January 25, 2001

Many veterans of the Gulf War have expressed concern that their unexplained illnesses may result from their experiences in that war. In response to veterans’ concerns, the Department of Defense established a task force in June 1995 to investigate those incidents and circumstances relating to possible causes. The Office of the Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense for Gulf War Illnesses assumed responsibility for these investigations on November 12, 1996.  Effective July 26, 2000, this office became the Office of the Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Gulf War Illnesses, Medical Readiness, and Military Deployments, with continued responsibility for Gulf War issues.

Case Narratives are reports of what we know today about certain events of the 1990-1991 Gulf War. This particular case narrative focuses on a Marine corporal who developed blisters on his right forearm after handling captured enemy prisoner of war personal field equipment. The narrative was initially published on March 21, 2000. Since that time, the Office of the Special Assistant for Gulf War Illnesses has not received any new information on the material presented, nor have any additional leads developed to change the narrative’s assessments. Additionally, the Presidential Special Oversight Board reviewed the narrative and recommended that the Office of the Special Assistant republish it as final. For this reason, this is a final report. However, if you believe you have information that may change this case narrative, please contact my office by calling:

Dale A. Vesser
Acting Special Assistant for Gulf War Illnesses,
Medical Readiness, and Military Deployments
Department of Defense
2000161-0000001 Ver 2.0

I.  METHODOLOGY

II.  SUMMARY

III.  NARRATIVE
     A.  Overview
     B.  Background
     C.  The Injury
     D.  Medical Treatment History
     E.  Physicians’ Opinions
          1.  Chemical Warfare Agent Casualty Treatment Experts
          2.  Dermatologists and Biochemists

IV.  ASSESSMENT
     A. Discussion
     B. Conclusion

V.  LESSONS LEARNED
     A.  Operational Reporting and Investigation
     B.  Organizational and Administrative Record Keeping
     C.  Medical Treatment Record Keeping
     D.  M258 Decontamination Kit and Hazard to Skin

TAB A - Acronyms, Abbreviations, and Glossary

TAB B - Bibliography

TAB C - Methodology for Chemical Warfare Incident Investigation

TAB D - The Fox Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicle

TAB E - M258A1 Skin Decontamination Kit

TAB F - Changes in this Report

END NOTES

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