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| alma mater = Mountain State College, [[Parkersburg, West Virginia]] <small>([[Associate's degree]], Business administration)</small> <br> [[Thomas Edison State College]] <small>([[Bachelor's degree]], Individualized)</small> <br>[[Union Institute & University]] <small>(PhD)</small> |
| alma mater = Mountain State College, [[Parkersburg, West Virginia]] <small>([[Associate's degree]], Business administration)</small> <br> [[Thomas Edison State College]] <small>([[Bachelor's degree]], Individualized)</small> <br>[[Union Institute & University]] <small>(PhD)</small> |
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'''Gary Michael Null''' (born 1945) is an [[Americans|American]] [[talk radio]] [[Radio personality|host]] and [[author]] who advocates for [[alternative medicine]] and [[naturopathy]] and who produces a line of dietary supplements.<ref name=null_qw/><ref name="ButlerBarrett1992">{{cite book|last1=Butler|first1=Kurt|last2=Barrett|first2=Stephen|title=A consumer's guide to "alternative medicine": a close look at homeopathy, acupuncture, faith-healing, and other unconventional treatments|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vEMQAQAAMAAJ|accessdate=11 May 2014|date=1992-06-01|publisher=Prometheus Books|isbn=9780879757335}}</ref> On his radio show, and in books and self-produced movies, Null |
'''Gary Michael Null''' (born 1945) is an [[Americans|American]] [[talk radio]] [[Radio personality|host]] and [[author]] who advocates for [[alternative medicine]] and [[naturopathy]] and who produces a line of dietary supplements.<ref name=null_qw/><ref name="ButlerBarrett1992">{{cite book|last1=Butler|first1=Kurt|last2=Barrett|first2=Stephen|title=A consumer's guide to "alternative medicine": a close look at homeopathy, acupuncture, faith-healing, and other unconventional treatments|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vEMQAQAAMAAJ|accessdate=11 May 2014|date=1992-06-01|publisher=Prometheus Books|isbn=9780879757335}}</ref> On his radio show, and in books and self-produced movies, Null promotes a range of [[alternative cancer treatments]], [[HIV/AIDS denialism|has an unorthodox approach to AIDS]],<ref name="time"/> opposes [[Genetically modified food controversies|genetically modified foods]], and promotes [[dietary supplement]]s which he produces. |
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In 2010, |
In 2010, six consumers were hospitalized for [[Hypervitaminosis D|vitamin D poisoning]] caused by ingesting Null's nutritional supplements. Null sued a contractor involved in producing the product, alleging that each contained more than 1,000 times the dose of [[vitamin D]] reported on the label.<ref name="abc-news"/><ref name="la-times"/> |
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== Early life and education == |
== Early life and education == |
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Null was raised in [[Parkersburg]], [[West Virginia]], with his two brothers. He holds an [[Associate Degree|associate's degree]] in [[business administration]] from the 2-year, [[For-profit education|for-profit]] Mountain State College in Parkersburg, West Virginia and a [[Bachelor's degree]] from [[Thomas Edison State College]] in [[Trenton, New Jersey]]. |
Null was raised in [[Parkersburg]], [[West Virginia]], with his two brothers. He holds an [[Associate Degree|associate's degree]] in [[business administration]] from the 2-year, [[For-profit education|for-profit]] Mountain State College in Parkersburg, West Virginia and a [[Bachelor's degree]] from [[Thomas Edison State College]] in [[Trenton, New Jersey]]. |
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Null holds a [[Ph.D.]] in human nutrition and public health sciences from [[Union Institute & University]],<ref name=null_qw/>. Null's doctoral thesis was entitled "A Study of Psychological and Physiological Effects of Caffeine on Human Health."<ref name=null_qw/> |
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Null holds a [[Ph.D.]] in human nutrition and public health sciences from [[Union Institute & University]],<ref name=null_qw/> a private [[Distance education|distance-learning]] college headquartered in [[Cincinnati, Ohio]].<ref name=null_qw/><ref name="union-phd">{{cite news | url=http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/03/27/loc_union27.html| work = [[Cincinnati Enquirer]] | title = Union Institute rules get stricter | first = Kristina | last = Goetz | date = March 27, 2004 | accessdate = June 23, 2011}}</ref> Null's doctoral thesis was entitled "A Study of Psychological and Physiological Effects of Caffeine on Human Health."<ref name=null_qw/> His credentials, including the degree-granting practices at Edison State and the rigor of the Ph.D. program at Union Institute, have been questioned by [[Stephen Barrett]] on his [[Quackwatch]] website, who labeled Null "one of the nation's leading promoters of dubious treatment for serious disease".<ref name=null_qw/> The Union Institute's Ph.D. program came under scrutiny by the [[Ohio Board of Regents]] in the late 1990s and early 2000s, culminating in a report noting that "expectations for student scholarship at the doctoral level were not as rigorous as is common for doctoral work".<ref>OBR 2002 Reauthorization Report, p. 13</ref> As a result, The Union was put on probation, the Union Graduate School was dissolved and the Ph.D. program was restructured.<ref name=null_qw>{{cite web | publisher = [[Quackwatch]] | first = Stephen | last = Barrett | authorlink = Stephen Barrett | title = A Critical Look at Gary Null's Activities and Credentials | url = http://www.quackwatch.org/04ConsumerEducation/null.html | date = January 29, 2012 | accessdate= September 15, 2013}}</ref> |
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==Medical claims== |
==Medical claims== |
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Null was the keynote speaker at a rally opposing mandatory [[H1N1 influenza]] vaccination during the [[2009 flu pandemic]], leading the [[New York State Department of Health]] to dismiss Null's claims about the vaccine as "not scientifically credible." The New York State Health Commissioner held a conference at the time of the rally to discuss the [[clinical trials]] which were used to demonstrate its safety.<ref name="h1n1-vaccine">{{cite news | work = Legislative Gazette | first = Charles | last = Scribona | title = Health workers angry over mandatory swine flu shots | url = http://www.legislativegazette.com/Articles-c-2009-11-02-55041.113122-Health-workers-angry-over-mandatory-swine-flu-shots.html | date = November 2, 2009 | accessdate = June 23, 2011}}</ref> |
Null was the keynote speaker at a rally opposing mandatory [[H1N1 influenza]] vaccination during the [[2009 flu pandemic]], leading the [[New York State Department of Health]] to dismiss Null's claims about the vaccine as "not scientifically credible." The New York State Health Commissioner held a conference at the time of the rally to discuss the [[clinical trials]] which were used to demonstrate its safety.<ref name="h1n1-vaccine">{{cite news | work = Legislative Gazette | first = Charles | last = Scribona | title = Health workers angry over mandatory swine flu shots | url = http://www.legislativegazette.com/Articles-c-2009-11-02-55041.113122-Health-workers-angry-over-mandatory-swine-flu-shots.html | date = November 2, 2009 | accessdate = June 23, 2011}}</ref> |
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Null has argued that "it has never been proved that HIV plays as great a role in" [[HIV/AIDS|AIDS]].<ref name="time"/> In his book ''AIDS: A Second Opinion'', Null advocated a range of dietary supplements for HIV-positive individuals instead of [[antiretroviral medication]]. |
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Null has argued that HIV is harmless and does not cause [[HIV/AIDS|AIDS]].<ref name="time"/> In his book ''AIDS: A Second Opinion'', Null advocated a range of dietary supplements for HIV-positive individuals instead of [[antiretroviral medication]]. In 2002, the ''[[Salon (website)|Salon]]'' website described the book as "massive, irresponsible and nearly unreadable."<ref name="salon">{{cite web | publisher = [[Salon.com]] | first = Peter | last = Kurth | title = Quack record | date = May 21, 2002 | accessdate = June 23, 2011 | url = http://dir.salon.com/books/feature/2002/05/21/null/index.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20021002024057/http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2002/05/21/null/index.html|archivedate=October 2, 2002}}</ref> [[Seth Kalichman]], professor of social psychology at the [[University of Connecticut]], has decried Null's role as a prominent proponent of [[AIDS denialism]] and has accused him of cashing in on HIV/AIDS; in Kalichman's 2009 book, ''Denying AIDS'', he compared Null's activities to [[Holocaust denial]] and described Null as an example of a dangerous entrepreneur who "obviously breached" the balance between [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|free speech]] and protecting [[public health]].<ref name="denying-aids">{{cite book | first = S | last = Kalichman | authorlink = Seth Kalichman | title = Denying AIDS | publisher = [[Springer Science+Business Media|Springer]] | isbn = 978-0-387-79475-4 | year = 2009 | pages = [https://books.google.ca/books?id=_mtDBCDwxugC&pg=PA12#v=onepage&q&f=false 12]; [https://books.google.ca/books?id=_mtDBCDwxugC&pg=PA89#v=onepage&q&f=false 89] }}</ref> |
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===Vitamin D supplement=== |
===Vitamin D supplement=== |
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In 2010, Null reported that |
In 2010, Null reported that six consumers had been hospitalized for [[Hypervitaminosis D|vitamin D poisoning]] after ingesting a nutritional supplement manufactured by his own contractor. In a lawsuit against the company, he alleged that the supplement erroneously contained more than 1,000 times the dose of [[vitamin D]] reported on the label. Null received numerous telephone calls from customers while himself in severe pain.<ref name="abc-news">{{cite news | publisher = [[ABC News]] | title = Alternative Health Guru Sues Company Over His Own Product | first = Cleopatra | last = Andreadis | date = April 29, 2010 | accessdate = March 30, 2019| url = http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/Health/alternative-health-guru-sues-company-product-claiming-killed/story?id=10499409}}</ref> |
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The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' wrote that Null's experience "should give pause to anyone lured by the extravagant claims of many supplements makers," and said that it was common for dietary supplements to contain doses "wildly different than those indicated on their label" as a result of weak [[Dietary supplement#Regulation|regulation]].<ref name="la-times">{{cite news | work = [[Los Angeles Times]] | title = Supplements guru sues over his own product | url = http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2010/04/supplements-guru-sues-over-his-own-product.html | date = April 29, 2010 | accessdate = July 15, 2014 | first = Melissa | last = Healy |url-access=subscription }}</ref> |
The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' wrote that Null's experience "should give pause to anyone lured by the extravagant claims of many supplements makers," and said that it was common for dietary supplements to contain doses "wildly different than those indicated on their label" as a result of weak [[Dietary supplement#Regulation|regulation]].<ref name="la-times">{{cite news | work = [[Los Angeles Times]] | title = Supplements guru sues over his own product | url = http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2010/04/supplements-guru-sues-over-his-own-product.html | date = April 29, 2010 | accessdate = July 15, 2014 | first = Melissa | last = Healy |url-access=subscription }}</ref> |
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==Media work== |
==Media work== |
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Null began broadcasting a syndicated radio talk show, ''Natural Living with Gary Null'' in 1980. His show was broadcast first on [[WBAI]], then on the VoiceAmerica Network and over the Internet. Null's show subsequently returned to WBAI, leading to protests from [[AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power|ACT-UP New York]] and other AIDS activist groups concerned |
Null began broadcasting a syndicated radio talk show, ''Natural Living with Gary Null'' in 1980. His show was broadcast first on [[WBAI]], then on the VoiceAmerica Network and over the Internet. Null's show subsequently returned to WBAI, leading to protests from [[AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power|ACT-UP New York]] and other AIDS activist groups concerned Null was promoting AIDS denialism.<ref name="act-up">{{cite web | publisher = [[AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power|ACT-UP]] | title = Letter to Indra Hardat, interim general manager, WBAI/Pacifica | url = http://www.actupny.org/reports/denialist_gary_null.html | date = January 17, 2006 | accessdate = June 23, 2011}}</ref><ref name="aidstruth-wbai">{{cite web | publisher = aidstruth.org | title = WBAI: Do not put Gary Null's dangerous show on the air | url = http://www.aidstruth.org/news/2010/wbai-do-not-put-gary-nulls-dangerous-show-air-sign | date = November 17, 2010 | accessdate = June 23, 2011 | deadurl = yes | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20110811063012/http://aidstruth.org/news/2010/wbai-do-not-put-gary-nulls-dangerous-show-air-sign | archivedate = August 11, 2011 | df = mdy-all }}</ref> He continues to host ''The Gary Null Show'' through the Progressive Radio Network, which he established in 2005. |
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Null has made several self-funded and self-produced documentary films on [[public policy]], personal health, and development. These have been aired by [[PBS]] during pledge drives, leading to a surge in sales of his books.<ref name=Variety>Katz, Richard, [https://variety.com/1998/biz/news/null-zeroes-in-on-pbs-fills-void-in-coffers-1117489714/ ''Null zeroes in on PBS, fills void in coffers'',] ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', 23 December 1998. Retrieved 29 September 2013.</ref><ref name=BookSales>Quinn, Judy [http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/19990412/35096-gary-null-s-book-sales-get-healthier.html ''Gary Null's Book Sales Get Healthier''], [[Publishers Weekly]] 12 April 1999. Retrieved 29 September 2013.</ref> |
Null has made several self-funded and self-produced documentary films on [[public policy]], personal health, and development. These have been aired by [[PBS]] during pledge drives, leading to a surge in sales of his books.<ref name=Variety>Katz, Richard, [https://variety.com/1998/biz/news/null-zeroes-in-on-pbs-fills-void-in-coffers-1117489714/ ''Null zeroes in on PBS, fills void in coffers'',] ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', 23 December 1998. Retrieved 29 September 2013.</ref><ref name=BookSales>Quinn, Judy [http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/19990412/35096-gary-null-s-book-sales-get-healthier.html ''Gary Null's Book Sales Get Healthier''], [[Publishers Weekly]] 12 April 1999. Retrieved 29 September 2013.</ref> While Null's films were effective in generating financial contributions in PBS pledge drives, his program raised concerns for some involved with the network, who felt that Null's claims don't "go over the line," but come "right up to it...It was very close to pseudo-science."<ref name="Farhi">{{cite news|last=Farhi|first=Paul|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1998/12/26/pbss-new-age-answer-to-age-old-problem/97d190c8-1208-4010-8b16-687afef98c38/|title=PBS'S New-Age Answer to Age-Old Problem|work=The Washington Post|date=December 26, 1998|access-date=March 30, 2019}}</ref> |
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''[[Discover (magazine)|Discover]]'' magazine's [[Keith Kloor]] condemned Null's 2012 documentary film ''Seeds of Death: Unveiling the Lies of GMOs'', writing that the film: |
''[[Discover (magazine)|Discover]]'' magazine's [[Keith Kloor]] condemned Null's 2012 documentary film ''Seeds of Death: Unveiling the Lies of GMOs'', writing that the film: |
Revision as of 16:40, 6 August 2019
Gary M. Null | |
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Born | 1945 (age 78–79) |
Nationality (legal) | American |
Alma mater | Mountain State College, Parkersburg, West Virginia (Associate's degree, Business administration) Thomas Edison State College (Bachelor's degree, Individualized) Union Institute & University (PhD) |
Gary Michael Null (born 1945) is an American talk radio host and author who advocates for alternative medicine and naturopathy and who produces a line of dietary supplements.[1][2] On his radio show, and in books and self-produced movies, Null promotes a range of alternative cancer treatments, has an unorthodox approach to AIDS,[3] opposes genetically modified foods, and promotes dietary supplements which he produces.
In 2010, six consumers were hospitalized for vitamin D poisoning caused by ingesting Null's nutritional supplements. Null sued a contractor involved in producing the product, alleging that each contained more than 1,000 times the dose of vitamin D reported on the label.[4][5]
Early life and education
Null was raised in Parkersburg, West Virginia, with his two brothers. He holds an associate's degree in business administration from the 2-year, for-profit Mountain State College in Parkersburg, West Virginia and a Bachelor's degree from Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, New Jersey.
Null holds a Ph.D. in human nutrition and public health sciences from Union Institute & University,[1]. Null's doctoral thesis was entitled "A Study of Psychological and Physiological Effects of Caffeine on Human Health."[1]
Medical claims
Cancer
Null has been critical of many facets of mainstream medicine, arguing that physicians and pharmaceutical companies have an economic interest in promoting rather than preventing sickness.[1] In 1979-80, he co-authored a series of articles on cancer research for Penthouse, entitled "The Politics of Cancer"[1] beginning with "The Great Cancer Fraud."[6] In place of standard medical therapy, Null advocated alternative cancer treatments such as hydrazine sulfate, accusing the medical community of "suppressing alternative cancer treatments to protect the medical establishment's solid-gold cancer train." A series of three articles co-authored by Null in Penthouse is credited by David Gorski with bringing the Burzynski clinic to prominence.[7] In 1985, Null began writing a lengthy series of reports for Penthouse entitled "Medical Genocide".[1] In 1999 TIME magazine wrote of Null: "From a young reporter this is to be expected. But two decades later, Null, 54, is still warning of a variety of medical bogeymen out to gull a trusting public."[3]
Influenza and AIDS
Null was the keynote speaker at a rally opposing mandatory H1N1 influenza vaccination during the 2009 flu pandemic, leading the New York State Department of Health to dismiss Null's claims about the vaccine as "not scientifically credible." The New York State Health Commissioner held a conference at the time of the rally to discuss the clinical trials which were used to demonstrate its safety.[8]
Null has argued that "it has never been proved that HIV plays as great a role in" AIDS.[3] In his book AIDS: A Second Opinion, Null advocated a range of dietary supplements for HIV-positive individuals instead of antiretroviral medication.
Vitamin D supplement
In 2010, Null reported that six consumers had been hospitalized for vitamin D poisoning after ingesting a nutritional supplement manufactured by his own contractor. In a lawsuit against the company, he alleged that the supplement erroneously contained more than 1,000 times the dose of vitamin D reported on the label. Null received numerous telephone calls from customers while himself in severe pain.[4]
The Los Angeles Times wrote that Null's experience "should give pause to anyone lured by the extravagant claims of many supplements makers," and said that it was common for dietary supplements to contain doses "wildly different than those indicated on their label" as a result of weak regulation.[5]
Media work
Null began broadcasting a syndicated radio talk show, Natural Living with Gary Null in 1980. His show was broadcast first on WBAI, then on the VoiceAmerica Network and over the Internet. Null's show subsequently returned to WBAI, leading to protests from ACT-UP New York and other AIDS activist groups concerned Null was promoting AIDS denialism.[9][10] He continues to host The Gary Null Show through the Progressive Radio Network, which he established in 2005.
Null has made several self-funded and self-produced documentary films on public policy, personal health, and development. These have been aired by PBS during pledge drives, leading to a surge in sales of his books.[11][12] While Null's films were effective in generating financial contributions in PBS pledge drives, his program raised concerns for some involved with the network, who felt that Null's claims don't "go over the line," but come "right up to it...It was very close to pseudo-science."[13]
Discover magazine's Keith Kloor condemned Null's 2012 documentary film Seeds of Death: Unveiling the Lies of GMOs, writing that the film:
... is a classic collection of all the untruths, myths, and tropes commonly used by the anti-GMO movement. The scope of its dishonesty is brazen... This is crazy train stuff said with a straight face. The worldview that allows someone to believe such things cannot be penetrated with legitimate scientific information.[14]
Film
Null has self-produced a number of films including:
- Poverty Inc (2014)[15][16]
- Autism: Made in the U.S.A.(2009)[17]
- Gulf War Syndrome: Killing Our Own (2007)[18]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Cite error: The named reference
null_qw
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Butler, Kurt; Barrett, Stephen (June 1, 1992). A consumer's guide to "alternative medicine": a close look at homeopathy, acupuncture, faith-healing, and other unconventional treatments. Prometheus Books. ISBN 9780879757335. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
- ^ a b c Park, Alice; Jeffrey Kluger (May 17, 1999). "The New Mister Natural". TIME. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
- ^ a b Andreadis, Cleopatra (April 29, 2010). "Alternative Health Guru Sues Company Over His Own Product". ABC News. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
- ^ a b Healy, Melissa (April 29, 2010). "Supplements guru sues over his own product". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
- ^ Null's Penthouse articles on alternative cancer therapies include:
- Null, Gary; Robert Houston (1979). "The Great Cancer Fraud". Penthouse: 76–78, 82, 268, 270, 272, 274, 276–278.
- Null, Gary; A. Pitrone (1980). "Suppression of new cancer therapies: Dr. Joseph Gold and hydrazine sulfate". Penthouse: 97–98, 160, 162–163.
- Null, Gary; L. Steinman (1980). "The politics of cancer. Part five. Suppression of new cancer therapies: Dr. Lawrence Burton". Penthouse: 75–76, 188–194, 196–197.
- ^ Gorski, David (July 2, 2013). "Stanislaw Burzynski: The Early Years". Science Based Medicine. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
- ^ Scribona, Charles (November 2, 2009). "Health workers angry over mandatory swine flu shots". Legislative Gazette. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
- ^ "Letter to Indra Hardat, interim general manager, WBAI/Pacifica". ACT-UP. January 17, 2006. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
- ^ "WBAI: Do not put Gary Null's dangerous show on the air". aidstruth.org. November 17, 2010. Archived from the original on August 11, 2011. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Katz, Richard, Null zeroes in on PBS, fills void in coffers, Variety, 23 December 1998. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
- ^ Quinn, Judy Gary Null's Book Sales Get Healthier, Publishers Weekly 12 April 1999. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
- ^ Farhi, Paul (December 26, 1998). "PBS'S New-Age Answer to Age-Old Problem". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
- ^ Kloor Keith (May 31, 2013). "Gary Null, Cultivator of Dangerous Woo, Plants Seeds of Death". Collide-a-Scape. Discover. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
- ^ "'Poverty Inc.' gives long lecture on the banking world". LA Times. December 4, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
- ^ Gates, Anita (December 4, 2014). "The Corporate Creation of a New Class Structure". The New York Times. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
- ^ Variety Review: 'Autism: Made in the U.S.A.'; Andrew Barker
- ^ Miami New Times Gulf War Syndrome: Killing Our Own (NR)
External links
- Official page on Facebook
- Gary Null at IMDb