Aberration in the Heartland of the Real: The Secret Lives of Timothy McVeigh

by Wendy S. Painting

1990s and 2000s, from various congressional investigations, scientific studies and government admissions, a number of commonly suspected causes of GWS became more credible. Among those suspected causes that were initially dismissed but incrementally became more plausible were a number of chemical warfare agents such as sarin gas, depleted uranium, oil well fires as well as various ingredients in the experimental vaccines and pills administered to soldiers (some of which are discussed in previous chapters of this book). The U.S. government seemed to recognize potential harmful exposures only after they became undeniable, often through investigative journalism. Official acknowledgement followed in June 1993 when officials in the Clinton administration and Walter Reed Medical Center publicly announced that the DU used on U.S. tanks and artillery shells may have contributed to GWS. Among the thousands of U.S. troops exposed to DU was McVeigh’s division.