European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 22, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday March 222007 stars and stripes Page 3 i dont know if were going to get it or not but i would do my Best it to take it we take too Many shots already Seaman Rachel Lux uss Mustin Pacific up and running with anthrax shots some just learning of required vaccinations by Allison Batdorff stars and stripes Yokosuka naval base Japan As of monday All four us military branches in the Pacific had resumed mandatory anthrax vaccinations for selected service members deploying to High threat areas in the Middle East and the korean Peninsula the vaccination mandate affects thou Sands of service members across the Pacific after two years of the shots being Volun tary Many sailors at Yokosuka naval base haunt heard about the navys recently announced anthrax vaccination immunization program or avid which requires vaccination for 6640 sailors in the forwarded played naval forces we Haven been told anything yet uss Kitty Hawk Petty officer 3rd class Cedric Myles said Crews aboard the aircraft Carrier and its air Wing As Well As service members aboard the amphibious assault ship uss Essex guide missile Cruiser uss Shiloh and guide missile destroyer uss Curtis Wilbur Are slated for mandatory anthrax vaccination specifics on How and when the vaccinations will Start Are still being determined us 7th Fleet spokesman it Steve Curry said in an email once that done every Sailor who is part of the mandatory vaccination pro Gram will receive comprehensive information on the vaccine Curry said the Iii Marine expeditionary Force on Okinawa also is working on an implementation plan Iii me spokesman 1st it Gar Ron Garn said mandatory shots the Marine corps instruction released monday Calls for mandatory shots for an unspecified number of marines deploying to Central command and those assigned or designated As Early deploy ers troops who would arrive within 20 Days of the Start of the flow of forces during a conflict to the korean Peninsula historically 18000 marines Are stationed in Okinawa though 4000 to 6000 Are deployed at any Given time Garn said airmen at Kadena air base in Okinawa soon will Start receiving the mandatory vac Cine and the medical clinic expects to immunize 1000 airmen a year according to 18th Wing Public affairs Misawa air base and air Force bases in South Korea have started giving shots As the air Force and army issued their poli cies last month officials at Yokota air base Camp Zama and Camp Fuji did not respond to queries about their vaccination plans the vaccine is also mandatory for de sense department civilian employees deemed emergency essential or mis Sion essential government contractors correction a March 17 associated press photo caption should have identified us sen John Warner of Virginia As a Republican fav008 5 aug stars and stripes Courtesy of the us Navy left a bottle of anthrax vaccine at the Yokota air base Hospital right Hospital corpsman Antoinette Johnson draws a shot of the vaccine to be administered to a Crew member aboard uss George Washington in this 2004 photo but vaccination has to be spelled out in their contracts the vaccine called anthrax vaccine absorbed is Given As a six shot series Over an 18month period each command will administer and track the shots through an avid registry agreement us naval Hospital Yokosuka Hast or dered the vaccine yet because it was wait ing for the Navy directive Hospital Preven Tive health director it Lori Christensen said but we Are ready with the Needles Christensen said the Hospital will be responsible for the voluntary part of the directive which applies to Dod civilians family and Nons Peci fied Active duty personnel who started the series previously and want to finish it Christensen said she is not expecting a big Rush weve Only had one person in the last two and a half years request the shot Christensen said it Doest happen very frequently but Well have it on hand for those who want it vaccinations began in 98 military anthrax vaccinations began in 1998 but the program was halted in 2004 after a Federal judge ruled that the food and drug administration made mistakes in determining the vaccine was Safe the judge allowed voluntary vaccinations to resume in 2005 but Only 50 per cent of service members in High threat areas volunteered for the vaccine Accord ing to the Dod that put service members at risk jeopardized unit effectiveness and degraded medical readiness according to a state ment from the office of the Secretary of defense the department of defense resumed the mandatory vaccinations last year for us troops and specified civilians serving in Cen com and on the korean Peninsula but anti vaccination groups say the vac Cine has caused birth defects Gulf War ill Ness and flu like Side effects in service members two attorneys filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of mandatory anthrax vaccinations although Seaman Rachel Luis ship the Yokosuka based uss Mustin is not on the mandatory list she has heard things about the Side effects of the vaccine that would cause her to think twice before taking the shots she said i dont know if were going to get it or not but i would do my Best not to take it Lux said we take too Many shots Al ready while the Kitty Hawks Myles  choose to take the vaccine he has a Job to do he said stars and stripes reporters David Allen and Jeff Schogol contributed to this Story email Allison Batdorff at refusing mandatory shot is disobeying order by Allison Batdorff and David Allen stars and stripes since the military instituted the anthrax vaccination program in 1998 several ser Vic members have refused to take the vac Cine then and now with the resumption of the policy mandating the shots a refusal officially becomes a commanders Deci Sion regarding failure to obey a lawful order according to the anthrax vaccine immunization program in Early 2001 on Okinawa three service members were convicted of refusing direct orders to begin the series of six anthrax vaccinations mandated by the department of defense heres a Brief rundown of their cases Petty officer 3rd class David Ponder 21 a Navy Seabee was busted two pay grades to e2 and sentenced to 60 Days confinement Ponder refused the shots when his Gulfport miss unit was preparing for a six month deployment to Okinawa and South Korea Marine pfc Vitalino Arroyo 20 was busted to private sentenced to 105 Days confinement and fined for refusing a direct order to take the anthrax vaccine Arroyo attached to the 3rd battalion 2nd marines on Camp Lejeune no was on a six month deployment when he refused to take the shots with his company on Camp Schwab Okinawa Arroyo testified that he was afraid of possible Adverse reactions to the vaccine Marine Lance Cpl Jason r Stonewall 27 also with 3rd battalion 2nd marines was busted to private sentenced to 90 Days confinement and forfeited pay Arroyo and Stonewall were among eight marines who refused the vaccinations at Camp Schwab during testimony in Stone Walls Case a Marine officer said Arroyo and Stonewall requested court martial the other marines took nonjudicial punish ment for their refusals during their separate trials in january 2001 the two marines and the Seabee said they had decided the anthrax vaccination was unsafe after researching it on the inter net they said they had Learned that the sole provider of the vaccine had been cited by the Federal food and drug administration for multiple health violations ironically the service members were not required to take the vaccine after their Tri als the program had been suspended be cause of a shortage of the vaccine those in the military who believe they were wrongly punished after a judge halted the mandate in 2004 can seek a correction of their military records according to the office of the Secretary of defense email Allison Batdorff at email David Allen at