Pilot discharged over anthrax shots at Dover (Del.) Air Force Base

Sickened by first three, flyer says he refused inoculations

By Tom Eldred

Delaware State News

September 26, 2000

DOVER - Another active duty pilot from Dover Air Force Base has been discharged for disobeying an order to receive an anthrax vaccination.

But unlike former Maj. Sonnie G. Bates, who was ousted March 30 for refusing to submit to any part of the Pentagon's mandatory six-shot anthrax vaccine program, former 1st Lt. Jamie C. Martin had already received three inoculations.

Base spokesman Maj. Frank Smolinsky confirmed Mr. Martin was stationed at Dover and that he was discharged for refusing to obey a direct order.

For privacy reasons, Maj. Smolinsky declined to discuss the specifics of Mr. Martin's discharge.

"If he wants to sign a waiver for the release of that information, I could go into specifics,'' Maj. Smolinsky said.

In an interview with the Delaware State News, Mr. Martin, 27, said he was given three shots at the base, at two-week intervals, during August and September 1999.

He said he decided to refuse a fourth shot because he got very sick.

"The first wasn't that bad. It was hardly noticeable,'' he said. "The second gave me some flu-like symptoms for about five or six days, but the third was a real doozy. It put me in bed.''

Although dwindling supplies this summer forced the Pentagon to announce a drastic cutback in the number of doses it administers, the military insists the vaccine is safe and could save untold lives in the event of an anthrax biological warfare attack.

Opponents question the vaccine's effectiveness. They cite hundreds of cases in which armed forces personnel claim serious and lasting side effects from the vaccinations.

"I had severe headaches and every move was an effort because my body muscles hurt so badly,'' Mr. Martin said.

"When I was able to get up, I had vertigo and had to grab hold of furniture until the dizziness went away. I also had ringing in my ears and short-term memory loss.''

Mr. Martin said he was in between co-pilot mission qualification status and his first mission at Dover at the time.

"I was scared and didn't go to the doctor,'' he said. "We all knew everybody who was complaining about (vaccine side effects) was immediately grounded. They were done flying.''

Mr. Martin, born and raised outside Nashville, Tenn., started his military career with the Marine Corps reserves while attending the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. He later transferred into the Air Force ROTC and completed pilot training at Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi.

He was assigned to Dover in June 1999 and was selected for "captain-select'' active status to fly C-5 aircraft. After refusing the fourth shot, however, he said he was advised the captain-select status had been rescinded.

He said the side effects from the third shot continued for months.

Finally, in January, he checked in for a medical examination. His blood scanned clean. He was sent to see an immunization specialist and other doctors.

"This was my 'education' period,'' he said. "They all said exactly the same thing. It was like a recording. The Pentagon has plugged them in and programmed them all to say the same thing. I knew what they were going to say before they said it. They all said there was no problem with the vaccine.''

But Mr. Martin's mind was made up. He would not at any time take another shot.

On May 8, Mr. Martin received a written order from his squadron commander to undergo the vaccination. He was given a deadline of 11 a.m. on May 10.

"Failure to obey this order constitutes a violation of Article 90, Uniform Code of Military Justice,'' Lt. Col. Christopher E. Coley, commander of the 9th Airlift Squadron, wrote.

Mr. Martin refused and was suspended from flying on May 18. He asked to resign but was turned down. He said he subsequently received an honorable discharge under general conditions and was fined $1,200.

The discharge became effective Sept. 1. Now he's flying for a private charter service in Tennessee.

"This whole thing just disgusts me,'' Mr. Martin said. "I can't remember talking to anybody at Dover who wasn't concerned about it, but it's not just a Dover problem. It's not just an Air Force problem.

"It's the whole high chain of command in the Department of Defense. I was taught you take care of your people first. Unfortunately, the top brass in the Department of Defense is more concerned with their careers than they are with the lives and health of their troops.

"They would rather make more people sick than admit more research needs to be done to determine how safe this vaccine is.''

As he has in the past, Maj. Smolinsky praised the program.

"We believe the anthrax vaccine immunization program is a very much needed force protection measure,'' he said.

"The anthrax vaccine is a safe and effective method to protect our troops against a very real biological warfare threat. Mr. Martin was discharged not because he refused to take the vaccine, but because he disobeyed a legal order from a superior officer.''

Tom Eldred can be reached at 741-8212 or at teldred@newszap.com.