-Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"> </A> -Cui Bono?- From: Mike Balogmailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Friends & Associates: Sent: Wednesday, March 22, 2000 3:30 Pm Est. Subject: Anthrax protest > More Military Anthrax Revolt > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Air Force Reservists Break Ranks on Vaccination Military: The > service requires anthrax shots. But some pilots who also fly for > airlines are protesting, claiming risks to their health and careers. > By AMY PYLE, Times Staff Writer > > DAVIS, Calif.--Maj. Ramona Savoie and Maj. James Hechtl were not > the type to question authority. They were patriots first, Air Force Reserve > pilots second and commercial pilots third. But facing a military requirement > that they be vaccinated against germ warfare--specifically the deadly anthrax > virus--the Travis Air Force Base reservists found themselves caught between > military duty and civilian responsibility. > If the anthrax vaccine is safe, why did the couple know people who had suffered > rashes, immune system disorders and seizures after taking just a few of the > required six shots in the anthrax series? Even if the chances of a bad reaction > were slight, how could they in good conscience take any risk with the lives of their > commercial passengers? > "The price you put on 150 lives is incalculable," said Hechtl, a pilot with South- > west Airlines. "We do owe it to our passengers to be in the best health we can > be; we owe it to our crew," added Savoie, who flies the Oakland-to-Dallas route > for American Airlines. Not to mention the fact that becoming incapacitated in any > way could jeopardize the Gulf War veterans' careers in the lucrative commercial > field, where pilots are not even allowed to take cold medicine for fear it will > dull their senses. >Savoie had one more reason for concern: She was in a fertility program, trying > to get pregnant. Now, at 45, she is expecting twins. So the two became unlikely > leaders of an unlikely group of protesters: > Air Force Reserve pilots who make their living flying commercial jets. > On Monday, they joined 15 other pilots at a Davis news conference > calling for an immediate cessation of the anthrax vaccination program. > Most have shunned their weekend warrior duty for months to avoid having > to disobey a direct vaccination order. > "There is a time for blind obedience; we know that," said Lt. Col. Rick > Morris, a Delta Air Lines pilot who transferred to a reserve desk job to > avoid the inoculations. "But this is not wartime, [and] everybody's > being told to close those eyes." > The news conference was organized by Washington, D.C., attorney > Mark Zaid, who has been civilian counsel in many of the courts martial > involving anthrax vaccine refusals. He was an attorney in the nation's first > such case, that of an active-duty airman from Travis. > Even before it was ordered for all troops in 1998, the vaccination stirred > controversy because of questions about efficacy and possible connections > to illness among Gulf War veterans. The military maintains that the vaccine > is perfectly safe, pointing out that more than 400,000 service members have > taken it and only 620 have reported adverse effects. Of those, only 70 took time > off work, said Army medical representative Virginia Stephanakis. > Zaid said that number is meaningless because many problems are > never reported. Pilots, in particular, do not want to jeopardize their flying > status by acknowledging less than perfect health, he said. > At Travis, about half of the 3,000 reservists have started the series of shots. > Base spokesman Lt. Tom Crosson said he had taken three and had > "no reactions" at all. He would not comment further on the reservists' > actions. Nationwide, more than 10,000 Air Force reservists and 22,000 Air > National Guard members have been inoculated, Stephanakis said. Airline > companies have not taken a position on the anthrax vaccine, though many of > their pilots are in the reserves. At Southwest Airlines, spokeswoman Linda > Rutherford said, about one in 10 pilots are reservists. > Airlines have a somewhat symbiotic relationship with the military. The service > pays the millions that it costs to train a pilot. When that pilot is ready to move on, > the airlines provide flexibility for them to continue to serve their country with as little > as 24 hours' notice. That was how Savoie ended up at American and Hechtl with > Southwest while still piloting gigantic military transport planes on both war and relief > missions to Kosovo, Bosnia, Somalia and elsewhere. Travis continued to be a big > part of their social lives, too. It was, Savoie said, "like the lodge without the hats." > At their 1998 wedding, their squadron formed a tunnel with swords raised. > Hechtl wore his dress blues and Savoie even slipped her medal-laden jacket > over her white satin wedding dress during the reception. > When they heard last spring that anthrax vaccines would soon be required > of reservists who enter war zones, the two automatically figured they would > comply. Their medical records show they have taken dozens of shots in the > past three years--from flu to typhoid--to meet reserve requirements. But reports > of protests and problems elsewhere caused them to seek more information. > The Internet led them to conflicting government reports and to Zaid, who had > testified before Congress on the subject. > Instead of disobeying orders, both Hechtl and Savoie tried to transfer to desk > jobs last June, before any orders were issued. While similar requests from peers > were granted, theirs were turned down. Savoie opted to retire. But Hechtl, who at 38 > is four years short of the 20 years required for military retirement benefits, is > continuing to fight his denial with Zaid's help. > "We've put our full faith and trust in the U.S. government, we are such big > supporters," Hechtl said. But "the more research we did [on the vaccine], > the more questions we had." <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soap-boxing! 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