http://www.military.com/NewsContent?file=FL_mystery_100703United Press International
October 7, 2003
WASHINGTON - Unexplained blood clots are among the reasons a number
of U.S. soldiers in Operation Iraqi Freedom have died from sudden
illnesses, an investigation by United Press International has found.
In addition to NBC News Correspondent David Bloom, who died in April
of a blood clot in his lung after collapsing south of Baghdad, the
Pentagon has told families that blood clots caused two soldiers to
collapse and die. At least eight other soldiers have also collapsed
and died from what the military has described as non-combat-related
causes.
A disturbing parallel has also surfaced: soldiers becoming ill or
dying from similar ailments in the United States. In some cases, the
soldiers, their families and civilian doctors blame vaccines given to
them by the military, particularly the anthrax or smallpox shots.
<snip>
"I would say that that number of cases among young healthy troops
would seem to be unusual," Dr. Jeffrey Sartin, an infectious diseases
doctor at the Gundersen Clinic in La Crosse, Wis., said about blood
clot deaths. Sartin, a former Air Force doctor, last spring treated a
soldier who might have died from anthrax or smallpox side effects.
<snip>
The Pentagon has been investigating cases of a mysterious pneumonia
that has killed two soldiers and put 17 more on ventilators. Besides
the pneumonia, there do not seem to be any unexpected health trends
given the number of troops in the region, said Army Surgeon General
spokeswoman Virginia Stephanakis....
What the hell's going on -- why all the hush-hush about this -- why are these vaccines so important -- why do they force them on the troops??