-Caveat Lector-
VOICE Of The GRUNT, 1999-09-08-B
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ARTICLE 5
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AN AIR FORCE ANTHRAX STORY
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SUMMARY: A pilot relates a story that could be happening all over the
country with our remaining pilots. This stuff is just wonderful isn't it?
******************************************
By An Air Warrior
It's important to keep the real life experiences in this discussion about
the anthrax vaccine. It keeps things in the proper perspective. First, let
me say that what I am writing is of my own accord and does not represent
the views of the Air Force. Also, it must be made clear that the following
is simply an observation of my experiences over the last two weeks and is
not intended to persuade any member of the armed forces to disobey any
lawful orders. I am an active duty Air Force pilot stationed at an Eastern
AFB. I arrived on station just a little over two weeks ago.
On my first day I met a reserve pilot at lunch and ask how things were in
his unit. He then went on to explain how a large amount of pilots had
resigned due to the fear of the anthrax vaccine. I asked him if their fears
were backed by fact. He used himself for an example. Since he's received
the vaccine, he has experienced headaches, dizzy spells, short term memory
loss, to name a few symptoms. I assumed he was grounded and then he said
that the medical group had given him a waiver to keep flying. He was
scheduled for an MRI to rule out a brain tumor. "How could this be?", I
thought. "How can he be fit to fly?"
The next day I ran into an old friend of mine who was leaving the base. He
was a reserve pilot who had resigned. He acknowledged the moral problem and
stated that there was a real threat of an adverse reaction to the vaccine
and he just couldn't risk it. The following day I checked into the squadron
and spoke with the first active duty pilot I ran into about the anthrax
vaccine. That pilot was grounded, and still is to this day. That pilot has
sustained some serious internal damage with an unknown prognosis. The
overall diagnosis is an autoimmune disorder.
A couple of days later I met another pilot and asked him if he had
received the vaccine. He acknowledged that he had. He described becoming
very ill afterwards and to this day had problems with short-term memory
loss. He also said that his wife had recently became extremely ill. They
both went off base to get a blood analysis. He said that his test showed
heavy traces of anthrax and some traces of Ebola. His wife's blood showed
traces of anthrax. How could this be? He has never been to an area where
Ebola is prevalent. And his wife has never received the anthrax vaccine.
The next day I recorded the names of the crewmembers in my squadron who
were grounded according to our scheduling board. I called five of them that
night. The first guy was a pilot. He had just been released from the
hospital. He told me that shortly after he had received the vaccine he
developed cysts on numerous places on the inside and outside of his body,
to include his heart. He had undergone surgery to remove some of the cysts
and had been hooked up to an IV for six weeks. To his knowledge no VAERS
report had been filed on his case.
The next guy I spoke with had received the vaccine and was being treated
for an autoimmune disorder, but believed it was from job related stress
and not the vaccine. Fair enough, I thought, but how coincidental. The next
fellow I spoke with was grounded also. After the fourth vaccine he began to
experience diverse symptoms which included chronic bone/joint pain, chronic
fatigue, and a loss of ability to concentrate. He is being cross-trained
into another, less demanding career field.
Another pilot I spoke with has experienced severe chronic bone/joint pain
and he was also grounded. The pain is so bad he can't climb the steps to
get into the airplane. Although this disability surfaced after he received
the vaccine, at this time he doesn't attribute it as being the cause.
However, as a precaution, he has had his blood tested for the autoimmune
disorder. It came back negative. Again, I have only been on base a short
time and with a little bit of effort I have uncovered what I consider a
nightmare. I have yet to talk to the other 17 crewmembers in my squadron
that are on the "grounded" list.
My guess is that the anthrax vaccine will be considered a causal factor
for a significant portion of these people. I was told that one of these men
had a seizure last week. Another fact worth mentioning is that the chief of
our immunization clinic took the vaccine and went into anaphylactic shock.
We need to ensure that safety is appropriately addressed and NOW. This is
the sermon that every commander I have served under has preached. Something
is wrong. Way wrong. However, I cannot speak out in a way that civilians
can without facing a court martial.
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ARTICLE 6
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*******Medal Of Honor*******
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ZABITOSKY, FRED WILLIAM
Rank and organization: SFC (then S/Sgt.), U.S.A, 5th Special Forces Group
(ABN)
Place and date: Republic of Vietnam, 19 February 1968
Entered service at: Trenton, New Jersey
Born: 27 October 1942, Trenton, New Jersey
Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life
above and beyond the call of duty. Sfc. Zabitosky, U.S. Army, distinguished
himself while serving as an assistant team leader of a 9-man Special Forces
long range reconnaissance patrol. Sfc. Zabitosky's patrol was operating
deep within enemy controlled territory when they were attacked by a
numerically superior North Vietnamese Army unit. Sfc. Zabitosky rallied his
team members, deployed them into defensive positions, and, exposing himself
to concentrated enemy automatic weapons fire, directed their return fire.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Sfc. Zabitosky ordered his patrol
to move to a landing zone for helicopter extraction while he covered their
withdrawal with rifle fire and grenades. Rejoining the patrol under
increasing enemy pressure, he positioned each man in a tight perimeter
defense and continually moved from man to man, encouraging them and
controlling their defensive fire. Mainly due to his example, the
outnumbered patrol maintained its precarious position until the arrival of
tactical air support and a helicopter extraction team. As the rescue
helicopters arrived, the determined North Vietnamese pressed their attack.
Sfc. Zabitosky repeatedly exposed himself to their fire to adjust
suppressive helicopter gunship fire around the landing zone. After boarding
1 of the rescue helicopters, he positioned himself in the door delivering
fire on the enemy as the ship took off. The helicopter was engulfed in a
hail of bullets and Sfc. Zabitosky was thrown from the craft as it spun out
of control and crashed. Recovering consciousness, he ignored his extremely
painful injuries and moved to the flaming wreckage. Heedless of the danger
of exploding ordnance and fuel, he pulled the severely wounded pilot from
the searing blaze and made repeated attempts to rescue his patrol members
but was driven back by the intense heat. Despite his serious burns and
crushed ribs, he carried and dragged the unconscious pilot through a
curtain of enemy fire to within 10 feet of a hovering rescue helicopter
before collapsing. Sfc. Zabitosky's extraordinary heroism and devotion to
duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service
and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
(Fred W. Zabitosky passed away in February, 1996.)
======================================================
ARTICLE 7
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SOMEBODY CARES ABOUT OUR G.I.'S
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By Tammy Dominski
My husband called it Platoon Morale Day in a very serious tone. My friends
and I, in secret, called it "The Joe Party" and giggled about it like
schoolgirls, because we are never serious about anything for very long.
"Joe" is a nickname for soldiers. But tomorrow my friends won't be with me
and I won't be laughing anymore.
Tomorrow, barring last minute call-outs, alerts, or conflicts of schedule,
men from my husband's platoon will gather in my living room. I will shuffle
around my kitchen amidst the smell of pizza and brownies and try
desperately to look busy. And I will try to shut out the sounds coming from
my living room, but I know I won't be able to. You see, they are gathering
to watch the movie "Saving Private Ryan" and the giggling I did with my
friends was only masking something I'm dreading: having to watch that movie
again. I will never forget the night I sat in the darkened theater as that
movie unfolded before my eyes for the first time. With tears streaking down
my cheeks, I was shown quite graphically what my husband, an infantry
soldier, did for a living. And I realized that there were men out there I
had to thank for the ease in which I have lived my life.
I have never wanted for food or shelter or warmth. I don't know what it's
like to lose my home simply because someone didn't like where I came from.
I have the right to voice my opinion on whatever causes touch my heart. The
only devastation that I have ever seen due to war has been on TV. And the
last time a member of my family was touched by battle was when my
great-great-grandfather died in the Civil War.
There are people out there who have risked their lives and died so that I
can lead my cushioned life. I know I probably wouldn't be here today had it
not been for those people, men who are no less than heroes in my eyes.
To me, a hero is anyone who is willing to sign away years of their life to
a cause they believe in. Not all of us possess such fortitude. I have been
told that I have courage because I speak out for the few things in my life
that are important to me, but I cannot begin to fathom the bravery it would
take to go off to war, knowing you might not come home.
The gallantry those men, as well as the ones gathered in my living room
tomorrow, possess is beyond anything I can comprehend. Patriotism is in my
heart. I cry when I hear taps played. I can't get through All-American Week
without goose bumps. I get chills when I see a line of C-130s dot the sky,
and one of my favorite songs is the 82nd Airborne Chorus's version of "God
Bless the USA." So how does someone like me say thank you? Sometimes the
words "thank you" are spoken too late.
People are taken from our lives before we get around to telling them how we
feel. In a speech to Congress in 1790, George Washington said, "To be
prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace." I
don't like to think about war because I'm an idealist who hopes that the
days of armed conflict will become obsolete during my lifetime. I don't
wish for the men in my living room to go off to fight a war, but I know
that they are prepared to do so.
The men who will be in my home tomorrow don't know how I feel because it's
hard for me to articulate my feelings into spoken words. I don't even think
my own husband knows how I truly feel. But I could try. I could tell them I
appreciate the sacrifices they've made. I wonder if they know how much I
look up to each and every one of them, and that I am truly honored to be in
their presence, and in the presence of anyone who has ever served our
country. I could just start by saying thank you before it's too late.
So tomorrow, should the "Joe Party" occur as scheduled, I'll try to watch
the movie, maybe, even though I will no doubt see half of it through tears.
When it's over I will gather the courage that comes from being in the
company of heroes, in my eyes, and I will start by saying thank you to
them. To those of you who will not be with me tomorrow, please, before the
day is through, find someone who has served our country, past or present,
and tell them thank you, from the bottom of your heart, for the job they
did for us.
They deserve that at the very least.
=================================================
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VOICE OF THE GRUNT Volunteers:
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