March 29, 2002
MEMORANDUM FOR MILLENNIUM COHORT STUDY PARTICIPANTS
SUBJECT: The Millennium Cohort Study
The Millennium Cohort Study is a long-term study that will assess and document the health status of randomly selected service members over a period of more than 20 years. The data collected will serve as a description of how simply being a member of the military may have an impact on health. It will also serve as a basis for comparison for those who may deploy to attempt to identify any health effects that may be specifically related to being deployed to a certain location. The absence of such comparison information has hindered the ability to determine the association of health issues with many deployments in the past. This study may also provide additional information to determine service connectivity for a variety of health conditions.
You have been selected to be part of this endeavor. Your participation will determine the success or failure of the study. A short time ago, health researchers from the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs sent you materials on the Millennium Cohort Study and offered you the opportunity to participate. I encourage you to review the materials provided and give of your time to represent the many soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines defending this great nation. As you review the information, keep in mind your participation only involves periodically answering questions regarding your health throughout the study, and there are strong privacy protections for your responses.
This is an important endeavor, and I appreciate your support.
Paul Wolfowitz
Deputy Secretary of Defense