vietnam War, 

Inc., has recently offered to provide assistance with software and databases. The 

organization also receives many small 

donations in the mail.

Transcending present concerns and 

leaning towards the spiritual for a moment, Hägg said she feels the project is 

blessed. 

“We have so many dedicated people 

reaching out to make a difference in the 

lives of our soldiers who are as passionate as I am about AdoptaPlatoon. The 

reward we receive is beyond words,” 

said Hägg.

For information on how to become 

a Platoon Mom or Dad or how you or 

your organization can adopt a soldier 

or military unit, visit the AdoptaPlatoon 

Web site at http://www.adoptaplatoon.

org or send an e-mail message to info@

adoptaplatoon.org. ■

AdoptaPlatoon

— Continued from Page 12

A CH-46 of HC-6 lifts cargo from the fast combat 

support ship USS Seattle AOE 3 during an underway 

replenishment with the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier 

USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67) in May. The Kennedy 

and her embarked Carrier Air Wing Seven (CVW 7) are 

conducting combat missions in support of Operation 

Enduring Freedom. 

U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 1st Class Spencer Layne

Fast Food

“We have so many dedicated people 

reaching out to make a difference in 

the lives of our soldiers ...”
http://deploymentlink.osd.mil • summer 2002 Deployment Quarterly

I

research

Researchers Hope New 

Studies May Show Health 

Trends Among Guard and 

Reserve Members

by austin camacho sachusetts. 

“In New England, most of the 

people who deployed to the Gulf War 

were Reserve forces,” Proctor said. 

“The Devens Cohort [Study], which 

we have been following since 1991, 

is about 70 percent Army National 

Guard and Reserve forces.”

Currently, the Massachusetts Army 

National Guard includes approximately 8,000 soldiers. Proctor’s crosssectional epidemiology study involves 

mailing surveys to all of them, plus 

about 4,000 people who have left the 

Guard within the past four years. 

Working with the Guard will allow 

Proctor to examine both military 

health issues and another interest of 

hers, occupational health.

“National Guard members are 

unique in that most of them have a 

civilian job as well as the National 

Guard job,” Proctor said. “Sometimes 

they’re almost exactly the same kind 

of job, but in other cases they may be 

very different from each other.”

The responses soldiers provide in 

the survey will do more than just describe the health status of Massachusetts Army National Guard members. 

The survey study will provide a way 

to look at different aspects of people’s 

National Guard jobs and their civilian 

jobs, to see how they might impact 

their health, job performance and 

quality of life. This data will also provide baseline health information for 

future use. Proctor’s Gulf War veteran 

study showed her how important that 

can be.

“One of the major issues with trying to understand the Gulf War and 

how it affected people’s health is that 

there was very little pre-deployment 

information on people,” Proctor said. 

Her current work will create a starting 

point, sort of a snapshot of the current health status of a new cohort of 

Army National Guard members that 

researchers can compare with their 

health status in the future, whether 

they are activated for future deployments or not.

The information collected may also 

suggest possible measures to improve 

their health and quality of life. It 

could help define new health carerelated programs and drive future 

force health protection policies. Plus, 

including those who left the Guard 

in recent years will give researchers 

an opportunity to determine whether 

there is a correlation between retention in the Army National Guard and 

health status.

Proctor expects broad participation 

in the study, although she knows that 

Army National Guard members are 

very busy these days. Her studies 

were conceived and designed before 

Sept. 11, 2001. But she says the very 

fact that the National Guard is such 

an integral force in the ongoing mission to fight terrorism and protect our 

own country makes her studies all the 

more important.

“We know the survey takes time 

and these people are busy,” Proctor 

said, “but we hope they will consider 

“One of the major issues with trying to understand the 

Gulf War and how it affected people’s health is that there was very 

little pre-deployment information on people.”

— Continued on Page 19

Tech. Sgt. Ivan Herrera, 150th Fighter Wing of the New Mexico Air National 

Guard, stands watch over two KC-10 refueling aircraft while deployed in support of 

Operation Enduring Freedom. 

U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Michael Gaddis

n its report “Protecting Those Who 

Serve: Strategies to Protect the Health 

of Deployed U.S. Forces,” the Institute 

of Medicine said that there was a need 

to focus research efforts on National 

Guard and Reserve forces in order to 

learn more about their specific issues 

and concerns in the current military 

climate. If doctors need baseline health 

information to understand the effects 

of deployments on servicemember 

health, then two studies being conducted right now could hold the key 

to any deployment-related health 

concerns that may present themselves 

in the future. 

One study, conducted through surveys, will describe the current health 

status of a group of Army National 

Guard members. The other is a field 

study that will focus on individual 

Guard members looking for possible 

deployment-related health changes. 

The principal investigator on both 

studies is Susan P. Proctor, D.Sc., an 

epidemiological researcher at the 

Boston University School of Public 

Health and the Veterans Affairs Boston 

Healthcare System. Proctor has been 

interested in deployment health issues 

since the Gulf War. She says the two 

new studies on Army National Guard 

members were both prompted by her 

ongoing work, with the Devens Cohort 

Study, because its subjects 

were soldiers who deployed to and 

returned from the Gulf War through 

the now-closed Fort Devens in Mas-
Deployment Quarterly summer 2002 • http://deploymentlink.osd.mil

W

Doggone Thirsty 

K-9 handler Cpl. James Wasmer from Marine Corps Air Station 

Cherry Point, N.C., gives his dog Rex a drink of water while 

on break during Exercise Phoenix Readiness held in April at 

Fort Dix, N.J. Phoenix Readiness is an Air Mobility Command 

12-day exercise that prepares Expeditionary Combat Support 

packages for deployment environments. 

U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Shane A. Cuomo

Since publication of the second interim report, investigators received new 

information from veterans inquiring 

about their inclusion or exclusion from 

the possible hazard area. After reviewing each request, investigators notified 

the veteran (and any others affected) 

of the results of the review, including 

any change in their possible exposure 

status. Examples of some of the reasons 

for change include: 

· Personnel identified on a unit 

manning list who did not actually 

deploy with the unit. 

· Air Force personnel attached or 

on exchange to Army units who 

were not on Army personnel 

lists; and 

· Army reserve civil affairs units 

attached to military police 

brigades. 

As a result of the updates since the 

previous publication, the number 

of possibly exposed personnel now 

stands at 101,752. 

The technical report, “Modeling and 

Risk Characterization of U.S. Demolition Operations at the Khamisiyah 

Pit,” describes the details of the modeling and risk characterization of possible chemical warfare agent exposure 

— Continued from Page 9

Khamisiyah in the Gulf War. It also details efforts 

to reconstruct the demolition of chemical-warfare-agent-filled munitions at 

Khamisiyah, Iraq, on March 10, 1991; 

to identify the servicemembers who 

possibly may have been exposed; and 

to evaluate 

the possible effects of that exposure. 

This final case narrative and technical report are available on GulfLINK 

at http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/khamisiyah_iii/ and http://www.gulflink.osd.

mil/khamisiyah_tech/. ■

a briefing for veterans service organizations in Washington, D.C. The briefing 

included information that suggested 

a ten-fold increase in the death rate 

among one group of veterans who were 

identified as being near the Khamisiyah munitions depot, which contained 

chemical weapons, when U.S. forces 

destroyed it on March 10, 1991. 

However, the most recent in-depth 

VA study, based upon more current 

data, matched death records with the 

Social Security numbers of 134,379 veterans whom the Department of Defense 

said may have been exposed to chemical weapons at Khamisiyah.

The latest study found 368 deaths 

that weren’t included in the February report, plus 650 deaths that were 

attributed earlier to the wrong group 

of veterans. When the two errors were 

VA Reevaluates Gulf War Death Rates

ASHINGTON – A mortality study by 

scientists of the Department of Veterans Affairs concerning veterans who 

served near the Iraqi munitions dump 

at Khamisiyah during the Gulf War 

demonstrated no substantial increase in 

deaths nor any unusual causes of death. 

The study began after another VA 

report in February suggested a dramatic increase in deaths among a group 

of about 35,000 veterans serving in the 

Gulf area during the war.

“I regret if that earlier report caused 

alarm,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi. “We’re in the 

business of providing information to 

veterans as soon as we can. In this instance, some information was released 

before being properly scrutinized and 

scientifically validated.”

On Feb. 21, 2002, VA employees held 

combined, they dramatically distorted 

the mortality pattern among Khamisiyah veterans.

“The bottom line is that Khamisiyah 

veterans have death rates similar to 

their non-exposed counterparts and 

less than half the rate of their civilian 

counterparts,” Principi said.

The latest study was based upon 

current information and a larger, more 

comprehensive pool of data from the 

National Death Index, compiled by the 

National Center for Health Statistics. 

The February report involved matching VA records and DoD rosters of 

service members notified that they were 

exposed to two different models of the 

possible chemical hazard areas from 

Khamisiyah. ■
http://deploymentlink.osd.mil • summer 2002 Deployment Quarterly

T

Why Should You Update 

Your DEERS Info?

here’s just one more important thing 

that Defense Department officials are 

asking Guard and Reserve members 

to do before being activated or deployed. That is, register their eligible 

family members in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System. Or, 

if their family is already registered, 

update the information. Registration 

in DEERS is key to making sure that 

family members’ health, health care 

and other benefits are covered. 

“We are trying to reinforce to all 

Guard and Reserve Component personnel the importance of keeping their 

records and beneficiaries’ records current, so that they may receive the benefits and privileges accorded by law 

and regulation,” said U.S. Army Col. 

James Scott, director of individual and 

family support policy in the Office of 

the Assistant Secretary of Defense for 

Reserve Affairs.

While most Guard and Reserve 

members are automatically registered 

in DEERS, their family members are 

not. 

“The only way to be absolutely sure 

that a family member is registered in 

DEERS is for the member to complete 

a DD Form 1172 [Application for Uniformed Services Identification Card 

DEERS Enrollment Form] and provide 

the necessary documentation to verify 

the information,” said Scott.

The Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System is a centralized 

automated system that captures, edits 

and maintains sponsor and family 

member data upon which eligibility for military health care and other 

benefits is determined. TRICARE is 

the military’s regionally managed 

health care program for active duty 

and retired members of the uniformed 

services, their families or survivors. 

Each TRICARE region is composed 

of military and civilian 

health care providers. 

Failure to keep DEERS 

records up-to-date and 

accurate may result in 

denial of health care for 

family members when 

it is needed the most.

Any changes in family member structure must be reported 

within 30 days of the change, said 

Scott. This includes the reporting of 

a marriage, a divorce, birth of a child 

or addition of a ward or dependent 

parent.

Additionally, information from 

the DEERS database is also used to 

determine eligibility for the TRICARE 

dental program and the Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance Family 

Coverage program.

Long-time members of the Guard 

and Reserve usually update the information as changes occur, Scott said, 

and that is the ideal situation. However, problems exist when new Guard 

or Reserve members have not registered their eligible family members in 

DEERS or updated their information. 

“If you define readiness as the 

ability to perform your mission, then 

if someone is pulled off the line to 

return home to get medical support 

assistance for a family member, that 

person is taken away from their ability 

to perform the mission, and mission 

readiness is affected,” said Scott.

Under normal circumstances, families of Guard and Reserve members 

would become eligible to receive 

TRICARE health care benefits after 

their military sponsor receives orders 

for more than 30 consecutive days. 

For those Guard and Reserve members with orders which call them to 

duty for 30 days or less, their families 

would be ineligible for DoD medical 

benefits. Guard and Reserve members 

activated under orders for 179 days 

or more have the option to enroll in 

TRICARE Prime.

Although Guard and Reserve members who are activated receive the 

same health care as their active duty 

counterparts, coverage for families 

can be very different. Which is why 

defense officials are encouraging families of Guard and Reserve members to 

compare the features and costs of each 

TRICARE option as well as their own 

civilian employer-sponsored health 

plan.

Prior to mobilization, most Guard 

and Reserve members are given the 

opportunity to review or make changes to their individual and families’ 

DEERS registrations, explained Scott. 

When supporting documentation 

— such as a birth certificate, marriage certificate or divorce decree — is 

required, the servicemember must 

travel to a DEERS Real-Time Automated Personnel Identification System 

— RAPIDS — site to present verification. This system was instituted not 

only to ensure that those who are 

eligible receive their benefits, but also 

to prevent fraud, waste and abuse.

“With the events of Sept. 11 and the 

ensuing missions, this could present 

a significant challenge,” said Scott. 

“First, to find the time. Second, to 

find the required documentation, and 

third, to find the DEERS/RAPIDS site 

closest to your geographic area.”

However, Scott noted, a DEERS/

RAPIDS portable workstation has 

been developed and fielded that can 

be transported to any location in 

an effort to eliminate the barriers to 

registration experienced by Guard and 

Reserve units. A verifying officer can 

then dial into the DEERS database, 

update the records and issue the necessary identification cards. 

Besides visiting the nearest DEERS/

RAPIDS location, Guard and Reserve 

members can call the Defense Manpower Data Center Support Office 

Telephone Center toll-free Monday 

“We are trying to reinforce the 

importance of keeping their records 

and beneficiaries’ records current.”

— Continued on Page 16

by lisa gates
Deployment Quarterly summer 2002 • http://deploymentlink.osd.mil

through Friday from 9 a.m. to 

6:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time 

at (800) 538-9552 (in California call 

(800) 334-6152) or visit http://www.

tricare.osd.mil/deersaddress to update 

information or to register.

Defense officials also want Guard 

and Reserve members to know that 

under the Uniformed Service Employment and Reemployment Rights Act 

of 1994, they may retain their civilian 

employer-sponsored health care plan 

up to 18 months when called to active 

duty for more than 30 days. However, 

if the decision is made to continue 

this coverage, the employer can require 

some or all of the plan’s premium to be 

paid by the employee. The maximum 

that could be charged is 102 percent 

of the full premium, which includes 

the employer’s share, the employee 

share and a two-percent administrative 

charge. If activated 30 days or less, the 

employer may not charge more than 

the employee’s share for the coverage.

Guard and Reserve members are encouraged to talk with their employers 

and families to make health care coverage decisions before they deploy or 

are activated. For additional guidance 

and information, contact the National 

Employer Support of the Guard at 

http://www.esgr.org.

“Although the intent of having family members registered in DEERS is to 

support the management of the various 

benefits programs, the information is 

also used extensively to support legislation of new benefit programs,” said 

Scott. “Accurate information in DEERS 

is critical for the future benefits for 

Guard and Reserve members and those 

of his family.”

To assist Guard and Reserve family 

members find more information about 

benefits, the Office of the Assistant 

Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs created the “Guide to Reserve 

Family Member Benefits” book. The 

book, available online at http://www.defenselink.mil/ra/documents/family/benefits.

pdf, provides a wealth of information.

For information about TRICARE 

and its available options, call 

(888) 363-2273 or visit its Web site at 

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

there is a separate section on the TRICARE Web site addressing the needs of 

Guard and Reserve members and their 

families. The Web site can be accessed 

DEERS 

— Continued from Page 15

an abnormally increased heart rate or an 

abnormal drop in blood pressure. The 

changes in heart rate and/or blood pressure which lead to these symptoms cannot usually be found in a routine medical 

office visit. The symptoms are usually 

diagnosed by the tilt-table test. 

“Participants in the study will learn 

whether these problems affect them personally,” says Rowe. “If these circulatory 

abnormalities prove to be more common 

in the sick than in the healthy veterans, 

the study might suggest ways to treat 

some symptoms in a more focused and 

more effective manner.” 

Researchers are also looking for possible links between the symptoms of 

interest and exposure history such as 

pesticides, vaccinations or infections. ReChronic Fatigue

— Continued from Page 9

at http://www.tricare.osd.mil/reserve/default.htm. ■searchers are asking study participants 

about any family history of problems 

with regulating blood pressure to learn 

whether environmental factors or family history could be associated with 

having neurally mediated hypotension 

or postural tachycardia syndrome. For 

patients with either diagnosis, lifestyle 

adjustments and medications can help 

regulate blood pressure or heart rate. 

The study results are provided to the 

participant’s primary care physicians 

for follow-up treatment. 

Study participants are asked to provide the names, addresses and phone 

numbers of their first-degree relatives 

— biological parents, brothers, sisters 

and children 18 or older — for the family history portion of the study. Family 

members, who will be compensated for 

their time, will be interviewed by telephone about their medical history. 

Travel expenses and stipends are 

paid to participants, as well as expenses 

for a travel companion 

if needed by the veteran.

For more information and an application, call toll-free (877) 

800-9516 or visit the study’s Web 

site at http://www.med.jhu.edu/gws. ■

Summer DHS Outreach Schedule

Aug. 9-14 DAV Annual Convention

Dallas, Texas

Aug. 9-16 Force Health Protection 

Conference

Baltimore, Md.

Aug. 10-13 Air Force Sergeants 

Assoc. Jacksonville, FL

Aug. 10-17 AMVETS Convention

 Louisville, KY

Aug. 18-22 EANGUS Annual 

Convention

Niagra Falls, NY

Aug. 19-24 Military Order of the 

Purple Heart

South Portland, Maine

Aug. 23-29 American Legion 

National Convention

Charlotte, N.C.

Aug. 24-30 VFW National Convention

Nashville, Tenn.

Sept. 7-9 NGAUS National 

Convention

Long Beach, Calif.

Sept. 8-11 First Annual Deployment 

Health Conference

Alexandria, VA
http://deploymentlink.osd.mil • summer 2002 Deployment Quarterly

health beat

Arm Yourself Against Skin Cancer

by janice billingsley

health scout news reporter

Debra Jaliman, clinical instructor at 

New York City’s Mount Sinai School 

of Medicine and a spokeswoman for 

the American Academy of Dermatology. 

Look for a sun block that protects 

against both ultraviolet-B rays (UVB) 

and ultraviolet-A (UVA) rays. UVBs 

are short-wave solar rays that are 

considered the primary cause of skin 

cancers. UVAs are long-wave rays 

that cause wrinkling and aging of the 

skin, and are thought to interact with 

UVBs to increase cancer risk. 

“You want to block all rays,” says 

Jaliman, who recommends buying sun 

block with a minimum sun protection 

factor [SPF] of 15. 

However, not all sun blocks are created equal, she adds. 

Many sun blocks are advertised as 

Men’s Medical Maladies Not To Be Ignored

by brian badura

bureau of medicine 

and surgery public affairs

— Continued on Page 18

women in mortality rates in each of 

the top 10 leading causes of death.

Cause for concern? Yes. Irreversible? No. What should men focus 

on to ensure they live longer and 

healthier lives?

One key area is exercise. Experts 

agree exercise at least three times a 

week for 25 minutes or more with 

a routine that combines strength 

training and cardiovascular activity 

can provide great benefits in overall 

health.

Other tips from the Men’s Health 

Network include quitting smoking, 

avoiding overexposure to the sun 

and limiting alcohol consumption to 

no more than two drinks per day. A 

proper diet that is low in fat and rich 

with fiber, fruits and vegetables is also 

recommended.

Be sure to follow the recommendations for regular physicals for your 

age group. These exams are important, as they often provide early detection of health-related issues.

“Depending on their age, men 

should also be aware of the requirements for screenings for testicular and 

prostate cancer,” said Pouget.

Men need regular check-ups, just 

like women and children. They 

should be encouraged to lead healthy 

lives and get regular medical “tune 

ups” to avoid experiencing major 

problems.

For more information on 

men’s health, visit the Men’s 

Health Network on the Web at 

http://www.menshealthnetwork.org. ■

W

S

kin cancer is the most common 

cancer in the United States. It’s also 

one of the most preventable. But 

left unchecked, it can be among the 

deadliest. 

Melanoma, the most serious of 

the three types of skin cancer, is the 

fastest-rising form of cancer in the 

United States. It causes 75 percent of 

the deaths from skin 

cancer, and there 

will be approximately 53,600 new 

cases of melanoma 

diagnosed this year. 

That’s a 4 percent 

increase over 2001, 

according to the 

American Cancer 

Society. 

There will also 

be nearly 1 million 

new cases this year 

of the highly curable but potentially 

disfiguring basal cell 

and squamous cell 

carcinomas, the ACS 

states in its 2002 

“Facts and Figures” 

report. 

To combat this 

alarming rise in cancer cases and to 

better educate Americans about the 

hazards of too much sun, May was 

declared “Skin Cancer Awareness 

Month.” 

While it may seem obvious, protecting yourself from the sun is the 

best way to reduce your risk of skin 

cancer, dermatologists say. 

“If you are fair-skinned, work outdoors, play golf or tennis [or other 

outdoor sports] or have a history of 

skin cancer, you should always protect yourself from the sun,” says Dr. 

Jeffrey Goldstein, a New York City 

dermatologist. 

Hats, preferably with a two-inch 

brim, UV-treated sunglasses, protective clothing and waterproof sun 

block are all invaluable, adds Dr. 

hen it comes to their general health, 

men act tough. If a problem arises, 

many often believe it will go away 

over time if they just work through 

it on their own. But is this the best 

strategy to follow?

Medical studies are quickly proving 

that approach to medical maladies 

takes its toll on the male population 

— which is precisely 

why June 10-16 was designated as 

National Men’s Health Week.

According to the Men’s Health 

Network, the goal of Men’s Health 

Week is to raise society’s awareness of 

the importance of preventive health 

in the early detection and treatment of 

problems affecting men.

“Men need to treat their health 

like they treat their car, which means 

preventive maintenance and care at 

regular intervals,” said U.S. Navy Lt. 

Cmdr. Mae Pouget, specialty leader 

for general medicine.

Pouget noted that as a general rule, 

women are more concerned about 

their health than men. They tend to 

follow recommendations for regular 

visits to the doctor and self-examinations to detect potential problems. 

Men should be doing the same.

Need proof that men’s health is a 

serious issue? Consider data from the 

Men’s Health Network that shows 

twice as many men as women die 

of heart disease. In fact, men lead 
Deployment Quarterly summer 2002 • http://deploymentlink.osd.mil

“broad spectrum,” meaning they claim 

to offer protection from both UVB and 

UVA rays, Jaliman says. “But the labels 

can be very misleading,” so make sure 

one of the main ingredients is a strong 

blocking agent, like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, she says. 

It’s also important to wear protective 

clothing, she says. There are companies 

that even manufacture clothing with 

an SPF of 4 or more. You don’t have 

to buy a whole new wardrobe, Jaliman 

says, “but you could have one piece of 

clothing to wear at the beach all day.”

Goldstein emphasizes the importance of reapplying waterproof sun 

block if you’re outdoors for a long 

period of time. 

“SPF 15 works for about two 

hours,” he says. “So if you’re at the 

pool or beach, or playing golf all day, 

you should reapply. I tell golfers to 

reapply sun block after the first nine 

holes.”

And dermatologists warn the sun 

is most dangerous between 10 a.m. 

and 4 p.m. 

Children, with their sensitive skin, 

are particularly vulnerable to the sun. 

While skin cancer is uncommon in 

children, the damage that leads to it 

is accumulated in childhood. So, it’s 

crucial that kids wear plenty of sun 

block, as well as protective clothing, 

according to the Skin Cancer 

Foundation. 

“In the summer, kids should wear 

hats and shirts when they’re out of the 

pool, playing in the sand,” Goldstein 

says. “I lather my own kids up with 

SPF 30 at the pool.”

And if you think tanning salons, 

which are popular with teens and 

young adults, offer a preemptive 

strike against skin cancer, think again. 

A recent Brown University Medical School study found people who 

used tanning salons when they were 

younger were nearly three times more 

likely to get squamous cell carcinoma 

and 1.5 times more likely to develop 

basal cell carcinoma than those who 

didn’t use tanning salons. 

Dermatologists also recommend 

annual exams to check for unusual 

moles or pre-cancerous lesions. And 

these check-ups should be done by a 

dermatologist. 

“If a gynecologist or general practitioner looks at a skin lesion, you 

have a 50/50 chance of the correct 

diagnosis. But the accuracy level 

of a dermatologist’s diagnosis is 97 

percent,” Jaliman says. 

You should also examine yourself 

regularly for moles that change shape 

or color, or for new moles or marks 

that appear and don’t go away. 

“I spend some time with my 

patients teaching them how to look 

at moles, and they become better participants in their own care,” Jaliman 

Skin Cancer

— Continued from Page 17

“If you are fair-skinned, 

work outdoors, play golf 

or tennis or have a history 

of skin cancer, you should 

always protect yourself 

from the sun.”
http://deploymentlink.osd.mil • summer 2002 Deployment Quarterly

this important. The Massachusetts 

Army National Guard leadership has 

been very supportive of both these 

research projects.” 

While every person counts, participation in the study is completely 

voluntary. Participants will simply 

fill out the written informed consent 

form, complete the survey and mail 

both items back in their postage paid 

envelope. Guard members can track 

the progress of the study at Proctor’s 

National Guard Study Web site. 

Proctor’s concurrent project is a 

deployment health field study, following a group of Massachusetts Army 

National Guard soldiers who deployed 

to Bosnia and a comparison group 

who did not deploy. Its purpose is to 

see how people’s health and cognitive 

functioning might change during and 

after a deployment. A secondary aim 

of the study is to conduct a field validation study involving several different 

neurobehavioral test batteries. The 

deployment study focuses on a smaller 

number of soldiers — 170 in all, including 95 who deployed, and a control 

group of 75 who did not deploy. But 

this study requires personal attention. 

Proctor, two other full-time researchers, 

and a handful of part-time assistants 

will work with each of the study subjects to gather the information needed.

“We’re doing that through personal 

interviews, surveys and tests of attention and concentration presented on 

a several different computer-based 

formats,” said Proctor. 

Participants also have the option of 

giving researchers permission to access 

their military medical records so they 

can review pre-deployment medical 

data and examine the results of their 

Armed Forces Qualification Test. The 

AFQT data represents a baseline for 

cognitive testing.

In order to monitor health changes, 

Proctor’s small group has collected 

health information at three different 

time points with the deployed group. 

Pre-deployment information was 

gathered in August 2001, before the 

soldiers left for Bosnia. Proctor and her 

assistants traveled to armories around 

the state in order to gather questionnaires, perform interviews and do the 

computer-assisted neuropsychological 

testing during Guard drilling time. All 

the same information was gathered 

from the comparison group. 

Proctor went to Bosnia for a week in 

January, gathering health information 

from soldiers during their deployment 

phase. That, she says, could not have 

happened without military support and 

assistance. All the logistics and coordination for her visit was handled by 

the U.S. Army Medical Research Unit 

- Europe in Heidelberg, Germany, with 

members of their staff assisting in the 

Bosnia data collection. She says their 

collaboration made it possible for a civilian to get her work done in a military 

deployment environment.

“I never had to wear BDU’s or kevlar 

or ride in a C-130 [aircraft] before,” 

Proctor says. It was snowy and cold, 

but as a New Englander, Proctor did 

not find the weather to be a challenge.

Proctor was also at Fort Dix in New 

Jersey to meet those soldiers when they 

returned from Europe. They finished 

the post-deployment assessments on 

the deployed group this April. She 

plans to reevaluate them again in a 

year. The comparison group will also 

receive follow-up evaluations this summer and again next spring. 

Proctor expects her studies to be 

completed in the fall of 2003, with her 

results submitted for publication soon 

afterwards. People in and outside 

the military await those results with 

interest. Proctor says interest in her research, and in the Guard, has increased 

since she began the project.

“The studies were started before 

Sept. 11,” she said. “The National 

Guard have a more visible presence 

now to the general U.S. population than 

they did before.”

She hopes that her work will provide 

valuable information that will benefit 

future research. She believes the results 

could be generalized to all peacekeeping deployments, even for active duty 

servicemembers.

Proctor says she wishes there had 

been pre-deployment data available 

when she began her work with Gulf 

War veterans. The servicemembers of 

the Devens Cohort Study filled out surveys when they returned from the Gulf, 

without regard for their health status at 

that time. Proctor continues to follow 

their condition.

“Within the Devens Cohort group 

there are people who are sick and 

people who are not,” she said. “People 

had different experiences and different 

exposures, some of which are associated 

with some of their health complaints. 

We haven’t seen high percentages of 

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or psychiatric problems in this group.”

She knows there are sick Gulf War 

veterans, but based on her work with 

the Devens Cohort Study members, 

she believes subgroups of Gulf War 

veterans are sick in different ways. 

Therefore she doesn’t believe there is 

a specific unique Gulf War illness, but 

rather Gulf War-related illnesses.

“Gulf War veterans experienced a 

number of different deployment exposures and situations. So, while their 

illnesses may be deployment-related, 

their symptoms are most likely related 

to different events that happened in the 

Gulf,” Proctor said.

She hopes that her work will set a 

precedent so that researchers will have 

more and more pre-deployment health 

information. And exposure information 

should also be available, thanks to the 

U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion 

and Preventive Medicine.

“CHPPM [U.S. Army Center for 

Health Promotion and Preventive 

Medicine] is actually in Bosnia doing 

air sampling, and they’ve been there 

since 1995,” Proctor said. “So they do 

have measures of air quality and water 

quality.”

Proctor will actually be able to look 

at those exposures in relationship to 

the group she is studying in her newest 

project. Interested soldiers and others 

can learn more about both new research 

projects and about 

participation in them at the Web site 

Proctor has set up, http://www.nationalguardstudy.org. No one knows if future 

deployments will generate health concerns, but if they 

do, Proctor’s work could be the basis 

for finding the needed answers. ■

National Guard

— Continued from Page 13

“The National Guard have a 

more visible presence now to 

the general U.S. population 

than they did before.”
Deployment Quarterly summer 2002 • http://deploymentlink.osd.mil

other resources

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

3133 Mount Vernon Avenue

Alexandria, VA 22305

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: (800) 336-0291

http://www.mca-marines.org

Marine Corps League

8626 Lee Highway, #201

Merrifield, VA 22031

Phone: (800) 625 - 1775

http://www.mcleague.org

National Association for 

Uniformed Services

5535 Hempstead Way

Springfield, VA 22151

Phone: (800) 842 - 3451

http://www.naus.org

National Committee for Employer 

Support of the Guard and Reserve

1555 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 200

Arlington, VA 22209-2405

Phone: (800) 336 - 4590

http://www.esgr.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

610 Madison Street

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

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

By Phone 

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

Deployment Health Clinical Center

(800) 796 - 9699

On the web

Department of Defense

http://www.defenselink.mil

Department of Veterans Affairs

http://www.va.gov/

DeploymentLINK

http://deploymentlink.osd.mil

GulfLINK

http://www.gulflink.osd.mil

TRICARE

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

resource guide