Danny, I went to your web site and it is a great idea and I hope it is successful. I'm a Vietnam, Gulf War & Provide Comfort Vet and when I moved to Texas, they had me go through the Agaent Orange & Gulf War Syndrome exams.
There must have been a few dozen tests we had to take. At the time I was 50% VA from injuries/illnesses, but none were from the Gulf. When my results came back I had 11 symptons from the Gulf War exam and they said all of them were related to me having PTSD.
What a bunch of BS. I finally winded up getting 100%, losing all my retirement pay then getting 100% Social Security and then when Bush cut the law for CRSC (the first one in Jun 2003) I applied for that and almost 18 months later I was awarded 100% Combat Related Stress Compensation (CRSC) which I took tax free with no surviour benefits, however it was just about equal to what I should of been getting for my retirement.
And not one thing was related to anything in the Gulf. I now have Chronic Obstrutive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) which the VA diagnosed in 2000 & I was not aware of it till 2004. It is a terminal disease, however they failed to tell me. I went full tilt bozo in the ER at the VA and they called security, I hid in the latrine until they ran by and walked out & have never returned since then.
I have the Soc Sec which pays 80% and Tri-care prime Free for life which pays the other 20%, since I'm A & B on Soc Sec. I spent almost 8 weeks from day one in Kuwait with a Spec Ops team, finding & marking weapons/equipment for EOD to come in and clear it. Some days the smoke from the oil well fires was so thick that at 1000 in the morning you had to drive with your headlights on and could only do about 20 mph.
We were told "The Contminated smoke is not dangerous to us". I know several guys who have lung problems and they can't get S--t from the VA for anything from the Gulf War. A very tragic mistake on their part since I was alot older then the majority of the troops, I would not be surprised that within the next 10-15 years anyone who spent time in the areas I was in will have Lung problems. Similiar to the old asbestos syndrome!!
Good luck on a great endeavor.
"SALSA"