El Defensor Chieftain: Veteran speaks on his battles since returning from Gulf War
El Defensor Chieftain: Veteran speaks on his battles since returning from Gulf War: "Wednesday, October 4, 2006
Veteran speaks on his battles since returning from Gulf War
Evelyn Cronce El Defensor Chieftain Reporter
Veteran Jerry Wheat spoke to audiences at the Disable American Veterans Hall and at the Socorro Public Library about his experiences in the first Gulf War in 1991.
He especially spoke on the physical and bureaucratic problems he continues to battle from wounds received when his Bradley armored personnel carrier was accidentally hit twice by "friendly fire" with American shells made from depleted uranium.
Wheat was deployed in Saudi Arabia in late December 1990 with the 3rd Armored Division of the 47th Cavalry. On Feb. 27, 1991, on a reconnaissance mission in Iraq, Wheat found himself in a sandstorm facing the enemy's Republican Guard.
The Bradley he was driving pulled back to reload and was hit by an armor-piercing round. When he came to, he was on fire and removed most of his clothing, including his bulletproof vest. When he discovered that the Bradley would still run, he attempted to head back to his unit and was hit a second time. This time, without his protective gear, the shrapnel penetrated his body and became embedded.
Wheat was evacuated to the field hospital where the shrapnel was removed. He said the pieces were small, the largest being only about three-quarters of an inch. His commanding officer told Wheat that he was lucky to be alive after having been hit by two T-72 Russian tank rounds.
"He didn't tell me I had been hit by 'friendly fire,'" Wheat said.
For the next couple of weeks, until the ceasefire, Wheat continued to drive the Bradley until the engine finally quit and had no access to shower facilities.
"I was just happy to be alive. The Bradley, my clothes and my sleeping bag were all covered in a fine dust, not sand," he said. "There were still pieces of shrapnel in my sleeping bag and my gear. The fine dust got over everything, including the MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat) I ate. There was no place to wash up."
Then the ceasefire was declared and Wheat returned to his family at the base in Germany, but he started having health problems. He had still not had an opportunity to shower or clean up when he arrived home still dusty. His 3-year -old son, who had never had respiratory problems, was rushed to the hospital that night and spent the next week in the hospital with breathing problems.
Wheat feared some kind of heavy metal poisoning. Wheat discovered that he had been hit by depleted uranium when his father, working at Los Alamos, took samples of the shrapnel from Wheat's sleeping bag and had them tested.
Wheat brought the shrapnel from his gear and the shrapnel that had worked its way out of his body since the incident to the lecture. Damacio Lopez tested it with a Geiger counter and demonstrated that it registered 1,200 counts per minute.
Wheat has had numerous health problems since the incident, but the Veterans Administration has not said that any of his problems, including the cancerous tumor in the bone of his shoulder, were caused by depleted uranium. He said the V.A. blames his problems on post-traumatic stress.
Wheat's lecture was followed by a showing of the video documentary "Invisible War: The Politics of Radiation."
Much audience discussion followed both the presentation and the video. There was a great deal of concern expressed about effects of depleted uranium as used by the military. Concern was expressed as well about historic testing of depleted uranium weapons, and whether or not it is still being tested, for the military at New Mexico Tech and at White Sands Missile Range.
Tom Delahante, Disabled American Veterans president, suggested everyone who has been exposed to shrapnel from any of the Middle East conflicts or from Bosnia, either during the fighting or from souvenirs brought back by soldiers, or from the testing of depleted uranium done locally should contact the DAV.
"You don't want to deal with the VA alone," said Delahante. "Jerry's story is typical."
ecronce@dchieftain.com"
Veteran speaks on his battles since returning from Gulf War
Evelyn Cronce El Defensor Chieftain Reporter
Veteran Jerry Wheat spoke to audiences at the Disable American Veterans Hall and at the Socorro Public Library about his experiences in the first Gulf War in 1991.
He especially spoke on the physical and bureaucratic problems he continues to battle from wounds received when his Bradley armored personnel carrier was accidentally hit twice by "friendly fire" with American shells made from depleted uranium.
Wheat was deployed in Saudi Arabia in late December 1990 with the 3rd Armored Division of the 47th Cavalry. On Feb. 27, 1991, on a reconnaissance mission in Iraq, Wheat found himself in a sandstorm facing the enemy's Republican Guard.
The Bradley he was driving pulled back to reload and was hit by an armor-piercing round. When he came to, he was on fire and removed most of his clothing, including his bulletproof vest. When he discovered that the Bradley would still run, he attempted to head back to his unit and was hit a second time. This time, without his protective gear, the shrapnel penetrated his body and became embedded.
Wheat was evacuated to the field hospital where the shrapnel was removed. He said the pieces were small, the largest being only about three-quarters of an inch. His commanding officer told Wheat that he was lucky to be alive after having been hit by two T-72 Russian tank rounds.
"He didn't tell me I had been hit by 'friendly fire,'" Wheat said.
For the next couple of weeks, until the ceasefire, Wheat continued to drive the Bradley until the engine finally quit and had no access to shower facilities.
"I was just happy to be alive. The Bradley, my clothes and my sleeping bag were all covered in a fine dust, not sand," he said. "There were still pieces of shrapnel in my sleeping bag and my gear. The fine dust got over everything, including the MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat) I ate. There was no place to wash up."
Then the ceasefire was declared and Wheat returned to his family at the base in Germany, but he started having health problems. He had still not had an opportunity to shower or clean up when he arrived home still dusty. His 3-year -old son, who had never had respiratory problems, was rushed to the hospital that night and spent the next week in the hospital with breathing problems.
Wheat feared some kind of heavy metal poisoning. Wheat discovered that he had been hit by depleted uranium when his father, working at Los Alamos, took samples of the shrapnel from Wheat's sleeping bag and had them tested.
Wheat brought the shrapnel from his gear and the shrapnel that had worked its way out of his body since the incident to the lecture. Damacio Lopez tested it with a Geiger counter and demonstrated that it registered 1,200 counts per minute.
Wheat has had numerous health problems since the incident, but the Veterans Administration has not said that any of his problems, including the cancerous tumor in the bone of his shoulder, were caused by depleted uranium. He said the V.A. blames his problems on post-traumatic stress.
Wheat's lecture was followed by a showing of the video documentary "Invisible War: The Politics of Radiation."
Much audience discussion followed both the presentation and the video. There was a great deal of concern expressed about effects of depleted uranium as used by the military. Concern was expressed as well about historic testing of depleted uranium weapons, and whether or not it is still being tested, for the military at New Mexico Tech and at White Sands Missile Range.
Tom Delahante, Disabled American Veterans president, suggested everyone who has been exposed to shrapnel from any of the Middle East conflicts or from Bosnia, either during the fighting or from souvenirs brought back by soldiers, or from the testing of depleted uranium done locally should contact the DAV.
"You don't want to deal with the VA alone," said Delahante. "Jerry's story is typical."
ecronce@dchieftain.com"
posted by Greta Jane at Thursday, October 05, 2006
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