Resistance To Anthrax Vaccine Ripples Through the Ranks

Dave Eberhart

Stars and Stripes

February 22, 2001

Capt. John Buck, USAF, the first military doctor to receive a general court-martial for refusing the anthrax vaccine (at Keesler Air Force Base near Biloxi, Miss.) is not alone in running afoul of the controversial Pentagon vaccination program.

Buck's arraignment on a charge of disobedience of a lawful order is set for Apr. 18. His trial is set for May 15. Buck and other military defendants recently lost a bid to have a court of military appeals declare the order to take the series of anthrax shots unlawful--as a matter of law.

Maj. Sonny Bates, USAF, 14-year career pilot who was last assigned to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, recently was given a general dismissal for refusing to take the series of shots.

Marine Lance Cpl. Jason Austin, of Fritch, Texas, was convicted in a court-martial and given both a prison term and a bad conduct discharge.

Spec. Jeremy Deaton, of Rosemond, Calif., refused the shots while stationed in Germany. He now faces a court-martial.

Adverse Effects

Staff Sgt. Randi Allaire, of Lansing Mich., suffered adverse effects after taking the vaccine while serving with the Michigan Air National Guard. She recently got a general discharge.

Petty Officer 1st Class Dan Morris, of Temicula, Calif., recently was barred from reenlistment after 14 years in the Navy after challenging the vaccine's safety.

Lt. Col. Tom Heemstra, former commander of the Indiana Air National Guard, was forced to resign after refusing the vaccine.

And two brothers in the Navy, Petty Officer Daniel Boylan and Ensign Brain Boylan, both of Wheaton, Ill., were forced out with general discharges because of their opposition.

And the stories of ended careers go on and on.

Some Sick At Walter Reed

"I have been having problems from the anthrax shot since Aug. 1, 1999," Tech Sgt. Jeffrey Moore of Dover AFB told The Stars and Stripes Feb. 22. "After one shot, I started having joint aches, memory loss, dizzy spells and blackouts," he said.

"After a year and a half, I am now returned to normal except for dizzy spells, which they are still checking out. Through all of this, my problems, I found, are far less severe than [those of ] others that I have met.

"Some of these people are patients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. One I know was in a coma for awhile from reactions to it. Still others, like a good friend, have not worked a day in two years due to ill health.

"Two years ago, half of two Air Force Reserve flying squadrons here at Dover where I fly walked out the door and quit--refusing the shots. The level of fear and intimidation in the military surrounding this subject is unbelievable. These walkouts have to be a severe blow to military manning levels."

Marine Lawyer Speaks Out

Capt. Dale F. Saran is a Marine Corps attorney and former helicopter pilot who represented Petty Officer David Ponder and Lance Cpl. Jason Stonewall, both of whom refused the vaccine.

"Dr. Buck asked me to represent him, as well," Saran told The Stars and Stripes Feb. 22, "but I could not because I am now a prosecutor and no longer a defense attorney. The Air Force actually approved the request but my chain of command would not.

"There is incontrovertible evidence that this program is illegal, even aside form the safety issues, but it has been extremely hard to convince a military court of that," said Saran. "My fervent hope is that the new secretary of defense will put the kabosh on this program and relegate it to the circular file where it belongs.

"Whenever I talk to my fellow Marines about the program, officer and enlisted alike, they all universally have said, 'I don't want to take that shot.' I have never heard anyone express support for this program. I have even been approached by officers in passing who have said, 'I hope you win so I don't have to take it' or, 'Will you represent me when I refuse?'"

"The saddest part of all of this is the silence of senior leaders--how out of touch they are with the beliefs and morale of their officers and troops. People are complying, in the few numbers that they are, not because they believe the DoD or because of their respect for their leaders, but out of fear of the consequences of what the military will do if they refuse.

"The legality of the whole program has simply been swept away, notwithstanding federal law requiring informed consent and longstanding DoD regulations that also require informed consent."I can barely contain my disillusionment with the DoD as a result of this program, which is why I am leaving the service as soon as I legally can."

Editor's Note: Capt. Buck will be interviewed live on the Veterans Radio Network on Sat. Mar. 10. Readers should go to www.veteransradionetwork.com, click on "Current Show Page" and tune in to the real audio presentation.

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