[Peace-discuss] Doug Rokke Press Conference on 'Depleted' Uranium - July 23

[Charles Jenks]

Dear friends - Here is the Press Advisory on the press tele-conference with
Doug Rokke tomorrow. If you know press interested in DU who may wish to
participate, please ask them to call Sunny Miller by 3 PM to get the access
code for the call.

We were excited to see that the first stop on this summer's 3 state tour
with Doug - yesterday's event in Buffalo - got top story today on
CommonDreams. We will collect stories from every stop on the tour.

The stops in the summer tour are listed below. We're booking dates for
September-early October with inquires from all over, as noted in the
advisory. Please call Sunny Miller at 413-773-7427 for hosting a speaking
event. Great News: the Campus Anti-War Network ( http://antiwarnetwork.org )
wants to work with Traprock and Doug on a national tour of college campuses!
More news on that will be coming along. We've talking with CAN's national
tour organizers.

When Doug comes to western Mass, we're doing a video taping that will be
available. We're gearing it towards younger people with questions from a
student audience.  Any co-sponsors out there? So far, the local Women in
Black has signed on as a co-sponsor.

Thanks. 
Charlie Jenks 
Sunny Miller (tour organizer)
Traprock Peace Center
http://traprockpeace.org
413-773-1633

PRESS ADVISORY

Tuesday, July 22, 2003
Contact: Sunny Miller, 4132 773-7427
www.traprockpeace.org

 Gulf War veteran Doug Rokke, PhD. available, July 23.
"Contamination & Exposures will cause Delayed Casualties"

Doug Rokke (rock'-ee) Gulf War veteran and former director of the US Army's
Depleted Uranium Project is available to local, national and international
press through a conference call  4-5pm EST on Wednesday, July 23.

Doug Rokke has just returned from national speaking tour in Australia
sparking debate in the Australian Senate and national media coverage. Rokke
has begun a 3-state summer speaking tour, July 21-August 11 organized by
Traprock Peace Center in Deerfield, MA with many local hosts. Rokke has just
appeared in Buffalo with upcoming stops in Rochester, Syracuse, Orange
County, and Chattam, New York; St. Johnsbury ,Vermont; Arlington (metro
Boston), Turners Falls (for video production), and Springfield
Massachusetts.

Requests for his fall tour are coming in from California, Oregon, Louisiana,
Texas, Missouri, Michigan and South Africa.  He plans to participate in the
International Conference on Uranium Munitions in Hamburg Germany in
mid-October, proposing that the effects of this weapon make its use in
warfare and training illegal. Rokke predicts extensive health effects among
soldiers, embedded reporters and Iraqi civilians inhaling or ingesting
Uranium smoke or dust, saying that the heavy metal toxicity and
radioactivity can damage lungs, kidneys, bone, skin, nerves, memory, sexual
function and cause both genetic damage and birth abnormalities in children.

For the press conference-call on July 23, Traprock Peace Center's director
Sunny Miller will coordinate calls from regional, national and international
press, as we did with Scott Ritter on July 9.  (The Ritter press conference
continues to have a huge response.) Press can call any time before 3:00 PM
EST Wednesday, July 23 to be given the number and access code.

Excerpts follow from a report by Major Doug Rokke, in Rantoul, Illinois

"... Between 1990 and 1991 the United States military incurred 467
individuals wounded in action, 148 killed in battle, 145 killed in other
than battle (i.e. accidents).  Therefore the total number of US Gulf War
casualties was 760 at the time of redeployment.

"... As of May, 2002, 206,861 veterans had filed claims for benefits based
on service-connected injuries and illnesses caused by Gulf War combat
related duties. Department of Veterans Affairs officials have processed
183,249 claims for medical care, compensation, and pension determining that
for 159,238 veterans their injuries and illnesses are service connected,
caused by Gulf War exposures and injuries during combat. Over 221,000 have
veterans engaged in the Gulf War theater have been awarded disabilities.
Consequently they have been awarded lifetime medical care, compensation, and
pensions based on the extent of their medical problems.

"... Since the cessation of Gulf War hostilities in 1991, an additional 8013
veterans have died from service connected injuries and exposures incurred
during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm."

See   www.traprockpeace.org    for recent reports and the full VA report
released Sept. 10, 2002

    Best regards, 
    Sunny Miller, Director

   Traprock Peace Center
    103A Keets Road
    Deerfield, MA 01342

            http://www.traprockpeace.org
            Calls welcome, 413 773-7427