It looks like they were in good company. Last year, the U.S. General Accounting Office surveyed 829 current and former members of the Air Guard and Air Force Reserve to ascertain their feelings about the mandatory vaccination program. The survey indicated that the shots were causing, in the words of one Washington Post headline writer, a "military exodus." Of those surveyed, one-fourth had transferred to another unit ÷ often to a non-flying position ÷ left the military or moved to inactive status. Most of them cited fear of the mandatory anthrax vaccine as the No. 1 reason for their decision.

An additional 18 percent of those who hadnât quit yet said they were planning to within the next six months, and they, too, ranked anthrax immunization as the single most important factor in their decision to leave. Only 17 percent of survey respondents said they believe the Department of Defenseâs information on the safety of the anthrax vaccine is accurate.

Each pilot who decides to leave the military represents not just a loss of personnel but a major financial loss as well. It costs the military an average of almost $6 million and takes nine years to train a fully qualified aviator.

Eric Blackburn, a 33-year-old father, is one Air Guard member who recently decided to quit. He earned his architecture degree at Ohio State with tuition money from the Air Guard and enjoyed his service so much that he reenlisted after graduating.

He clearly misses the camaraderie. Asked to tell his story, he begins, "Iâm a member," then stops to correct himself. "I was a member of the 121st."

"The 121st" is the 121st Air Refueling Wing in Columbus, near where Blackburn lives in Reynoldsburg. Originally, the 121st was a tactical fighter unit trained for combat in a desert environment, but its mission changed shortly before the Gulf War.

Blackburn first heard about the anthrax shot soon after the Department of Defense announced its mandatory vaccination program in 1997, but he didnât think much of it at the time. It wasnât until his friend, who was earning his masterâs in business administration, followed the money trail that Blackburn became suspicious.

In particular, Blackburn thought it curious that BioPort brought retired Admiral William Crowe, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on board by offering him major stock holdings for a minimal financial contribution. The company then won an exclusive contract with the defense department to manufacture the vaccine.

Blackburn did some research of his own into the health risks of the vaccine. He couldnât find answers to all his questions so he sent a post to what he presumed was a private internet mail list. As it turns out, he says, some of his superiors got copies of his questions and he was labeled a troublemaker.

The research convinced Blackburn that he didnât want to endure the shot, so when his name appeared on a list of people scheduled to receive it, he dropped out of the Air Guard ÷ a $300-per-month hit to his income.

"I let everybody know that it was specifically because of the anthrax vaccine," he says. "It wasnât for any other reason. I still miss the people and the trips most of all." ÷ KH