Living with Hiroshima

American soldiers returning back from Iraq

On April 30, 2005, I took part in a gathering to listen to the experience of American soldiers who returned from Iraq. The gathering was held in an assembly hall located at a deserted theater site in New York City. When I arrived there, the gathering had already started and homemade food and beverages prepared by supporters were already half-eaten and scattered across the table. We were taken to another room where noisy music from the hall could be heard. I concentrated on listening to the soldiers’ speeches so that I would not miss their words.

Mr. Gerard Matthew served as a U.S. military contract driver shuttling between Kuwait and Iraq for five months beginning in September, 2003. His vehicle’s cargo included fragments that seemed to be parts of broken tanks. He worked barehanded, without mask or shirt, because of the hot weather. Before long, he began to see double or triple. Even after being caught by sand storms, he slept inside the vehicle or on sand. He began to notice edema on his face in the morning. Later on at a hospital in Kuwait, he was diagnosed as having severe dehydration and was supplied with plenty of water. He went to see a doctor in Germany, and then had a medical examination in Washington D.C. in the U.S. He was told, “You have the highest degree of contamination of depleted uranium.” and received medication, but it did not work. Even five months after a urine examination, he did not receive the results. Therefore, he requested the results from the hospital, but their reply was “your sample is missing.” He threw away his old military uniform, as he was sick of the military. In March 2004, his wife got pregnant. An examination showed that the fetus had only one finger on its right hand. As he was not well informed of the effects of the depleted uranium ammunition in advance, he had to face such a difficult situation. Now he is suing the U.S. military along with his daughter who suffers from her hand deformity.

Mr. Anthony Philip was stationed as a Military Policeman in Samawah, Iraq. He had symptoms such as headache, rash and swelling of the feet. The military hospital diagnosed him as having no serious problems, but it was clear that they could not get an accurate diagnosis with their old medical equipment. Before returning to the U.S., he was told by his senior officer that he should not provide his blood for transfusions for ten years, and should not have his own baby at least for three years. Both the military headquarters and U.S. government argue that depleted uranium ammunition is safe. I don’t know exactly to what extent Samawah has been contaminated by depleted uranium, but his words “Samawah is terrible” touched my heart profoundly.

Another retired soldier, whose name I forgot, said one thing which the above-mentioned soldiers did not mention. He said, “America has brought peace to Iraq. We fulfilled our mission. To achieve our mission, we were prepared to encounter some difficulties. However, it is a great shame that they did not tell us to wear masks and gloves in advance.”

In November 2005, Mr. and Mrs. Matthew were invited by a citizens group to make speeches in Hiroshima, Osaka, and Tokyo. Unfortunately I missed the opportunity to meet them again, but I did learn from a media report how information on the use of depleted uranium that the U.S .military had hidden and the reality caused by DU were revealed to the public, thanks to their efforts to reform people’s awareness.

In September 2006, I learned from newspapers that the U.S. military started investigations of the cases caused by depleted uranium. Sadly, everything is one step behind.

Listening to Mathew