Against All Enemies

Were American soldiers serving in the Persian Gulf conflict exposed to chemicals that caused them to come down with "Gulf War syndrome"? Or are they experiencing symptoms of extreme psychological stress? Seymour Hersh, the investigative journalist who alerted Americans to the My Lai massacre and the bombing of Cambodia, can't answer those questions definitively. What he can do--and ably does--is demonstrate two simple facts: (1) military officials, either through a lack of knowledge or deliberate concealment, did not fully inform the government--and more importantly its own troops--about the risks of biochemical exposure in combat against Iraq; and (2) whatever the causes of "Gulf War syndrome," the government has done far too little to help the sick veterans. Other unsettling questions with no easy answers emerge from Hersh's reportage. Why have the so-called heroes of the Persian Gulf, retired generals Norman Schwarzkopf and Colin Powell, seemingly distanced themselves from the plight of troops under their former command? Why did it take so long for Congress to even acknowledge that there might be a problem? Against All Enemies is a brief but disturbing exposé of institutional neglect from one of the media's most tenacious government watchdogs. --Ron Hogan