The Future of Military Health Care

An Investigation of the Military Health Care of Gulf War Veterans

Introduction

As Omar Bradley , a U .S . general , puts it , bravery is the capacity to perform properly even when scared half to death . Indeed , anyone can never underestimate the kinds of challenges that American soldiers face every time they go into war . They face death , sickness , physical pain and emotional pain due to being separated from their families . There is the uncertainty of living and the certainty of death , which can come to haunt them at anytime

The Persian Gulf

War in 1990-1991 saw 697 ,000 U .S . servicemen , both men and women , into an unknown territory . They , however , were special compared to other Americans who went to prior wars . There was more diversity in ethnic cultures . There were also more civilians who were uprooted from their private lives to become National Guards and Reserves

It was considered to be a major victory for the coalition forces , headed by the United States . There have suffered minimum casualties compared to their enemy . In fact , casualty rates in this quick and decisive war were less than one-tenth of one percent of the 697 ,000 U .S . troops deployed between August 2 and the cease-fire (Department of Veterans Affairs , 2007

However , along with the win come the different forms of illnesses among veterans . They exhibit various symptoms such as rashes , depression anxiety , fatigue , diarrhea , and post-traumatic stress dis

To address the health problems of the military , the U .S . government particularly its Department of Defense , strengthened further its military health care through convening of medical experts as well as establishment of acts that seek to provide better health care programs and benefits for them . There were also numerous studies conducted to identify the cause . Speculation has centered on the possibility that troops were exposed to chemical or biological weapons , or were adversely affected by the smoke from the burning oil wells (Bard , 2003 . However until now there is no conclusive evidence to fully support the existence of Gulf War Syndrome

Related Research /Literature Review

The Gulf War was one of the shortest battles in history , only lasting 6 months . It was basically a conflict between a coalition of 35 nations led by the United States of America , and Iraq . With an authorization from the United Nations (UN , their main objective was to free Kuwait

On August 2 , 1990 , Iraq invaded Kuwait , which basically developed the war . The UN intervened by giving economic sanctions in Iraq , in response to the aggression . Coalition forces , meanwhile , intervened on January 1991 . The war ended with a resounding win for the coalition . Iraqi forces were driven out from Kuwait with minimum coalition deaths Combat , both on air and ground , was only confined in the bs of Saudi Arabia , Iraq , and Kuwait

Gulf War Syndrome

However the victory of the coalition was not shared by the soldiers They started exhibiting what is called as Gulf War Syndrome (GWS . It is a form of sickness where symptoms include diss...