Combat
engineers exposed to deadly mix in Kuwait
Updated
Wed. Nov. 1 2006 11:35 PM ET
CTV.ca
News Staff
A
three-year, comprehensive investigation has verified claims that Canadian soldiers
in Kuwait were exposed to depleted uranium, along with a sampling of other toxic
chemicals.
The
Canadian Forces ombudsman Yves Cote has completed a report, largely based on claims
by Major (Ret'd) Fred Kaustinen that members of his regiment were exposed to harmful
substances during their deployment to Kuwait in 1991 in the aftermath of the first
Gulf War.
Kaustinen
was the deputy commanding officer of the 1 Combat Engineer Regiment.
"I
found that members of 1 CER were exposed to toxic environmental materials for
which they were not adequately prepared," Cote told reporters on Wednesday.
The
report, dubbed "Heroism Exposed," finds that not only were the engineers
exposed to the chemicals, but the military did little to protect troops from the
hazards of the job, including exposure from burning oil wells.
Cote
wouldn't go so far as to draw a link between soldiers' health concerns and exposure
to oil smoke and burning ammunition that contained depleted uranium, but he did
say that many of the soldiers' complaints were ignored.
"The
bottom line is we went there healthy, we came home sick. Who cares what you call
it - just take care of us," Louise Richard, a former army medic, told CTV
News.
In
fact, the report wasn't an examination of the potential causes of soldiers' health
issues, but was an investigation of how soldiers who came forward were treated.
"It
is clear from our investigation that members of 1 Combat Engineer Regiment discharged
their responsibilities with exemplary courage and dedication to duty that demands
special recognition," Cote said in the report.
He
added: "It troubles me greatly that the legitimate health concerns of these
proud veterans were not given the weight and respect that they deserved."
A
sizeable portion of the roughly 350 soldiers who participated in the Kuwait mission
came forward with health concerns. They were systematically ignored, Cote found.
Our
military members need to know, and they need to have firm grounds to believe,
that if they go on a mission healthy and return sick, Canada -- their country,
their government -- will take care of them," Cote told a press conference.
The
investigation included more than 350 interviews, 261 of which were with 1 Combat
Engineer Regiment veterans.
Cote
has found that the medical files of some soldiers have key pieces of information
missing, but he's not sure whether it was removed deliberately or accidentally.
In
his report, Cote recommended that the engineers be recognized for their bravery.
In one case, Canadian soldiers helped American troops put out a fire in an open-air
ammunition depot, rescuing many victims who were exposed to burning ammunition
that contained depleted uranium.
The
report contains the following recommendations:
