Air Force pilot refuses vaccine A captain from Eugene resigns his commission and says he has been denied his rights since he declined an anthrax vaccination Thursday, April 13, 2000 By Norm Maves Jr. of The Oregonian staff After dueling with the U.S. Air Force for six months over his refusal to be vaccinated against anthrax, Capt. Cliff Volpe, an active-duty pilot from Eugene, has resigned his commission and asked the service for an honorable discharge. Volpe sent his lengthy letter to Air Force Secretary F. Whitten Peters on Monday. He asked for the discharge rather than serve under what he called "a chain of command that fails to follow Air Force regulations, continually harasses me and has openly expressed its intent to make my life miserable." The anthrax vaccination controversy has been a hot issue in the military since Defense Secretary William Cohen in 1998 ordered the immunization of all active-duty and reserve troops against anthrax by 2005. The order was given because of the suspicion that some potential enemies -- Iraq and others -- could use it in lethal doses as a biological weapon. President Clinton and Cohen are pushing for full compliance in the inoculation effort, and Cohen says the vaccine is safe. Vice President Al Gore, however, broke with the White House and the Pentagon on Tuesday, calling for "careful evaluation" of whether the program should be mandatory. Several people have refused the vaccination, citing inadequate testing of the vaccine and side effects that have cropped up in some recipients. Some have fought the system; others have resigned from the military. In February, a House subcommittee called for suspension of the vaccination program. And last month, Air Force Maj. Sonnie Bates, a C-5 cargo jet pilot at Dover Air Force Base, Del., was given a general discharge after receiving a fine and reprimand for balking at inoculations. An Air Force spokesman at the headquarters of Air Mobility Command, the 457th's parent command at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., said that short notice precluded an immediate response to Volpe's charges and that the command would respond today. Dr. Sue Bailey, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said that the vaccine was safe and the only way the military could protect its troops from the deadly disease. She said nearly 400,000 service members had received all or part of the six-shot program. "It's frustrating to have to do this," said Volpe, 27, a C-21 pilot with the 457th Airlift Squadron at Andrews Air Force Base outside of Washington, D.C. "I've kept my head bowed and gone with the flow, but every other recourse of action and official means of resolving this has failed." Volpe, a 1991 graduate of South Eugene High School and a 1995 graduate of the Air Force Academy, accuses the service of denial of several legal rights and of a pattern of harassment. His military obligation extends to May 2005. At the root of Volpe's action was his order in early October to be vaccinated against anthrax. Volpe did his own research on the subject before making up his mind. He compiled anecdotal evidence from physicians and people who have had adverse reactions to the vaccine and examined British medical journals. British soldiers were vaccinated during the Persian Gulf War. He also reviewed General Accounting Office reports on adverse reactions. Then he refused the order -- he was one of the first pilots to do so -- and was immediately slapped with an Article 15. The article, part of the Universal Code of Military Justice, provides for punishment without going through a court martial. On Oct. 13, Volpe accepted a fine of $3,210 and a reprimand; a month later, he filed for an appeal. Since then, Volpe said, "the Air Force has continued a deliberate campaign to delay the resolution of my case and make my service in the military unbearable." Specifically, he said, he was illegally prevented from flying, wasn't allowed to participate in Air Force athletic events -- Volpe is a competitive distance runner -- wasn't permitted to volunteer in the community and was harassed up and down his chain of command. He said that the Air Force also had violated its own rules when it refused him an audience with an officer who was reviewing his Article 15. And although regulations limit pay forfeiture to half a month's pay for two months, Volpe was docked the entire amount in one month, he said. Air Force attorney Capt. William Burke has been representing Volpe for the past six months. He said Wednesday that cases of refusal to accept the anthrax vaccine were relatively new and that the military was still trying to iron out procedures. "Generally," he said, "in any justice system you want some consistency so that similar offenses receive similar punishments. In Cliff's case, he's been held onto a lot longer and subjected to some things. "His case played a big role in how the Air Force will handle this. Nobody wants to deal with it in court; the Air Force doesn't want its bluff called, nor is a court martial in the best interest" of the refuser. "This is the only thing that's the slightest black mark on his record," Burke said of Volpe. "His record is certainly an outstanding one; when you balance all the facts, he deserves an honorable discharge." Volpe says he attended two House of Representatives committee hearings on the anthrax subject last year but declined the opportunity to testify. He also has refused opportunities from other media to go public with his problems. "Obviously, I don't want a bad record," he said, "but I just can't live with this anymore." In his resignation letter to Peters, Volpe said, "I am disappointed that I have to write this letter. I love serving my country, and the opportunities I have had to fly and be an Air Force officer. I have great respect for the men and women of the Air Force. . . ." The Chicago Tribune News Service contributed to this report. You can reach Norm Maves at 503-221-8255 or by e-mail at [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------------- Anthrax Vaccine Information Center http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Camp/6060/ ------------------ One Man Awake One man awake awakens another, The second awakens his next-door neighbor, And three awake can rouse the town, And turn the whole place upside down. And many awake can raise such a fuss That it finally awakens the rest of us. 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