This FAQ was created by Grant Szabo, Editor in Chief of the Gulf War Veteran Resource Pages, originally for distribution to subscribers of the Gulf War mailing list. The FAQ is updated periodically by Grant Szabo, grant@enteract.com
This FAQ may be distributed freely by interested parties.
Q. What sort of information is on the Gulf War Veteran Resource Pages?
A. News of interest to Gulf War veterans, pointers to organizations supporting these vets, and information and links aimed at helping vets cope with Gulf War Syndrome can be found on the pages. In addition, we maintain links to sites offering support to veterans of other eras and sites of interest to vets.
Here is the list of topic areas covered.
Additional Features include:
In April, 1996, the Gulf War Veterans of Arkansas joined the GWVRP
Other subsites include Trauma After Care Trust, and SERRR's (Self-Employed Recalled Reservists and Retirees).
Q. Where does the information come from?
A primary source of material is the Gulf War mailing list maintained by Charles Sheehan-Miles, the Executive Director of the National Gulf War Resource Center. Additional sources include the VA, Vet Centers, the news media, and Internet resources, such as the National Library of Medicine. We have also been fortunate to have accepted a number of articles from the The Hartford Courant's author Thomas D. Williams.
We also scour the Internet for relevant information, and always welcome suggestions for additions to the pages.
Q. Who administers the site?
The GWVRP are currently in their 7th revision.
Grant Szabo founded the site in June 1994 and is the Editor in Chief of the site.
Lee Stral worked as Managing Editor during part of 1995 and helped rewrite many of our documents that were in violation of copyright. Lee also redesigned some of the site layout which comprised the 5th major revision of the site. Lee generously devoted his time and resources freely to the effort.
In April of 1996, two additional associate editors joined the project: Jeff Beer of the Gulf War Veterans of Arkansas, and Charles Sheehan-Miles of the National Gulf War Vetera n Resource Center. These gentleman will be working primarily on maintaining their own subsites, but will also assist with the ongoing development of the GWVRP as a whole.Q. How do I make suggestions or comments about the pages?
A. You can use the GuestBook, or send email directly to the Editor in Chief, Grant Szabo, grant@enteract.com.
Q. "I am doing a paper for school on GWS. I need facts on the war. date, events leading up to it, etc."
A. It sounds like you are looking for specific information regarding the circumstances of the Persian Gulf War itself. This is information that is contained in the historic record of the event...which we do not provide information on. My best recommendation on getting a comprehensive overview of the situation as it existed then would be to check out your local library. There are many excellent books and documentaries that outline the sequence of events, their outcomes, and key players.
The Gulf War Veteran Resource Pages are aimed at providing support for the thousands of ailing Gulf War Veterans around the world, but specifically in the United States. Many of the servicemen and servicewomen have developed serious health problems since their return from the war and there are indicators that their families are being physically affected as well. Many toxins and chemicals were used in the region during the war and prior to the war. We provide up to the minute information on the US Government's response to these problems and provide a central location for Gulf War Vets to get information on activist groups in their areas so that they can get connected with others who are suffering to find hope.
Q. How can I help maintain the pages?
A. You can let us know when you find new information and resources that would be good additions to the pages. Just use the GuestBook or send email directly to the Editor in Chief, Grant Szabo, grant@enteract.com.
Please be aware that we must abide by copyright law. If you wish to submit something that has a copyright, let us know so that we can attempt to get permission to post the article.
Q. What is the difference between the public guestbook and the webboard?
A. The public guestbook's purpose is for you to put your name, email address, and a brief comment about yourself or the web site. I prefer if people do not leave long detailed messages on the guestbook, since that is more or less what WebBoard is for.
The WebBoard is an online forum comparable to a UseNet newsgroup. WebBoard is where you can leave detailed information or ask questions and receive answers from other people who visit the board.
I am suffering from Gulf War Syndrome and I need help, what do I do?
A. A partnership has been established between the GWVRP and the National Gulf War Resource Center called the Referral Network. After filling out this form, your comments are immediately emailed to the NGWRC. From here, your c omments are printed out and faxed to a member GWVet organization near you -- hopefully in the same state as you reside. You can expect to hear from someone within 1 to 2 weeks after filling out the form. This person will call you at the phone number you list on the form.
I am trying to locate people I served with, do you have a locater service?
A. No, we do not provide a locator service. If you are trying to make contact with people you served with, sign the guestbook and leave a message on WebBoard.
Q. What is involved in sponsoring the site?
A. The Gulf War Veteran Resource Pages are a purely non-profit site, however, a great deal of time and money goes into maintaining them. If you are interested in supporting this resource with donations or regular ongoing sponsorship, please contact Grant Szabo. In return for sponsorship, the GWVRP will feature a link to your page on the main index.html page of the site.
Q. How do people find out about the Gulf War Veteran Resource Pages?
A. The site is listed in over 25 different search engines around the world, and on many different web sites including the Department of Veteran's Affairs home page, ChronicIll Net, Long Beach VA's Home Page, and many other personal sites maintained by Gulf War Vets and interested parties.
The site was recently recognized as one of the top 5% of all web sites by Point Communications Group, Inc., and is listed in their prestigious database of sites that have been awarded this honor.
The GWVRP was also the recent recipient of a 1st place award in Activism by I-WAY magazine in the I-WAY 500.
A. WWW stands for World Wide Web. The WWW uses HTML, or HyperText Markup Language, to code text and images so they can be displayed in graphical format via the Internet.
WWW pages are similar to Microsoft Windows "HELP" files in that " links" are highlighted in a different color, and by dragging your mouse over a link and clicking the button, you go to a different page. It is a very efficient standard, allowing users to quickly locate the information they want in an intuitive manner. And unlike Windows Help files, the HTML language supports a wide array of multimedia, including inline images, sounds, and even short movies.
If you are interested if finding out more information about the WWW, there are a lot of books currently available.
Q. How do we get to your WWW site?
A. In order to access anything on the WWW, you first have to have the hardware and software capability.
If you have a Unix shell account, you probably have access to Lynx, a text-based WWW browser. If you don't know if Lynx is available to you, check with your system administrator. One of the benefits of using Lynx is that you can get good performance wit h a 2400 baud modem connection.
But to take full advantage of the WWW's graphical interface, you will need to have an established SLIP or PPP connection to the Internet via a high speed (preferably 14.4 or higher) modem, or use a machine that is connected directly to the Internet.
SLIP and PPP are standards which allow remote computers to become part of the internet using a telephone conections rather than a direct network connection. With a SLIP account for example, your modem dials and connects to your Internet provider. After negotiating a connection, your host provider allows your computer to be one of the millions of computers that are actually "on the internet" for the duration of your phone call.
In terms of software, you will need to use a WWW browser in order to access the Web. A browser is a piece of software that resides on your computer that provides a window to the WWW, and most browsers are available as freeware. The most famous is called NCSA Mosaic, but there are others, such as Cello, AirMosaic, WinWeb, and the increasingly popular Netscape Navigator. There also are brows ers that are part of complete Internet software packages provided by software vendors or access providers.
Once you have your PPP or SLIP account set up and your browser working, you need to link to the following URL: http://www.gulfwar.org
Q. Can I access the WWW through America Online, Prodigy, CompuServe and other online services?
A. These online services now have their own WWW browsers available to users. You will need to use their proprietary browsers. Contact your service's customer service department for more information.
Other services likely will follow these in offering WWW access, but only these three, to our knowledge, currently offer access.
If you are anxious to try out Web and you're online service doesn't offer access, you can look into getting a real time Internet account. Full access SLIP/PPP accounts cost about $25 per month for untimed accounts, and as little as $1 an hour for timed accounts. Unix shell accounts can cost even less.
Q. How do I get a real internet account?
A. Contact an internet provider and find out if they support SLIP or PPP access. Here are some numbers:
The following numbers may or may not provide SLIP or PPP access, make sure you find out. Also compare costs!
If you have more providers that you would like added to this list, please email the information to grant@ides.com!
Between the local providers and the national providers you should be able to find a local dial up number if you are located near a city. The email addresses listed above are automated mail servers -- just sending a message to the address will cause it to send you an automatic reply. This might be a good way for you to find out about services and rates at the different providers listed if you currently have a shell account.
Q. So now I have a SLIP (or PPP) account established, now what?
A. Now you need to get software compatible with your Operating System (Windows or Mac) to use your SLIP account. Often, the system administrator will need to be consulted in order to make sure you set your software up correctly. This is not difficult to do and system administrators are usually very helpful -- after all they are businesses and service is important to them. A lot of software is available for free on the Internet, and I can email or post dial up software for people who need it.
The way Grant started: I use Microsoft Windows 3.11 for Workgroups. I went to a computer store and bought a book called Windows Internet Tour Guide. In the back of the book was a disk that contained the software I needed to use my new SLIP account. I installed the software, contacted my system administrator for configuration information, and I was all set.
There are other books available, for Mac as well as PC, also with software included, and this is the best way to go for an Internet newcomer. Not only do you get all the software you need to get started, you also get instructions on how to install and us e it.
There also are retail packages, such as Internet in a Box, The Internet Tool Kit, Chameleon, etc. You can buy one of these packages if it suits you, but remember, everything you'll need is available free or as inexpensive shareware that can be downloaded from Internet archives. The commercial packages you see at th e store are just that -- commercial packages.
There free programs in many cases do a better job than the commercial packages. The biggest differences is that with commercial packages, you get commercial support, the quality of which varies. While most freeware products don't offer support, many of their authors are available, and other users of a specific program always are available via newsgroups and email discussion lists to help you through any problems.
Many Internet access providers also recommend specific free or shareware packages--for both Mac and PC--for newcomers, and offer support for getting started. So check with the provider before you start an account.
Internet Connectivity is built right into OS/2 WARP. This may be an operating system worth checking out. The next version of Windows (Windows 95) will also contain Internet Connectivity software. On a side note, OS/2 WARP performed very poorly on my 486DX2/66 with 8meg RAM, but it may perform better on your PC.
Q. Are there any other requirements?
A. As mentioned above, you should have at least a 14400 baud modem. They now cost as little as $50, with name brands in the $80-$100 range. A 28800 baud V.34 modem is preferable, and these cost roughly $240.