In October, a panel from the highly-regarded Institute of Medicine said the U.S. military was too preoccupied with its war mission in the Persian Gulf to prepare for the potential medical aftermath. The panel's report concluded that the absence of uniform health records for all troops who served in the war had impeded research efforts. In December, the Nobel-prize winning scientist who led a 1994 Pentagon study dismissing links between chemical weapons and the vets' illnesses said his findings may have been flawed. Joshua Lederberg told The New York Times that the Pentagon never informed him about the ammunitions depot incident, and said it could alter his study's conclusions. The Pentagon denied withholding information.
Scientists remain bewildered by the ailments.
Estimates of those affected range from 30,000 to 100,000 of the 690,000 people who served in the war. The most common symptom is aching joints, followed by chronic fatigue, memory loss, night sweats, headaches, skin rashes, loss of concentration and depression. The investigation goes on. In late December, the long-awaited Presidential Advisory Committee on Gulf War Illness is expected to deliver its final report. News reports say the preliminary drafts are highly critical of the Pentagon.