European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 21, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 cover Story tissue hmm the Coyer. Dan or detox ribonucleic acid is the genetic code for living things. Maj. Or Victor we can director of the Dan program at Zeip explained that a technician is Able to develop a Road map to a persons identity from a tissue Sample such As a blood smear or hair follicle and compare it to other tissues or even the genetic code of a Mother sister or brother. Scientists arc Able to use Dan samples to determine if a person is genetically prone to diseases like cystic fibrosis cancer and alzheimer a disease. Other applications include determining paternity screening for possible genetic defects or exposure to the his virus. Biotechnology companies arc gearing up for a Boom Market in genetic sampling. Companies arc marketing kits to diagnose Lyme disease and to test for cancer and tuberculosis. With the surge in Dan related sciences comes a surge in concern about privacy. But Dan sampling according to we can has Only one purpose in the military identifying dead soldiers when other methods fail. A in the future a he said a there should not be any More unknown  effectiveness is. Intrusiveness opponents of the plan claim that putting the genetic blueprint of a person in the military a a hands is asking for trouble. A Edna is filled with an enormous amount of personal information a said Lewis Maltby director of the aclus workplace rights division in new York City. A the military a a intention May be Good but we re concerned about safeguarding those samples from  As the technology gains wider use Maltby worries that employers could use the information in a Sample As a Means of discrimination by Reading the samples to find genetic tendencies. A if the military or another employer had a Sample of a person prior to enlistment or employment and they discovered you had a genetic tendency toward say alzheimer a disease they could bar your enlistment and that a plainly illegal a he said. A but How Are you or anyone going to know they could give another reason for the refusal to take  the use of Dan As a Means of identification found Success in the 1980s in criminal investigations and in determining paternity of children. Civilian Law enforcement agencies have used Dan testing techniques to link suspects to crimes or to identify vie. Tims. Military investigators Are following the trend. According to a department of the army spokesman maj. Rick Thomas the army has used Dan sampling in several investigations in the United states usually to identify suspects. In three different cases Dan experts were called to testify about the findings in the samples they reviewed. It is believed Dan typing was used in an investigation at Rhein main a Germany that led to murder charges against a base no. The Dan Typ ing results May or May not be used during the trial a scheduled for next month a depending on if it is allowed to be presented As evidence according to a base spokeswoman. The spokeswoman would t comment on precisely How the Dan typing was used. The Fri and other Law enforcement agencies Are dam profit front  a Row technique a Robt is researches to duplicate Dan so that even a single hair can provide enough material to help identify its source. Portions of Dan from two individuals Are shown at right areas indicated Mark a single difference in the sequence of genetic material labelled a a t and c. Individual 2. Ii r 4 it v it a i v. I a i a i to a a a a. In a a a a i i a a a i a 1 by  . A a 1 a source nature developing a Dan database that would identify convicted felons by their Dan typing. According to the United press International 15 states have Laws allowing them to collect the genetic data on felons. According to Thomas a military conviction cannot be based on the results of a Dan test alone. A it can be a Factor in the determination of guilt a he said. A it can be used to identify a suspect but it must be weighed As part of the evidence not As the single basis for  using Dan for any Type of identification process is opening a Pandora a Box of concerns Maltby said. He hinges the aclus argument against using the procedure on two Points of Contention Security of the Sample and the potential for discrimination. A the military does no to have the greatest record of safeguarding information a Maltby said. A a we re concerned that some other Agency May gain Access to the samples and use the information As a Way of learning More about people in the armed services. That san invasion of a persons privacy and its very  Weedn understands the concerns. A Edna holds information on Many things people like to consider personal a he said. A it holds the code for much of what we Are about. It discloses identification but it also has the potential to say other things about us things we done to want other people to  initial testing of the program has gone smoothly Weedn said. He Points to the track record of identifying unknown dead As proof of its viability a sailors killed when the guided missile frigate Stark was hit by an iraqi missile in May 1987 were identified using genetic traits As a Road map. Some were so badly mangled in the explosion that the Only Way to reassemble them was using genetic traits. A when an anti tank round destroyed an armoured personnel Carrier and its five person Crew during operation desert storm Dan was used to sort through the carnage and identify individual body parts. A using a tissue Sample blood smear or by comparing Dan from a relative the military has used the test to identify remains of More than 100 people returned from Vietnam and at least four casualties from operation desert storm. The military began full scale sampling in 1992, when the army Navy and Marine corps mandated that All recruits entering Basic training would have samples taken. Now the military is ready to take the next step and begin sampling the Active duty population. The army is making preparations to collect samples on the 18th airborne corps beginning april 1, said Jim Stavit Noha the director of the Dan repository at Walter Reed. Soldiers of the 10th Mountain div from fort drum n.y., who were on their Way to Somalia in december joined the growing number of  who have had a Sample of blood and cell scraping from their Cheeks or Gums placed on two 3-by-5-Inch Index cards for use As identification insurance. The Navy and Marine corps should follow suit within the year once Money is available to pursue wide scale sampling Stavinoha said. The air Force still Hasni to established Start dates on the testing because test policy Hasni to been ironed out he said. He expects sampling to begin on airmen by 1994.1 View from the Hill As the military presses on with the sampling politicians on Capitol Hill Are taking a wait and see attitude. With larger issues facing the department of defense including worldwide deployments tighter budgets and a shrinking Force issues like Dan sampling have been put on the Back Burner until a Clear picture of the future military Force is established said Scott Nellcy a spokesman for sen. John me Cain a Ariz. Mccain serves on the Senate armed services committee and is a member of the manpower and readiness subcommittee. Mccain was a member of a delegation to Vietnam in october 1992 that resulted in the opening of the vietnamese archives on missing americans from the Vietnam War. According to Celley Mccain a experience with Dan sampling has been chiefly in the identification of Vietnam Era remains. Celley said Mccain views the technology As a Way of preventing new generations from having to feel the pain Felt by people whose family members disappeared in Vietnam. A the committee and the Pentagon Are keeping a close Eye on the Legal and technical aspects of Dan sampling a Celley said. A at the same time finding the Best Way to determine the identity of a Soldier is the goal and this is a Good Way of doing  the actual sampling of service members usually takes less than 10 minutes Weedn said. Following an Assembly line system of collection Weedn said several serv ice members could be sampled at once. Most of the collections will be done in conjunction with other Sample taking such As blood collection for his testing. Each Sample consists of a few drops of blood and Cheek cell smears on two Index cards. Each card will have information about the military person and fingerprints. Chris Kelly a spokesman for Alfip recognized concerns about people Reading the Dan code to determine genetic tendencies inherited traits and other personal information. Once a Sample is screened the genetic inform sunday february 21, 1993 #