About this episode
Joyce Riley, a registered nurse and former USAF Reserve flight nurse, returns to discuss alarming developments in Gulf War Syndrome that may affect far more people than just veterans. Riley, who graduated from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1971, volunteered for Desert Storm in 1991 but did not deploy due to the quick ceasefire. However, she flew active duty missions from January to July 1991 and became ill after treating affected personnel, requiring hospitalization in December 1991. As spokesperson for the American Gulf War Veterans Association and a nursing consultant for medical malpractice cases, Riley has given seminars at the National Institutes of Health, House of Representatives committees, and universities. The discussion reveals that Gulf War Syndrome is not limited to those who served in the theater of operations, potentially affecting family members and medical personnel who treated veterans. Riley challenges the government's latest assertions that stress is the primary cause of Gulf War illnesses, presenting evidence of biological causative agents. Her nursing expertise and firsthand experience provide credible testimony about the spread and nature of this mysterious syndrome, suggesting a much larger public health crisis than officially acknowledged.