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Vets endure secret drug experiments
Soldiers used as test subjects seek help STORY HIGHLIGHTS Tim Josephs blames secret Army program for health issues, including Parkinson’s disease Facility tested potentially lethal gases, narcotics and LSD on animals and humans Cold War research initially aimed to defend against Soviet chemical or biological attack The VA has contacted and offered free medical evaluations to thousands of veterans (CNN) — The moment 18-year-old Army Pvt. Tim Josephs arrived at Edgewood Arsenal in 1968, he knew there was something different about the place. “It just did not look like a military base, more like a hospital,” recalled Josephs, a Pittsburgh native. Josephs had volunteered for a two-month assignment at Edgewood, in Maryland, lured by three-day weekends closer to home. “It was like a plum assignment,” Josephs said. “The idea was they would test new Army field jackets, clothing, weapons and things of that nature, but no mention of drugs or chemicals.” But when he went to fill out paperwork the morning after his arrival, the base personnel were wearing white lab coats, and Josephs said he had second thoughts. An officer took him aside. “He said, ‘You volunteered for this. You’re going to do it. If you don’t, you’re going to jail. You’re going to Vietnam either way — before or after,’” Josephs said recently. Before & after: Wray Forrest, 1973 Wray Forrest, 2008 Tim Josephs: 1968 Tim Josephs: 2012 Bill Blazinski: 1967 Bill Blazinski: 2012 Frank Rochelle: 1969 Frank Rochelle: 2012 HIDE CAPTION From 1955 to 1975, military researchers at Edgewood were using not only animals but human subjects to test a witches’ brew of drugs and chemicals. They ranged from potentially lethal nerve gases like VX and sarin to incapacitating agents like BZ. Read the secret (now unclassified) Army document revealing BZ tests on soldiers (PDF) The military also tested tear gas, barbiturates, tranquilizers, narcotics and hallucinogens like LSD. Read the confidential (now unclassified) Army document uncovering LSD tests on volunteers (PDF) This top secret Cold War research program initially looked for ways to defend against a chemical or biological attack by the Soviet Union, thought to be far ahead of the United States in “psycho-chemical” warfare. But the research expanded into offensive chemical weapons, including one that could, according to one Army film obtained by CNN, deliver a “veritable chemical ambush” against an enemy. “This incapacitating agent would be dispersed by standard munitions, and the agent would enter the building through all nonprotected openings,” the film’s narrator boasts. President Nixon ended research into offensive chemical weapons in 1969, and the military no longer uses human subjects in research on chemical agents, said a spokesman for Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, as the facility is known now. Tests began for Josephs almost as soon as he arrived at Edgewood for a two-month assignment on January 1, 1968. “Sometimes it was an injection. Other times it was a pill,” Josephs told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Josephs said he didn’t know what drugs he was getting. “A lot of chemicals were referred to as agent one or agent two.” Some weeks, he would undergo one test; other weeks, more, Josephs said. And when he questioned the staff about whether he was in any danger, they reassured him: “There is nothing here that could ever harm you.” But Josephs, 63, believes the chemical agents he received during his two-month stint at Edgewood did harm him, triggering health problems that continue to plague him four decades later. Even when he talks about Edgewood, he said, “I get a tightness in my chest.” Parkinson’s symptoms Days before his Edgewood duty ended, in February 1968, Josephs was hospitalized for days with Parkinson’s-like tremors, symptoms he said have followed him on and off throughout his adult life. In 1968, Tim Josephs was told he would be testing gas masks, boots and other clothing, he said. From Edgewood, Josephs said he went to an Army installation in Georgia, where he experienced tremors so severe, he had to be admitted to the base hospital and given muscle relaxers. The Army then sent Josephs to Air Force bases in Thailand, in support of the war effort in Vietnam. He was told never to talk about his experiences at Edgewood and to forget about everything he ever did, said or heard at the Maryland base. Josephs left the service when his three-year tour ended, and he began a career as a real estate agent. He married Michelle, a nurse, in 1977, but the couple decided not to have children, fearing his chemical exposure might somehow affect them. In his mid-50s, Josephs was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurological condition that forced him to retire early. Medications cost $2,000 a month, which he was paying for out of pocket. Josephs applied for veterans benefits based on chemical exposure at Edgewood. Last year, the Department of Veterans Affairs granted him partial benefits for his Parkinson’s for Agent Orange exposure during his time in Thailand, giving Josephs 40% disability. The letter granting him benefits made no mention of Edgewood. Josephs says he now takes two dozen pills daily. His symptoms vary from day to day. Sometimes, he has trouble swallowing. Other times, he experiences numbness in his joints or or tremors. He says he tires easily. He blames his time at Edgewood for all this, and he has joined a lawsuit on behalf of Edgewood veterans seeking medical benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Read the lawsuit complaint document (PDF) Read about an Edgewood volunteer’s widow who blames the VA for his death … They gave him such high doses that he … in the vernacular, he flipped out.Gordon Erspamer, lead attorney in suit against VA Gordon Erspamer, lead attorney in the suit, has reviewed the partial Edgewood medical records that Josephs was able to obtain with the help of his wife. Erspamer said Josephs probably received an injection of sarin or another nerve gas, because the records show that he received the drug P2S on February 1, 1968, to treat “organophosphate poisoning.” During experiments that began on February 19, 1968, Josephs experienced Parkinson’s-like tremors after receiving Prolixin, an antipsychotic medication, Erspamer said, prompting the Edgewood medical staff to give the young soldier Congentin and Artane, two drugs used to treat Parkinson’s symptoms. Erspamer said he sees a connection between Josephs’ Parkinson’s disease and the drugs he received at Edgewood. “Those substances affect the same region of the brain,” Erspamer said. “Tim clearly had adverse health effects because they gave him such high doses that he ranged from overdose with one substance to the antidote, back and forth, and he actually had to get … a very powerful antipsychotic drug because, in the vernacular, he flipped out.” In addition to medical benefits, the lawsuit is asking that the Defense Department and Department of Veteran Affairs find all Edgewood veterans and provide them with details of the chemicals they received and their possible health effects. Erspamer said the government has reached very few of the 7,000 or so Edgewood veterans, and the VA has turned down almost all Edgewood-related health claims. Court documents show that the Veterans Benefits Administration rejected 84 of 86 health claims related to chemical or biological exposure. “They want to use young men as guinea pigs and throw them away,” said Josephs, now 63. “The whole thing stinks, and if the American people knew about it, they would not tolerate it. This kind of behavior toward our veterans would not be allowed to happen,” Erspamer said. Josephs has not received any health benefits related to his time as a human test subject at Edgewood. “They’re hoping we die off, so you apply [for benefits], you get turned down,” Josephs said. “And it just goes on for years and years, and they just want to wear us down. They want to use young men as guinea pigs and throw them away.” The Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs declined face-to-face interviews with CNN, ci
ting pending litigation. In a statement, the Defense Department said that it “has made it a priority to identify all service members exposed to chemical and biological substances … and the VA has contacted and offered free medical evaluations to thousands of veterans.” [The VA] has made it a priority to identify all service members exposed to chemical and biological substances.Department of Defense statement Josephs received his letter from the VA in 2008, four decades after he arrived at the Maryland base. “In order to best serve veterans and their families, VA continues to study the possibility of long-term health effects associated with in-service exposure to chemical and biological weapons,” the letter promised. At the Army’s request, The Institute of Medicine, an independent nonprofit organization that is the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences, produced a three-volume report in the 1980s on the long-term health of Edgewood veterans. The IOM decided in …
Vets endure secret drug experiments
Soldiers used as test subjects seek help STORY HIGHLIGHTS Tim Josephs blames secret Army program for health issues, including Parkinson’s disease Facility tested potentially lethal gases, narcotics and LSD on animals and humans Cold War research initially aimed to defend against Soviet chemical or biological attack The VA has contacted and offered free medical evaluations to thousands of veterans (CNN) — The moment 18-year-old Army Pvt. Tim Josephs arrived at Edgewood Arsenal in 1968, he knew there was something different about the place. “It just did not look like a military base, more like a hospital,” recalled Josephs, a Pittsburgh native. Josephs had volunteered for a two-month assignment at Edgewood, in Maryland, lured by three-day weekends closer to home. “It was like a plum assignment,” Josephs said. “The idea was they would test new Army field jackets, clothing, weapons and things of that nature, but no mention of drugs or chemicals.” But when he went to fill out paperwork the morning after his arrival, the base personnel were wearing white lab coats, and Josephs said he had second thoughts. An officer took him aside. “He said, ‘You volunteered for this. You’re going to do it. If you don’t, you’re going to jail. You’re going to Vietnam either way — before or after,’” Josephs said recently. Before & after: Wray Forrest, 1973 Wray Forrest, 2008 Tim Josephs: 1968 Tim Josephs: 2012 Bill Blazinski: 1967 Bill Blazinski: 2012 Frank Rochelle: 1969 Frank Rochelle: 2012 HIDE CAPTION From 1955 to 1975, military researchers at Edgewood were using not only animals but human subjects to test a witches’ brew of drugs and chemicals. They ranged from potentially lethal nerve gases like VX and sarin to incapacitating agents like BZ. Read the secret (now unclassified) Army document revealing BZ tests on soldiers (PDF) The military also tested tear gas, barbiturates, tranquilizers, narcotics and hallucinogens like LSD. Read the confidential (now unclassified) Army document uncovering LSD tests on volunteers (PDF) This top secret Cold War research program initially looked for ways to defend against a chemical or biological attack by the Soviet Union, thought to be far ahead of the United States in “psycho-chemical” warfare. But the research expanded into offensive chemical weapons, including one that could, according to one Army film obtained by CNN, deliver a “veritable chemical ambush” against an enemy. “This incapacitating agent would be dispersed by standard munitions, and the agent would enter the building through all nonprotected openings,” the film’s narrator boasts. President Nixon ended research into offensive chemical weapons in 1969, and the military no longer uses human subjects in research on chemical agents, said a spokesman for Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, as the facility is known now. Tests began for Josephs almost as soon as he arrived at Edgewood for a two-month assignment on January 1, 1968. “Sometimes it was an injection. Other times it was a pill,” Josephs told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Josephs said he didn’t know what drugs he was getting. “A lot of chemicals were referred to as agent one or agent two.” Some weeks, he would undergo one test; other weeks, more, Josephs said. And when he questioned the staff about whether he was in any danger, they reassured him: “There is nothing here that could ever harm you.” But Josephs, 63, believes the chemical agents he received during his two-month stint at Edgewood did harm him, triggering health problems that continue to plague him four decades later. Even when he talks about Edgewood, he said, “I get a tightness in my chest.” Parkinson’s symptoms Days before his Edgewood duty ended, in February 1968, Josephs was hospitalized for days with Parkinson’s-like tremors, symptoms he said have followed him on and off throughout his adult life. In 1968, Tim Josephs was told he would be testing gas masks, boots and other clothing, he said. From Edgewood, Josephs said he went to an Army installation in Georgia, where he experienced tremors so severe, he had to be admitted to the base hospital and given muscle relaxers. The Army then sent Josephs to Air Force bases in Thailand, in support of the war effort in Vietnam. He was told never to talk about his experiences at Edgewood and to forget about everything he ever did, said or heard at the Maryland base. Josephs left the service when his three-year tour ended, and he began a career as a real estate agent. He married Michelle, a nurse, in 1977, but the couple decided not to have children, fearing his chemical exposure might somehow affect them. In his mid-50s, Josephs was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurological condition that forced him to retire early. Medications cost $2,000 a month, which he was paying for out of pocket. Josephs applied for veterans benefits based on chemical exposure at Edgewood. Last year, the Department of Veterans Affairs granted him partial benefits for his Parkinson’s for Agent Orange exposure during his time in Thailand, giving Josephs 40% disability. The letter granting him benefits made no mention of Edgewood. Josephs says he now takes two dozen pills daily. His symptoms vary from day to day. Sometimes, he has trouble swallowing. Other times, he experiences numbness in his joints or or tremors. He says he tires easily. He blames his time at Edgewood for all this, and he has joined a lawsuit on behalf of Edgewood veterans seeking medical benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Read the lawsuit complaint document (PDF) Read about an Edgewood volunteer’s widow who blames the VA for his death … They gave him such high doses that he … in the vernacular, he flipped out.Gordon Erspamer, lead attorney in suit against VA Gordon Erspamer, lead attorney in the suit, has reviewed the partial Edgewood medical records that Josephs was able to obtain with the help of his wife. Erspamer said Josephs probably received an injection of sarin or another nerve gas, because the records show that he received the drug P2S on February 1, 1968, to treat “organophosphate poisoning.” During experiments that began on February 19, 1968, Josephs experienced Parkinson’s-like tremors after receiving Prolixin, an antipsychotic medication…
Vets endure secret drug experiments
Soldiers used as test subjects seek help STORY HIGHLIGHTS Tim Josephs blames secret Army program for health issues, including Parkinson’s disease Facility tested potentially lethal gases, narcotics and LSD on animals and humans Cold War research initially aimed to defend against Soviet chemical or biological attack The VA has contacted and offered free medical evaluations to thousands of veterans (CNN) — The moment 18-year-old Army Pvt. Tim Josephs arrived at Edgewood Arsenal in 1968, he knew there was something different about the place. “It just did not look like a military base, more like a hospital,” recalled Josephs, a Pittsburgh native. Josephs had volunteered for a two-month assignment at Edgewood, in Maryland, lured by three-day weekends closer to home. “It was like a plum assignment,” Josephs said. “The idea was they would test new Army field jackets, clothing, weapons and things of that nature, but no mention of drugs or chemicals.” But when he went to fill out paperwork the morning after his arrival, the base personnel were wearing white lab coats, and Josephs said he had second thoughts. An officer took him aside. “He said, ‘You volunteered for this. You’re going to do it. If you don’t, you’re going to jail. You’re going to Vietnam either way — before or after,’” Josephs said recently. Before & after: Wray Forrest, 1973 Wray Forrest, 2008 Tim Josephs: 1968 Tim Josephs: 2012 Bill Blazinski: 1967 Bill Blazinski: 2012 Frank Rochelle: 1969 Frank Rochelle: 2012 HIDE CAPTION From 1955 to 1975, military researchers at Edgewood were using not only animals but human subjects to test a witches’ brew of drugs and chemicals. They ranged from potentially lethal nerve gases like VX and sarin to incapacitating agents like BZ. Read the secret (now unclassified) Army document revealing BZ tests on soldiers (PDF) The military also tested tear gas, barbiturates, tranquilizers, narcotics and hallucinogens like LSD. Read the confidential (now unclassified) Army document uncovering LSD tests on volunteers (PDF) This top secret Cold War research program initially looked for ways to defend against a chemical or biological attack by the Soviet Union, thought to be far ahead of the United States in “psycho-chemical” warfare. But the research expanded into offensive chemical weapons, including one that could, according to one Army film obtained by CNN, deliver a “veritable chemical ambush” against an enemy. “This incapacitating agent would be dispersed by standard munitions, and the agent would enter the building through all nonprotected openings,” the film’s narrator boasts. President Nixon ended research into offensive chemical weapons …
Vets endure secret drug experiments
Soldiers used as test subjects seek help STORY HIGHLIGHTS Tim Josephs blames secret Army program for health issues, including Parkinson’s disease Facility tested potentially lethal gases, narcotics and LSD on animals and humans Cold War research initially aimed to defend against Soviet chemical or biological attack The VA has contacted and offered free medical evaluations to thousands of veterans (CNN) — The moment 18-year-old Army Pvt. Tim Josephs arrived at Edgewood Arsenal in 1968, he knew there was something different about the place. “It just did not look like a military base, more like a hospital,” recalled Josephs, a Pittsburgh native. Josephs had volunteered for a two-month assignment at Edgewood, in Maryland, lured by three-day weekends closer to home. “It was like a plum assignment,” Josephs said. “The idea was they would test new Army field jackets, clothing, weapons and things of that nature, but no mention of drugs or chemicals.” But when he went to fill out paperwork the morning after his arrival, the base personnel were wearing white lab coats, and Josephs said he had second thoughts. An officer took him aside. “He said, ‘You volunteered for this. You’re going to do it. If you don’t, you’re going to jail. You’re going to Vietnam either way — before or after,’” Josephs said recently. Before & after: Wray Forrest, 1973 Wray Forrest, 2008 Tim Josephs: 1968 Tim Josephs: 2012 Bill Blazinski: 1967 Bill Blazinski: 2012 Frank Rochelle: 1969 Frank Rochelle: 2012 HIDE CAPTION From 1955 to 1975, military researchers at Edgewood were using not only animals but human subjects to test a witches’ brew of drugs and chemicals. They ranged from potentially lethal nerve gases like VX and sarin to incapacitating agents like BZ. Read the secret (now unclassified) Army document revealing BZ tests on soldiers (PDF) The military also tested tear gas, barbiturates, tranquilizers, narcotics and hallucinogens like LSD. Read the confidential (now unclassified) Army document uncovering LSD tests on volunteers (PDF) This top secret Cold War research program initially looked for ways to defend against a chemical or biological attack by the Soviet Union, thought to be far ahead of the United States in “psycho-chemical” warfare. But the research expanded into offensive chemical weapons, including one that could, according to one Army film obtained by CNN, deliver a “veritable chemical ambush” against an enemy. “This incapacitating agent would be dispersed by standard munitions, and the agent would enter the building through all nonprotected openings,” the film’s narrator boasts. President Nixon ended research into offensive chemical weapons in 1969, and the military no longer uses human subjects in research on chemical agents, said a spokesman for Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, as the facility is known now. Tests began for Josephs almost as soon as he arrived at Edgewood for a two-month assignment on January 1, 1968. “Sometimes it was an injection. Other times it was a pill,” Josephs told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Josephs said he didn’t know what drugs he was getting. “A lot of chemicals were referred to as agent one or agent two.” Some weeks, he would undergo one test; other weeks, more, Josephs said. And when he questioned the staff about whether he was in any danger, they reassured him: “There is nothing here that could ever harm you.” But Josephs, 63, believes the chemical agents he received during his two-month stint at Edgewood did harm him, triggering health problems that continue to plague him four decades later. Even when he talks about Edgewood, he said, “I get a tightness in my chest.” Parkinson’s symptoms Days before his Edgewood duty ended, in February 1968, Josephs was hospitalized for days with Parkinson’s-like tremors, symptoms he said have followed him on and off throughout his adult life. In 1968, Tim Josephs was told he would be testing gas masks, boots and other clothing, he said. From Edgewood, Josephs said he went to an Army installation in Georgia, where he experienced tremors so severe, he had to be admitted to the base hospital and given muscle relaxers. The Army then sent Josephs to Air Force bases in Thailand, in support of the war effort in Vietnam. He was told never to talk about his experiences at Edgewood and to forget about everything he ever did, said or heard at the Maryland base. Josephs left the service when his three-year tour ended, and he began a career as a real estate agent. He married Michelle, a nurse, in 1977, but the couple decided not to have children, fearing his chemical exposure might somehow affect them. In his mid-50s, Josephs was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurological condition that forced him to retire early. Medications cost $2,000 a month, which he was paying for out of pocket. Josephs applied for veterans benefits based on chemical exposure at Edgewood. Last year, the Department of Veterans Affairs granted him partial benefits for his Parkinson’s for Agent Orange exposure during his time in Thailand, giving Josephs 40% disability. The letter granting him benefits made no mention of Edgewood. Josephs says he now takes two dozen pills daily. His symptoms vary from day to day. Sometimes, he has trouble swallowing. Other times, he experiences numbness in his joints or or tremors. He says he tires easily. He blames his time at Edgewood for all this, and he has joined a lawsuit on behalf of Edgewood veterans seeking medical benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Read the lawsuit…
Vets endure secret drug experiments
Soldiers used as test subjects seek help STORY HIGHLIGHTS Tim Josephs blames secret Army program for health issues, including Parkinson’s disease Facility tested potentially lethal gases, narcotics and LSD on animals and humans Cold War research initially aimed to defend against Soviet chemical or biological attack The VA has contacted and offered free medical evaluations to thousands of veterans (CNN) — The moment 18-year-old Army Pvt. Tim Josephs arrived at Edgewood Arsenal in 1968, he knew there was something different about the place. “It just did not look like a military base, more like a hospital,” recalled Josephs, a Pittsburgh native. Josephs had volunteered for a two-month assignment at Edgewood, in Maryland, lured by three-day weekends closer to home. “It was like a plum assignment,” Josephs said. “The idea was they would test new Army field jackets, clothing, weapons and things of that nature, but no mention of drugs or chemicals.” But when he went to fill out paperwork the morning after his arrival, the base personnel were wearing white lab coats, and Josephs said he had second thoughts. An officer took him aside. “He said, ‘You volunteered for this. You’re going to do it. If you don’t, you’re going to jail. You’re going to Vietnam either way — before or after,’” Josephs said recently. Before & after: Wray Forrest, 1973 Wray Forrest, 2008 Tim Josephs: 1968 Tim Josephs: 2012 Bill Blazinski: 1967 Bill Blazinski: 2012 Frank Rochelle: 1969 Frank Rochelle: 2012 HIDE CAPTION From 1955 to 1975, military researchers at Edgewood were using not only animals but human subjects to test a witches’ brew of drugs and chemicals. They ranged from potentially lethal nerve gases like VX and sarin to incapacitating agents like BZ. Read the secret (now unclassified) Army document revealing BZ tests on soldiers (PDF) The military also tested tear gas, barbiturates, tranquilizers, narcotics and hallucinogens like LSD. Read the confidential (now unclassified) Army document uncovering LSD tests on volunteers (PDF) This top secret Cold War research program initially looked for ways to defend against a chemical or biological attack by the Soviet Union, thought to be far ahead of the United States in “psycho-chemical” warfare. But the research expanded into offensive chemical weapons, including one that could, according to one Army film obtained by CNN, deliver a “veritable chemical ambush” against an enemy. “This incapacitating agent would be dispersed by standard munitions, and the agent would enter the building through all nonprotected openings,” the film’s narrator boasts. President Nixon ended research into offensive chemical weapons in 1969, and the military no longer uses human subjects in research on chemical agents, said a spokesman for Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, as the facility is known now. Tests began for Josephs almost as soon as he arrived at Edgewood for a two-month assignment on January 1, 1968. “Sometimes it was an injection. Other times it was a pill,” Josephs told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Josephs said he didn’t know what drugs he was getting. “A lot of chemicals were referred to as agent one or agent two.” Some weeks, he would …
Army widow blames VA for death
Soldiers used as human ‘guinea pigs’ STORY HIGHLIGHTS Secret Cold War program tested chemical and biological agents on 7,000 soldiers Program vet Wray Forrest died in 2010 after he was diagnosed with heart trouble and cancer Widow accuses VA of neglecting her ailing husband VA wouldn’t answer questions about the case due to a pending lawsuit (CNN) — “I promised Wray I would never give up the fight.” It was a wife’s final pledge to her dying husband, who was once identified as Medical Volunteer No. 6692 at Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland. In 1973, Army Pvt. Wray Forrest spent two months at Edgewood as a volunteer human test subject in a top secret Cold War research program studying chemical and biological weapons. His widow, Kathryn Forrest, says those tests were his undoing. During his time at Edgewood, Wray participated in at least five different tests. In one, Kathryn says he was given high doses of Ritalin. In a deposition he gave before his death, Wray described the effect it had on him. “It wound up making me want to do things very rapidly and in a rushed manner,” he says in the deposition. He says he was “wound up like a golf ball teed off in a tile bathroom. Bouncing off the walls.” Before & after: Wray Forrest, 1973 Wray Forrest, 2008 Tim Josephs: 1968 Tim Josephs: 2012 Bill Blazinski: 1967 Bill Blazinski: 2012 Frank Rochelle: 1969 Frank Rochelle: 2012 HIDE CAPTION Ritalin is a Schedule II drug — a class of drugs considered dangerous and addictive. Large doses can cause dizziness, jitteriness, cardiac arrhythmia, stroke, high blood pressure, even sudden death. Wray was injected with various substances at Edgewood, according to court documents. And his story is just one of many. In fact, from 1955 to 1975 more than 7,000 soldiers each spent two months at Edgewood. Overall, they tested at least 250 different chemical and biological agents. Watch an excerpt from CNN Presents: “Soldier Guinea Pigs,” Sunday at 8 and 11 p.m.ET/PT The names and effects of these substances were largely unknown to these soldier volunteers. According to now declassified government documents, some were exposed to incapacitating drugs like BZ; or to sarin, an extremely toxic, potentially deadly substance that disrupts the nervous system; or to VX, a liquid neurotoxin considered one of the most dangerous chemicals created. Other exposures included tear gas, and hallucinogenics like LSD. The men were sworn to secrecy and told to never discuss Edgewood Arsenal or the experiments that went on there with anyone. The Army suspended the research program in 1975. Read the secret (now unclassified) document revealing BZ testing on soldiers (PDF) Read the confidential document uncovering LSD experiments on volunteers (PDF) Fresh out of high school Born and raised in the tiny southeastern Georgia town of Guyton, Wray was just 17 and fresh out of high school when he enlisted in the Air Force in 1967. After two years as an airman he immediately joined the Army and was stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia. There, after noticing flyers about Edgewood, he met with program representatives who said they were looking for soldiers to test Army gear, vehicles, and military combat equipment. The duty sounded attractive: a four-day work week with three-day weekends, no duty assignments other than testing the equipment, Wray says in the deposition. “It was only after we got to Edgewood Arsenal that they mentioned they would be using drugs.” [I] wound up like a golf ball teed off in a tile bathroom. Bouncing off the walls.Wray Forrest, volunteer test subject There were no warnings about side effects or potential long-term health risks, according to Wray’s deposition. Although he wasn’t forced to take the drugs, he was “given an option of not taking the test, but with innuendos — with the option of bad punishment if we did not participate,” he says in the deposition transcript. Disturbing memories Of all the events that took place during Wray’s time at Edgewood, Kathryn says one disturbing memory he told her about that stuck with him for more than three decades: Wray and eight others were taken to a clinic room and told to lie on cots, where they were hooked up to IVs and left alone, Kathryn says. Within 5 minutes he was so high he could not find his legs, he told her. “Then he said it felt like the bed was floating off of the floor — and then the pain hit.” He described it as a “terrible, terrible headache, so bad he could not open his eyes, so bad he was just screaming in pain,” making him throw up several times.A man in…
Vets endure secret drug experiments
Soldiers used as test subjects seek help STORY HIGHLIGHTS Tim Josephs blames secret Army program for health issues, including Parkinson’s disease Facility tested potentially lethal gases, narcotics and LSD on animals and humans Cold War research initially aimed to defend against Soviet chemical or biological attack The VA has contacted and offered free medical evaluations to thousands of veterans (CNN) — The moment 18-year-old Army Pvt. Tim Josephs arrived at Edgewood Arsenal in 1968, he knew there was something different about the place. “It just did not look like a military base, more like a hospital,” recalled Josephs, a Pittsburgh native. Josephs had volunteered for a two-month assignment at Edgewood, in Maryland, lured by three-day weekends closer to home. “It was like a plum assignment,” Josephs said. “The idea was they would test new Army field jackets, clothing, weapons and things of that nature, but no mention of drugs or chemicals.” But when he went to fill out paperwork the morning after his arrival, the base personnel were wearing white lab coats, and Josephs said he had second thoughts. An officer took him aside. “He said, ‘You volunteered for this. You’re going to do it. If you don’t, you’re going to jail. You’re going to Vietnam either way — before or after,’” Josephs said recently. Before & after: Wray Forrest, 1973 Wray Forrest, 2008 Tim Josephs: 1968 Tim Josephs: 2012 Bill Blazinski: 1967 Bill Blazinski: 2012 Frank Rochelle: 1969 Frank Rochelle: 2012 HIDE CAPTION From 1955 to 1975, military researchers at Edgewood were using not only animals but human subjects to test a witches’ brew of drugs and chemicals. They ranged from potentially lethal nerve gases like VX and sarin to incapacitating agents like BZ. Read the secret (now unclassified) Army document revealing BZ tests on soldiers (PDF) The military also tested tear gas, barbiturates, tranquilizers, narcotics and hallucinogens like LSD. Read the confidential (now unclassified)…
Army widow blames VA for death
Soldiers used as human ‘guinea pigs’ STORY HIGHLIGHTS Secret Cold War program tested chemical and biological agents on 7,000 soldiers Program vet Wray Forrest died in 2010 after he was diagnosed with heart trouble and cancer Widow accuses VA of neglecting her ailing husband VA wouldn’t answer questions about the case due to a pending lawsuit (CNN) — “I promised Wray I would never give up the fight.” It was a wife’s final pledge to her dying husband, who was once identified as Medical Volunteer No. 6692 at Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland. In 1973, Army Pvt. Wray Forrest spent two months at Edgewood as a volunteer human test subject in a top secret Cold War research program studying chemical and biological weapons. His widow, Kathryn Forrest, says those tests were his undoing. During his time at Edgewood, Wray participated in at least five different tests. In one, Kathryn says he was given high doses of Ritalin. In a deposition he gave before his death, Wray described the effect it had on him. “It wound up making me want to do things very rapidly and in a rushed manner,” he says in the deposition. He says he was “wound up like a golf ball teed off in a tile bathroom. Bouncing off the walls.” Before & after: Wray Forrest, 1973 Wray Forrest, 2008 Tim Josephs: 1968 Tim Josephs: 2012 Bill Blazinski: 1967 Bill Blazinski: 2012 Frank Rochelle: 1969 Frank Rochelle: 2012 HIDE CAPTION Ritalin is a Schedule II drug — a class of drugs considered dangerous and addictive. Large doses can cause dizziness, jitteriness, cardiac arrhythmia, stroke, high blood pressure, even sudden death. Wray was injected with various substances at Edgewood, according to court documents. And his story is just one of many. In fact, from 1955 to 1975 more than 7,000 soldiers each spent two months at Edgewood. Overall, they tested at least 250 different chemical and biological agents. Watch an excerpt from CNN Presents: “Soldier Guinea Pigs,” Sunday at 8 and 11 p.m.ET/PT The names and effects of these substances were largely unknown to these soldier volunteers. According to now declassified government documents, some were exposed to incapacitating drugs like BZ; or to sarin, an extremely toxic, potentially deadly substance that disrupts the nervous system; or to VX, a liquid neurotoxin considered one of the most dangerous chemicals created. Other exposures included tear gas, and hallucinogenics like LSD. The men were sworn to secrecy and told to never discuss Edgewood Arsenal or the experiments that went on there with anyone. The Army suspended the research program in 1975. Read the secret (now unclassified) document revealing BZ testing on soldiers (PDF) Read the confidential document uncovering LSD experiments on volunteers (PDF) Fresh out of high school Born and raised in the tiny southeastern Georgia town of Guyton, Wray was just 17 and fresh out of high school when he enlisted in the Air Force in 1967. After two years as an airman he immediately joined the Army and was stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia. There, after noticing flyers about Edgewood, he met with program representatives who said they were looking for soldiers to test Army gear, vehicles, and military combat equipment. The duty sounded attractive: a four-day work week with three-day weekends, no duty assignments other than testing the equipment, Wray says in the deposition. “It was only after we got to Edgewood Arsenal that they mentioned they would be using drugs.” [I] wound up like a golf ball teed off in a tile bathroom. Bouncing off the walls.Wray Forrest, volunteer test subject There were no warnings about side effects or potential long-term health risks, according to Wray’s deposition. Although he wasn’t forced to take the drugs, he was “given an option of not taking the test, but with innuendos — with the option of bad punishment if we did not participate,” he says in the deposition transcript. Disturbing memories Of all the events that took place during Wray’s time at Edgewood, Kathryn says one disturbing memory he told her about that stuck with him for more than three decades: Wray and eight others were taken to a clinic room and told to lie on cots, where they were hooked up to IVs and left alone, Kathryn says. Within 5 minutes he was so high he could not find his legs, he told her. “Then he said it felt like the bed was floating off of the floor — and then the pain hit.” He described it as a “terrible, terrible headache, so bad he could not open his eyes, so bad he was just screaming in pain,” making him throw up several times.A man in a nearby bunk was “trying to claw his own eyes out” — until Wray and another volunteer managed to get out of their bunks, crawl …
Army widow blames VA for death
Soldiers used as human ‘guinea pigs’ STORY HIGHLIGHTS Secret Cold War program tested chemical and biological agents on 7,000 soldiers Program vet Wray Forrest died in 2010 after he was diagnosed with heart trouble and cancer Widow accuses VA of neglecting her ailing husband VA wouldn’t answer questions about the case due to a pending lawsuit (CNN) — “I promised Wray I would never give up the fight.” It was a wife’s final pledge to her dying husband, who was once identified as Medical Volunteer No. 6692 at Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland. In 1973, Army Pvt. Wray Forrest spent two months at Edgewood as a volunteer human test subject in a top secret Cold War research program studying chemical and biological weapons. His widow, Kathryn Forrest, says those tests were his undoing. During his time at Edgewood, Wray participated in at least five different tests. In one, Kathryn says he was given high doses of Ritalin. In a deposition he gave before his death, Wray described the effect it had on him. “It wound up making me want to do things very rapidly and in a rushed manner,” he says in the deposition. He says he was “wound up like a golf ball teed off in a tile bathroom. Bouncing off the walls.” Before & after: Wray Forrest, 1973 Wray Forrest, 2008 Tim Josephs: 1968 Tim Josephs: 2012 Bill Blazinski: 1967 Bill Blazinski: 2012 Frank Rochelle: 1969 Frank Rochelle: 2012 HIDE CAPTION Ritalin is a Schedule II drug — a class of drugs considered dangerous and addictive. Large doses can cause dizziness, jitteriness, cardiac arrhythmia, stroke, high blood pressure, even sudden death. Wray was injected with various substances at Edgewood, according to court documents. And his story is just one of many. In fact, from 1955 to 1975 more than 7,000 soldiers each spent two months at Edgewood. Overall, they tested at least 250 different chemical and biological agents. Watch an excerpt from CNN Presents: “Soldier Guinea Pigs,” Sunday at 8 and 11 p.m.ET/PT The names and effects of these substances were largely unknown to these soldier volunteers. According to now declassified government documents, some were exposed to incapacitating drugs like BZ; or to sarin, an extremely toxic, potentially deadly substance that disrupts the nervous system; or to VX, a liquid neurotoxin considered one of the most dangerous chemicals created. Other exposures included tear gas, and hallucinogenics like LSD. The men were sworn to secrecy and told to never discuss Edgewood Arsenal or the experiments that went on there with anyone. The Army suspended the research program in 1975. Read the secret (now unclassified) document revealing BZ testing on soldiers (PDF) Read the confidential document uncovering LSD experiments on volunteers (PDF) Fresh out of high school Born and raised in the tiny southeastern Georgia town of Guyton, Wray was just 17 and fresh out of high school when he enlisted in the Air Force in 1967. After two years as an airman he immediately joined the Army and was stationed…
