ANTHRAX
VACCINATION PROGRAM
1. As your commandant, I want to discuss
with you the ongoing anthrax vaccination program. I want you to know why
I think it so important to the corps and why each of us, from private to
general, needs to participate. I also want to address some of the "bum
scoop" that is being circulated about the danger of the vaccination.
2. We have instituted this critical force protection program
because biological and chemical weapons are proliferating at an unprecedented
rate worldwide, and anthrax is the leading biological weapon of choice.
Marines only have to read accounts of the terrorist group Aum Shinrikyo's
use of sarin nerve gas against innocent commuters in japan's subway or
view the photographs of the iraqi kurds and iranians who were killed by
saddam hussein's chemical weapons to be convinced that a rogue leader or
terrorist group will not hesitate to employ anthrax if it achieves their
aims. I never want to have to explain to a mother or father or spouse why
their son, daughter, husband or wife died from exposure to anthrax when
we could have prevented their death simply by vaccinating against this
threat. This is the same concern for the welfare of our troops that drives
all leaders to seek protection for their Marines. It is the same reason
that we are fighting so hard to get new body armor, ballistic helmets,
and other improved individual fighting equipment into the hands of our
troops. I would not send you into combat without flak jackets, nor would
i send you unprotected against the very real threat of anthrax.
3. I am aware that misinformation and rumors
abound concerning the anthrax vaccination program. I also believe that
much of the incorrect information found on the internet is being disseminated
by persons who have their own reasons and agenda for trying to undo this
critical force protection program. I am confident that once Marines understand
that anthrax is life threatening, and once they are made aware that the
vaccine we are using to counter this threat is both safe and effective,
they will eagerly comply with this vaccination program. A wealth of materials
derived from highly credible and independent sources within the scientific
community speaks to the long and successful use of this FDA-approved anthrax
vaccine by thousands of people such as veterinarians and livestock workers.
In 28 years of licensed use of the vaccine, there has been no evidence
of a link to cancer, infertility, or birth defects.
4. As we continue to broaden this program, I want to make you
aware of a phenomenon we have observed: reluctance to take the anthrax
vaccination is inversely proportional to the distance the marine is from
the fighting hole. No marines engaged in Desert Thunder refused the vaccine.
Marines assigned to that operation knew their adversary was suspected of
having the means and the will to use anthrax against them. These marines
also realized that whether on ship or ashore, there would be no escaping
the odorless, invisible anthrax spores if they were caught in the downwind
pattern. Additionally, they knew that once they were exposed and symptoms
appeared there would be little the medical community could do to prevent
their gruesome death from occurring in a matter of days.
5. The threat is real, and so, too, is our ability to protect
our force in a safe, effective manner using a vaccine that causes fewer
side effects than those normally experienced with other routine immunizations.
Marines who choose to ignore the threat and refuse the vaccination will
be held fully accountable and may be subject to adverse disciplinary or
administrative proceedings, or both, at the commander's discretion. We
will treat anthrax vaccination refusal in the same way we treat disobedience
of any lawful order. I do not consider vaccination refusal as a bar to
deployment. Deciding which marines deploy will remain the perogative of
the cognizant commanders. Once deployed, the individual will continue to
receive the full benefit of education and counseling and will be given
another opportunity to take the vaccine. If the individual continues to
refuse, the cognizant commander will determine what action will be taken.
6. I have instructed my staff to review the guidance and information
we have previously provided regarding the anthrax vaccination program to
ensure we have given commanders, their marines and families, all of the
information they need regarding this issue. That information will be updated
and published immediately in a separate message.
7. We have done a better job in implementing, administering and
tracking this immunization program and educating our marines as to why
it is necessary than in any similar program in our history. We are not
there yet, nor will we be until 100% of our marines understand and accept
the need to be vaccinated against this threat. I do not want to lose one
marine because he or she was unprotected against anthrax and I do not want
to lose one marine because he or she refuses the anthrax vaccination. Commanders,
I charge you to stay directly involved in carrying out this program and
keeping me informed of any additional support/information you may need
from the headquarters level to ensure success. Marines, I charge you to
seek the correct information from knowledgeable, credible sources and base
your personal decision on facts, not speculation, rumors and misinformation.
Three outstanding sources of accurate information on the internet are:
(1) the centers for disease control at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/anthrax.htm,
(2) the Navy Environmental Health Center (NEHC) web site at http:
//www-nehc.med.navy.mil/prevmed/immun/anthrax.htm, and (3) the DoD
web site at http://www.defenselink.mil/specials/anthrax/.
8. I would never send marines into a hostile
fire zone without providing them with the best equipment and training available.
That is my responsibility as your commandant. I am equally determined to
ensure all marines are given the best protection we have available to guard
them against the anthrax threat. The safe and effective vaccine we are
using represents our best defense against this invisible killer. Our potential
enemies are very much aware that by our prudence we have blunted one of
the most lethal weapons in their arsenal. With every additional marine
immunized we strengthen our capabilities and weaken those of our adversaries
who would employ this threat against us.
C C KRULAK, COMMANDANT
