'It Makes Me Angry'
But for nearly 13 years she's been sick, and she blames the government.
"I was diagnosed in October with MS, and actually over 400 Gulf War Veterans have MS," says the mother of two, and Gulf War Vet.
The 37-year-old Kirkland woman and her husband spent five months in Saudi Arabia. He served as an Army dentist, she was a dental assistant 12 miles away in a different unit.
"I think we were exposed to a cocktail, I think it depends where you were and which way the wind was blowing to what you were exposed to."
She thinks those chemicals gave her MS.
In a July 1997 and January 2001 letter from the Department of Defense, Julie was told there's no evidence that long-term healthcare problems are likely. She was also told her MS is not service-connected. But, two years ago the DOD said there was a link between Gulf war vets and Lou Gehrigs disease.
"It shouldn't be an issue anymore we shouldn't have to prove we were exposed to anything or that we might be ill as of a result of that."
To make it worse, when she went to the VA Medical Center for help..."I was actually asked to provide proof that I was in combat," says Mock.
She's one of several vets who will appear on ABC's "Primetime Thursday" as part of Diane Sawyer's undercover investigation of VA hospitals.
"There are a lot of VA hospitals that are substandard," says Mock. Sawyer says she's uncovered disturbing information about quality of care and questionable management practices.
Through Mock's volunteer work with the Gulf War Veterans Resource Center - an advocacy group - she says she's learned some VA physicians are reluctant to validate Gulf War Vets' symptoms. Some vets are told it's just combat stress.
Julie says with persistence she got help. She now considers Seattle's VA Medical Center as one of the best. She hopes with their help to prove: chemical injuries are war injuries.
"I think there needs to be more funding for research for what these chemicals have done to us."
What she would like is free treatment for her MS. Right now she's relying mostly on private medical insurance.
Her husband, Erich appears to be healthy - but another soldier she worked side-by-side with also was diagnosed with MS.
"It makes me angry, it really makes me angry," she says.
For More Information: