Following a landmark US study into Gulf War Syndrome, Ministers have been urged to act on findings that suggest British troops fell ill because of the actions of the armed forces using human guinea pigs at Porton Down.

I hope now, the message will get across loud and clear to the MoD and our Government (Western Daily Press, March 25).

Yes, we must honour our debt to Gulf veterans who have been to hell and back and give them all the help they need after risking their necks and hope it has touched a nerve with the MoD.

I am often concerned about the way successive British Governments over the years treat our courageous soldiers.

This includes not providing fast and efficient hospital treatment for them after they have been damaged fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, and not providing proper equipment for them over there.

I understand they often have to borrow equipment from American soldiers. This lack of official concern for their welfare is not new.

In the past, soldiers were taken to watch atomic bomb explosions in the 1950s which caused cancer in later years.

Soldiers at Porton Down had toxic nerve-gas chemicals containing deadly substances dripped on to their skin. Some say they were not told it could be harmful and that they were being experimented on.

Gulf War soldiers were exposed to radiation from depleted uranium shells and toxins from vaccines and pesticides. Many were made seriously ill or died because of this. Even some of their babies conceived after the war were born with abnormalities.

This shows that the toxins British soldiers were exposed to can even damage the genetic DNA for future generations.

More than 7,000 Porton Down veterans had died by the end of 2004. So let's hope, for all those war veterans who suffered at Porton Down, our Government Ministers will give the thumbs-up and honour our debt to Gulf War veterans.

D F Courtney Weston-super-Mare North Somerset