VA Censors Blocking Gulf War Veterans' Comments on VA Blog

(91outcomes.com) - Censors at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs are blocking Gulf War veterans' comments to a defensive VA blog post about ongoing VA retaliation against Gulf War veterans.

The VA blog, VAntage Point, appears to allow comments.  However, veterans posting comments receive the message, "awaiting moderation," after attempting to the post their comments. 

To date, not a single comment has been allowed to be posted by VA's censors.

So, we will post some of the censored comments here.

-A.H.

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Keith A. Nordeng says:
Your comment is awaiting moderation. 
June 20, 2013 at 2:52 pm
What a huge pile of cow plop. They are really concerned. After 23 years we are back at square one. With the troubles at RAC, putting out a contract to define the new term for Gulf War Illness now known as CMI (Chronic Multiple Illnesses). They have instituted the OIF/OEF now being renamed post-deployment clinics. Seems to me the war has a begin date of 1991 with an end date to be determined by the President. Have never heard of a post-9/11 conflict yet? Was explained to me that the clinic was set up to take the burden off of the General PCP and Specialty clinics and that the returning vets have a multitude of combat incurred injuries as unexplained illnesses. Also informed that VA is taking the problem seriously due to the Gulf War Registry, that Gulf War Veterans are invited to sign up for. Sound a little weird?

Get out, inform the press, inform you Congressman and Senators. Raise some hell about what they are doing to us the Gulf War vet, the disenfranchised veteran.

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Keith A. Nordeng says:
Your comment is awaiting moderation. 
June 21, 2013 at 11:27 am
Why are no comments being posted?

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David LaShell says:

I am a Gulf War Veteran who served during Desert Shield/Desert Storm. I have been to a specialized clinic for exposure concerns we were subjected to during the war of 90-91. The specialized clinic was the War Related Injury and Illness Study Center (WRIISC); this support agency ran specific tests that were not available at my VA Medical Center. 

Once I returned the physician I was assigned to become very interested in my healthcare, but he was handicapped because of his lack of knowledge concerning what was called Gulf War Illness. At the VA center I am assigned I have repeatedly asked the specialized doctors and physicians if they knew what Gulf War Illness was and could they understand what I am going through and help. None of the physicians I met had the 3x5 card the VA Administration so adamantly flaunts as a card to let physicians know about how to handle veterans from the Gulf War. When I went to the environmental coordinator for the Gulf War Registry, his comment was that “Gulf War Syndrome is only a form of symptomology not necessarily a sickness…” 


This is not the way we treat veterans that have given so much without doubt or question to the United States. The WRIISC was initially established as a specialized clinic for Gulf War Illness, which has not been opened up for all era veterans of all conflicts. This makes difficult for Gulf War 90-91 veterans to attend. Healthcare physicians in the VA are still not recognizing GWI as a serious physiological condition as stated in IOM since 2008. 
Veterans Administration has continuously stated they have proudly served the Gulf War Veterans with compassion and professionalism. This is untrue as Gulf War veterans are still fighting to get physicians to understand their medical issues. 

VA Secretary Shinseki has described that he included nine infectious diseases for presumptions to Gulf War veterans, these diseases are common diseases anyone can be infected with in the United States. What this means is that if you were in service and contract one of the diseases then you can be compensated up to one year after your discharge. This does not help those who suffer from these serious life threatening medical issues inflicted upon them from exposures. 

Second, the three presumptions related to Gulf War, Irritable Bowel, Chronic Fatigue, and Fibromyalgia, also are common to the population of the United States. Therefore, this is looked upon as not a serious condition of serving in the Persian Gulf. The only possible link to presumptions that come close to being assumed as service related to the Persian Gulf are “chronic medically unexplained illness,” which is not being changed for the fourth time to “Chronic Multi-Illness” or CMI. 


The VA has sent every veteran an information sheet that repeatedly states the VA may consider that your claim is presumed without medical documentation you have in your military records. This is a broad and generalized way to say maybe or maybe not you have a service connection presumed. 

Leaving many veterans to have to fight to get medical care for their illness, instead they are losing family, employment, and respect trying to pay for their healthcare out-of-pocket. 

We need to do something that will change this course of action by the Veterans Administration so military veterans can hold their heads up with respect.

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