April 27, 2021 The News Tribune
Vaccine information sucked into JBLM black hole. It’s time for Biden to let data out
“…the commander of JBLM’s 62nd Air Wing acknowledged about 60 percent of the McChord Field population hadn’t been vaccinated.”
“The Pentagon doesn’t require troops to roll up their sleeves nor track those who decline.”
Feb 25, 2021 Dept. of Defense
Secretary of Defense Addresses Vaccine Hesitancy in Military
“The Food and Drug Administration has given all the vaccines currently being administered emergency use authorization. It is much as it sounds, according to the FDA. In an emergency, the FDA can make a product available to the public based on the best available evidence, without waiting for all the evidence that would be needed for FDA approval or clearance.”
“…there is some hesitancy — especially in communities of color in America — to get the vaccines. “Because of some things that have happened in the past, there’s a degree of mistrust…”
“In the past, commanders — on the advice from medical professionals — could simply order service members to get a vaccine. Troops deploying to operations in Iraq and Afghanistan had to receive the anthrax series of shots, for example. That was possible because those were FDA approved inoculations.”
A man on the moon in 1969 was a proud American moment.
Since that time, both major parties have taken turns in power and have squandered credibility that would help in the current situation.
We were told we needed to send troops to Vietnam.
Syria, Lebanon, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.
Some may have become skeptical along the way.
Some things that have happened in the past
Dec. 23, 2013 Tampa Bay Times
USS Calhoun County sailors dumped thousands of tons of radioactive waste into ocean
“For up to 15 years after World War II, the crew of Albernaz’s ship, the USS Calhoun County, dumped thousands of tons of radioactive waste into the Atlantic Ocean, often without heeding the simplest health precautions, according to Navy documents and Tampa Bay Times interviews with more than 50 former crewmen.”
“Albernaz began a battle for his life in 1988 when part of his brain began to die, mystifying doctors who eventually concluded the rare ailment might be linked to radiation. He filed a VA claim for benefits in 2001 that was repeatedly rejected, often with tortured government reasoning.”
“The VA and Navy told Albernaz he was not exposed to radiation on the Calhoun County, a vessel the Navy ordered sunk in 1963 because it was radioactive. The VA ignored Navy documents discovered by a former congressional aide proving the ship’s radioactivity, telling Albernaz they were “unsubstantiated.” And the Navy today points to Cold War records that are incomplete and unreliable as proof crewmen were not exposed to dangerous radiation.”
Using GIs in mustard gas experiments
June 23, 2015 NPR
The VA’s Broken Promise To Thousands Of Vets Exposed To Mustard Gas
“In secret chemical weapons experiments conducted during World War II, the U.S. military exposed thousands of American troops to mustard gas.”
“When those experiments were formally declassified in the 1990s, the Department of Veterans Affairs made two promises: to locate about 4,000 men who were used in the most extreme tests, and to compensate those who had permanent injuries.”
“But the VA didn’t uphold those promises, an NPR investigation has found.”
Using GIs to test nuclear weapons
You guys stand over here and watch for the mushroom cloud. Take notes and your observations will be used to continue development of this weapons system.
Decades later, we will look into any evidence of gruesome medical complications:
January 22, 1978 The Washington Post
Effects of Nuclear Tests on GIs Probed
“…at least six GIs of 2,235 who participated in a 1957 test developed leukemia – a blood cancer associated with radiation – the congressional inquiry is expected to disclose, among other findings, sloppy procedures in the handling of film badges, the primary means used to measure individual radiation exposure.”
“Allan M. Harris, a California insurance man, was a Marine who observed a 1952 shot and thereafter was marched into the vicinity of ground zero. Harris said in a recent interview that no badges were given his unit.”
“Troops often were marched into the immediate vicinity of ground zero shortly after major shots.”
“Dann said recently that, within a year of the tests, “I lost my teeth, my hair fell out in blotches . . . my joints ached and I had a low sperm count.” Several years later, Dann developed a dizziness problem and now is a paraplegic as the result of an accident.”
Agent Orange
Decades later, we will continue to look into providing disability compensation:
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
Agent Orange exposure and VA disability compensation
Changes based on Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019
“Blue Water Navy Veterans who served aboard ships in the open waters off the coast of Vietnam during the Vietnam War are now presumed to be exposed to Agent Orange. If we denied your claim in the past, you can file a new claim based on Public Law 116-23.”
“Children of U.S. Veterans who served in Thailand during the Vietnam War may now be eligible for benefits. If your child was diagnosed with spina bifida (except spina bifida occulta), learn more about eligibility for birth defects linked to Agent Orange.”
MCAS El Toro
“A TCE plume was discovered off base in 1985. MWSG-37 was ground zero for the TCE plume, spreading miles into Orange County. In 1997 EPA reported that the MWSG-37 area was the source of the toxic plume. EPA found that: “approximately 1,500 pounds of TCE are estimated to be present in soil gas; an additional 4,000 pounds of TCE would be present in the soil moisture.”
“The risk of serious illness for those who worked in MWSG-37 in or near the maintenance hangars was high because of exposure to toxic vapors from open containers and from vapor intrusion.”
Much additional info is available on the web. Begin your studies here.
Camp Lejeune water contamination
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
Camp Lejeune water contamination health issues
“If you served at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune or Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River in North Carolina, you may have had contact with contaminants in the drinking water there. Scientific and medical evidence has shown an association between exposure to these contaminants during military service and development of certain diseases later on.”
“From the 1950s through the 1980s, people living or working at the U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, were potentially exposed to drinking water contaminated with industrial solvents, benzene, and other chemicals.”
Much additional info is available on the web. Begin your studies here.
Gulf War Syndrome
Decades later, we will continue to look into expanding coverage of veterans’ benefits to include side effects from exposure to burn pits.
April 16, 2021 NCPR
Senators seek expanded veterans coverage for burn pit exposure
“We had Agent Orange in Vietnam. Years later, there was also Gulf War syndrome from the first Iraq war, that’s still not very well understood and it seems like burn pits are going to be the example of [environmental illness] from the War on Terror.”
Maybe the troops out at JBLM are wary because of US history. Maybe the third grade pledge of allegiance drills are wearing off now.
Related:
Growing Up In The Cold War Era
Don’t miss our companion blog-found here: Old Man Blog
Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yeomalt