OLEAN, NEW YORK

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:

Plenty of holes in the story on DU munitions

February 2003
By Robert Cherry

Jim Eckstrom’s Sunday column said his “early reaction was to look for holes in his story, to somehow discern a way to discount the claims of Dr. Doug Rokke as an anti-war quack enlisted by the mobilising peace movement in the country.” Here are some holes.

“Dr. Rokke, a nuclear physicist and major in the Army Reserves, was a hand-picked Army expert on cleanup of radioactive debris…” Dr. Rokke’s doctorate is not in physics.  He came to active duty for the Gulf War along with thousands of other Army Reservists and was not hand-picked. In my opinion, he has never been an expert on cleanup of radioactive debris.

“Looking more like a rumpled professor (actually that’s exactly what he is)…” He briefly was an assistant professor of environmental science at Jacksonville State University, Alabama, but never gained tenure. He is not now a professor, but he was rumpled most times I saw him, including when he was in military uniform.

“He said DU caused many of the more than 206,000 cases of Gulf War Syndrome reported by veterans of the Gulf War…” He has no proof of this statement because no proof exists despite the efforts of many researchers, both inside and outside the Department of Defense, who continue to look for such proof, not only for depleted uranium, but also for many other substances.

“Dr. Rokke’s said it’s a travesty that despite the increased use of depleted uranium ordinance expected in the almost-imminent conflict, U.S. military gas masks and protective clothing are useless in keeping out DU particles.” Actually it is a travesty that you printed this false statement as if it was true.

“The Pentagon denounces Dr. Rokke as a liar and insists soldiers are safe from DU exposure.” No one in the Department of Defense ever publicly labeled Dr. Rokke as a liar, to the best of my knowledge. I also assert that our soldiers are “safe from DU exposure.” Some Gulf War soldiers struck by friendly fire still have DU particles in their bodies with no observable effect on their health from the radiological and toxicological properties of DU. Surgeons left these DU particles in these soldiers because it was safer than doing surgical removal. The Army and Veterans Administration continue to monitor them. These soldiers have the highest level of DU exposure of all Gulf War veterans.

Dr. Rokke has “rapidly developed cataracts and kidney problems…” DU is incapable of causing cataracts. Uranium is capable of causing kidney problems, but this effect has a threshold and is a chemical, not radiation effect. I suggest that the amount, if any, of DU in Dr. Rokke’s body is nowhere near this threshold and challenge him to prove otherwise. Medical literature refutes the implication that DU caused these alleged ailments.

“Why hasn’t the effects of DU and its alleged connection to Gulf War Syndrome been more widely reported?” Alleged DU effects and connections have been reported in media around the world. What is not as widely reported: These allegations appear to be false.

“With the Pentagon unwilling to discuss the matter there are few credible sources, so the story dries up.” The Pentagon, through its public affairs officers, is always willing to discuss this issue with the media. Maybe “the story dries up” when many reporters discover that DU is not a significant health risk. Many credible sources exist, such as textbooks on toxicology and local medical experts.

“One wonders how U.S. troops feel about the potential exposure to DU.” I hope that our soldiers are not apprehensive because of the misinformation spread by Dr. Rokke and others of his persuasion. They have enough real dangers to worry about. I do know that many Gulf War veterans talked about how they felt when U.S. DU munitions defeated enemy armor at great distance and when U.S. DU armor deflected enemy munitions. They felt good.

“The military isn’t doing itself any favors it it’s beginning to see troops as expendable parts that are secondary to newer and better ways to kill the enemy.” Thousands of people devote their professional lives to protecting our soldiers’ health and safety. Our combat commanders do everything possible to fight and win our battles with a minimum of American casualties.

DU munitions and armor are not hazardous to our soldiers. They protect our soldiers and win our battles.

(Robert Cherry, Ph.D., CHP, of San Antonio is a retired colonel in the U.S. Army.)