Conspiracy Nation -- Vol. 7 Num. 41 ====================================== ("Quid coniuratio est?") ----------------------------------------------------------------- BEHIND THE "GULF WAR SYNDROME" AND OKC RESCUE TEAM ILLNESSES ============================================================ Interview with Sherman H. Skolnick, March 8, 1996 ------------------------------------------------- CONSPIRACY NATION: Before, we had been talking about the Gulf War. And I know that there *is* some kind of cover-up going on with the Gulf War Syndrome. But you had explained what it was. SHERMAN SKOLNICK: The military instruction manual for the tanks that were used there provides for a lead shield over the shells. But inside the tank it's so crowded that the ones inside the tank usually do not use it. They didn't quite explain to them [the tank crews] that the lead shield was necessary because the shells were "uranium depletion". And what that means is, it is something that was developed to go right through the enemy's armor plate on *their* tanks. But there is a danger from radioactivity, so the instruction manual provides for a lead shield. However, most of the tank people do not... Well, it's not workable. It's too crowded inside the tank. So the result is that that's *part* of the explanation of the Gulf War Syndrome, of these strange illnesses that are not, so far, exactly diagnosed and they detect that some of our troops suffer from. CONSPIRACY NATION: And you know this from talking with people? SHERMAN SKOLNICK: From talking with people that know specifically about the military instruction manual and so on. Yeah. In other words, the lead shield is not workable. It would be workable in an x-ray laboratory where the technicians stand behind the lead shield while they x-ray you. But the lead shield is virtually unworkable in a tank, because to keep the munitions behind that, and then to get the munition out, and put it into the barrel, is not quite workable. But it indicates that those who ordered that to be used *knew* that there was a radioactivity problem. There are other things too. There's believed to be a secret weapon of some kind or another that Saddam Hussein fired into the air, which may or may not have been detected by our side. But in the beginning there was just a few thousand ex-soldiers sick. But now they estimate (according to published accounts) upwards of 50 thousand of former soldiers, reservists and so on, are sick. That's upwards of 10 percent of the troops that were there! That means it's quite a problem, and the government has been ducking it. And they call some of the soldiers that are sick and can't work, or are barely able to drive themselves to work, they're calling 'em "malingerers". (Which is really insulting.) And they find the same thing, now, with the rescue team (both men and women) that came from Maryland and a few other places and were flown into Oklahoma -- with sniffing dogs and so on -- to see who they could rescue. (And of course they *did* rescue some people, under the rubble.) But the point is, a growing percentage of *those* people (back at their regular jobs, or back in their regular life) are suffering from extreme health problems. And they're not diagnosed; doctors can't figure out what it is. And in some instances, the government or other doctors are telling the people, "Get out of bed. Go to work. You're a 'malingerer.'" Which is insulting. They haven't figured out what these people are suffering from, *or* *they* *don't* *wish* it to be brought out. CONSPIRACY NATION: Going back to the Gulf War Syndrome, let me re-state the way I understand what you're saying: that in their tank they had artillery shells... SHERMAN SKOLNICK: That were "uranium depletion", is what they called it. And it was radioactive, and the military instruction manual for the tank and the weapons said that artillery shells are to be kept behind, in lead shields. CONSPIRACY NATION: And these shells... They used uranium because they would be better able to penetrate the armor? SHERMAN SKOLNICK: Yes. It's called "uranium depletion". *All* the technical details, I wouldn't say that I know. A little of that has been published. What has *not* been published, so far as I know, is that there is an instruction manual for this thing. And the troops (or whatever you call the personnel that are in the tank) were told that they should keep the shells behind the lead shield. But in the close quarters... CONSPIRACY NATION: Yeah. But it's not workable. SHERMAN SKOLNICK: Yeah. And *in* *combat*, you don't think about... First of all, nobody emphasized the radioactivity or why the lead shield is there. And hey: when you're in combat, you're not gonna stop and follow the instruction manual that says, "Hey! Keep the shells behind the lead shield, and have that lead shield there while you're loading." CONSPIRACY NATION: So specifically, this kind of shell is designed to be more effective at penetrating armor? SHERMAN SKOLNICK: Yeah. Very effective. I think they have not developed a defense to it: that is, the type of armor that could not be penetrated by this type of shell. CONSPIRACY NATION: So basically, some bureaucrat way, miles away from the actual battle, dreamed all this up, and they just put out, say, an instruction manual saying, "And by the way: stay behind the lead shield." But when these guys were in combat... SHERMAN SKOLNICK: It wasn't workable. CONSPIRACY NATION: ...Yeah. Not workable. SHERMAN SKOLNICK: I save a lot of the published stories, and I have not *seen* that. But I have talked to people that are greatly familiar with the situation that mention about the lead shields. CONSPIRACY NATION: As a result of your previous story, called "The Oklahoma Bombing and the Story of a Magazine", you were deluged with phone calls: people that came forward and volunteered information. SHERMAN SKOLNICK: Yeah well, in other words, the militia networks circulated my story from place to place, by fax and other means, and said that they were very pleased that somebody put the details together. Because they had anecdotal information which supports their suspicions that Lawrence W. Myers is some kind of a government operative, a counter-intelligence agent. CONSPIRACY NATION: But some of the people that got in touch with you were people that were victims of this radiation poisoning, that were in rescue teams. SHERMAN SKOLNICK: Yeah, right. I talked to them and it is a very suppressed story now. These government and other doctors, about the only thing they're doing is insulting them and saying, "You're a 'malingerer.' Get back to work." CONSPIRACY NATION: Were these stories kind of heartbreaking for you to listen to? SHERMAN SKOLNICK: Yes. My purpose is, trying to play this up as big as possible. And it is now 11 months after the [Oklahoma City] bombings, and I think that if another year goes by and the story stays suppressed that the people would be too far gone: beyond "the point of no return". I think that some of them still can be saved through treatment. But the government has got to own up to it. They can't just wait decades from now, like they did with -- what was it? St. George, Utah? Where a third of the town came down sick from the fall-out. And of course, they played it up, about 30-some years later, I think it was on the 60 Minutes program {1}. But by then a third of the population was either dead, or they had been operated on, chemotherapy, the whole thing. My point is that something has got to be done about it *now*. [...to be continued...] ---------------------------<< Notes >>--------------------------- {1} 60 Minutes, by the way, is about to have Mike "The $150,000 Kid" Wallace do some subtle disinformation on Mexican money laundering allegedly involving Citibank. Watch for Mikey to lay off the huge Mexican money-laundering scandal at the feet of bribery. "Nope, nope," will say Mikey, "Nope, no drug money was laundered. Just bribes. Yep." Hey Mikey: How much are they payin' you for this one? ----------------------------------------------------------------- I encourage distribution of "Conspiracy Nation." ----------------------------------------------------------------- If you would like "Conspiracy Nation" sent to your e-mail address, send a message in the form "subscribe cn-l My Name" to listproc@cornell.edu (Note: that is "CN-L" *not* "CN-1") ----------------------------------------------------------------- For information on how to receive the new Conspiracy Nation Newsletter, send an e-mail message to bigred@shout.net ----------------------------------------------------------------- Want to know more about Whitewater, Oklahoma City bombing, etc? 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