This is the proper time and the appropriate forum in which to publish concerns about the mandatory anthrax vaccination policy, and it is a terrible shame that they must be expressed under a cloak of anonymity. But the facts speak for themselves: as widely reported, military personnel refusing the anthrax immunization have been branded as malcontents, hypochondriacs, and renegades (despite, in many cases, exemplary records to the contrary)—and as a result, have been sentenced to jail, received bad-conduct discharges, issued punitive administrative letters, or administratively separated.
The Department of Defense's retribution against vocal critics and those refusing the vaccine has ended many promising careers and stifled even the most-adamant voices. Consequently, the concerns of military personnel about the mandatory anthrax vaccine program have never been fully aired. Some members are voting with their feet by leaving the services, rather than have substances of questionable value that could jeopardize their short- and long-term health injected into their bodies-where they and their families will bear the full risk. Among those who stay, the undercurrent of worry and fear about the vaccine intensifies, as authorities continue to compound the error rather than fix the problems. I have been a serving officer for more than 17 years. I am a graduate of a war college, hold a post-graduate degree, and have received numerous personal awards, including a national award by a professional military organization. The government will soon force me to choose between my health and my career. At present, there is not one document that definitively establishes the vaccine's efficacy against inhaled anthrax spores. Further, there is no greater testimony to the risk of the vaccine and the flawed nature of this policy than the health sacrifice of military men and women (such as those at Dover AFB) who now suffer from its results. Given what I know about the vaccine, I cannot currently endorse it to my troops. As a result, the morale of my family and myself has sunk to an all-time low. If I could retire today, I would.
As a military leader, I have always been taught to "take care of my people." I am deeply saddened and distressed by the DoD's lack of concern for its most important asset—its people. For some time, I have been tempted to remain silent (as DoD wishes), and hope that policy makers would do the right thing. Unfortunately, the hard reality is that decision makers have cloaked the mandatory vaccination policy under the guise of a "moral obligation" to protect forces from attack, despite unverified efficacy against the airborne anthrax threat. Further, despite apparent negative health impacts of the vaccine, policy makers have shown little inclination to act for the welfare and in the best interests of service members without severe pressure. It would be an unconscionable disservice to my troops and to all my fellow service members and their families to turn aside and allow this policy, which has the potential to gravely impact so many, to continue without challenge. I pray that my comments, despite their anonymity, will serve as a catalyst to promote a policy that respects the health and well-being of all men and women in our armed forces.