Veterans Urge Trump to Declassify Documents About Gulf War Syndrome [View all]

Source: Newsweek

Published Jul 17, 2025 at 5:00 AM EDT


A veterans group has called on President Donald Trump's administration to declassify documents related to the first Gulf War, Newsweek can exclusively reveal.

In a letter sent to the Department of Defense on February 18, 2025, and seen by Newsweek, Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) urged the DOD to make public all documents related to the 1990-1991 conflict in case they hold evidence that could assist researchers in treating veterans who remain ill because of exposure to toxic substances.

They raised particular concerns about information about the demolition of an Iraqi ammunition storage site at Khamisiyah in March 1991, which led to the release of chemicals into the atmosphere. The DOD replied to the letter, advising the group to contact the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

A DOD official told Newsweek: "The health of Department of Defense (DOD) personnel and veterans remains a high priority to the DOD. Representatives from the DOD Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs have been in correspondence with, and recently met with, representatives from the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) to discuss topics associated with findings on demolitions involving Iraqi chemical weapons at Khamisiyah, Iraq in 1991." "The DOD is committed to providing up-to-date health risk communications to DoD personnel and veterans," the official said.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/gulf-war-syndrome-declassify-documents-veterans-2099113