The events that have followed in the wake of the devastating attack on the World Trade Center two years ago fostered a new appreciation of the sacrifices millions of young Americans make by serving in our Armed Forces. From the desolate mountains of Afghanistan to the burning deserts of the Middle East, hundreds of thousands of young American men and women have placed their own lives at risk to ensure the safety of those who remained behind. That they have done so willingly and without hesitation is a testament to their character and patriotism. For this they deserve our thanks and gratitude. But they deserve something else as well.

They deserve honesty from the government that has sent them into harm’s way. They deserve candor about the risks they are expected to take. They deserve leaders who ensure that the risks they face are necessary.

In at least one instance, however, they clearly are not getting what they deserve.

Months ago, this newsletter warned about the dangers our soldiers might face from the untested vaccines they were being forced to take. There are growing signs that these potential dangers are now becoming a reality. What is worse, though, is that the military continues to refuse to acknowledge these dangers.

On April 4, 2003 Rachel Lacy, a 22 year-old Army reservist living in Chicago died after receiving mandatory vaccinations for anthrax and smallpox. She had been preparing for deployment to Iraq when she suddenly developed what was described as a pneumonia-like illness that killed her.

The military insists there is no connection, but the coroner who performed her autopsy and the Mayo Clinic disagree.

On March 26, 2003, a 55 year-old National Guardsman died six days after receiving the smallpox vaccine.

Again, the military says there is no connection.

On March 27, 2003 Virginia Jorgensen, a health worker in St. Petersburg, Florida died from a heart attack after being vaccinated for smallpox.

On March 23, 2003, an unidentified nurse from Maryland suffered fatal heart problems five days after being vaccinated for smallpox. Nine other nurses vaccinated at the time also suffered heart problems.

At least 10 cases of myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle have been reported among vaccine recipients by the military, and 17 have been diagnosed among civilians who were vaccinated. It should be noted that myocarditis can be caused be either an infection or an allergic reaction.

Even as these deaths and adverse events were occurring in the U.S., something else was happening in Iraq.

Beginning in early March, 2003, soldiers in Iraq and elsewhere in the Persian Gulf began to develop a highly virulent form of pneumonia. Out of more than 100 initial cases identified, 15 were so serious that the troops had to be put on ventilators and two died. Even these figures may not reveal the true scope of the problem.

In addition to the deaths directly tied to the virulent “pneumonia” that suddenly appeared, there have also been four instances where soldiers have simply been found dead in their quarters. In the one instance where a cause has been reported, the death of 37 year-old Staff Sergeant Richard Eaton, the cause was listed as pulmonary edema – water in the lungs. In other words, the same cause of death as the troops who died from “pneumonia.”

What makes these deaths even more significant is Lacy Moses, who never got overseas died from exactly the same cause.

The military insists that it couldn’t be the vaccinations the soldiers have received.

Colonel John Grabenstein, Deputy Director of the Army’s vaccination program claims that “In 200 years, no vaccine has ever been shown to cause pneumonia and there are many other reasons to believe it played no role.” His assertion, though, is contradicted by other vaccine experts at the Department of Defense.

In 1999, Pentagon medical experts told a Committee of the House of Representatives “There have been reports of serious illnesses associated with vaccination … these reports involved hypersensitivity pneumonia.” In other words, pneumonia caused by an allergic reaction to a vaccine.

What makes this link even more important is the fact that ten of the twenty soldiers examined by medical investigators trying to determine the cause of the illness had elevated levels of a leukocyte, or white blood cell called “eosinophils.”

Most people know that leukocytes, or white blood cells fight disease. When an infection attacks your body, your immune system responds by producing these cells. As a result, one of the most reliable indicators of infection is an increase in a patient’s white blood count. What most people don’t realize, though, is that your immune system produces types of white blood cells to respond to different types of infections. Eosinophils are the type of white blood cell produced to fight parasitic infections and certain allergic responses related to the lungs.

In the soldiers examined, the levels of these specialized white blood cells were anywhere from four to ten times normal – far too high to be attributed to the normal variations that exist from one person to the next. Since no parasite was found in these troops, the logical conclusion to draw is that the cells were produced as part of an allergic reaction – like that the Pentagon’s own doctors said vaccines could cause.

Dr. Nass’ letter is not the only document that reveals the hidden truth about the safety of the anthrax and smallpox vaccines. For example, consider the “Memorandum for the Record” written at the Army’s famed Walter Reed Medical Center concerning the case of Air National Guard Captain Jason Nietupski.

Captain Nietupski was an outstanding member of the 104th Fighter Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. In April of 2000 while serving in the Army Reserves in Michigan, he was deployed to Korea for a two week military exercise. In anticipation of his deployment, he received three anthrax shots. Almost immediately he began to experience a variety of systemic disorders, including the deadly blood clots known as DVTs or Deep Vein Thrombosis.

Dr. Renata J.M. Engler, a U.S. Army Colonel who is Chief of Walter Reed’s Allergy-Immunology Department and a Specialty Consultant to the Office of the Army Surgeon General authored the “Memorandum for the Record” stating that Captain Nietupski “… experienced a series of medical problems whose onset was temporarily (e.g. in time) related to his DoD-directed immunizations to include anthrax vaccine. Although causality of some of his problems (such as thrombophlebitis) can be neither proven or disproved, the onset of his problems is consistent with a classic adverse drug reaction, oral erythema multiforme/Stevens Johnson’s. (a form of chronic fatigue syndrome)” (Note: the portions in italics have been added for clarity’s sake)

In short, the anthrax vaccine caused Captain Nietupski’s illness – an illness that has left him disabled. Yet, NO ADVERSE EVENT REPORT HAS EVER BEEN MADE ABOUT CAPTAIN NIETUPSKI IN RELATION TO HIS VACCINATION!

Remember, that adverse event reports are supposed to be made whenever an individual shows symptoms following a vaccination – regardless of the existence of an obvious link. Indeed, the purpose of such reports is to alert FDA officials so that they can investigate and make a determination as to cause. In Captain Nietupski’s case, there was far more reason to make a report, however, than the mere appearance of symptoms. The Army’s own top immunologist said that they were “consistent” with an adverse event.

Of course, the Captain’s case was not unique. But the failure to report it may have had tragic consequences for others, particularly NBC correspondent David Bloom.

One of the most severe problems Captain Nietupski developed following his vaccination was thrombophlebitis, a tendency to develop blood clots. If the Army had followed the normal procedures in the Captain’s case, his blood clot problem would have been reported, and the FDA would have been alerted to look for a pattern. If a pattern were identified, then “at risk” individuals could be either exempted from vaccination or could take special precautions.

It is not known whether the blood clot that led to the death of David Bloom was caused by the vaccines he was given, or occurred for some other reason. But what is known is that his death, like that of Captain Nietupski was not reported as an adverse event – as it should have been. Of course, two deaths do not make a pattern, but given the military’s failure to properly report adverse events, there can be no certainty that these were the only deaths that might have been linked to the vaccine.

But blood clots are not the only area in which military reporting of adverse events is suspect.

At least 15 of the 340 combat and non-combat fatalities incurred in Iraq as of mid-September were of so-called “natural causes.” These deaths include the four soldiers found dead in their sleep, and others who died from the “pneumonia” that mysteriously appeared. This amounts to almost two percent of all fatalities – including combat deaths – a figure that stretches credibility. But that’s not all.

The real reason that DOD refers to the mysterious illness as “pneumonia-like” is that only three of the affected soldiers examined had bacteria that cause pneumonia in their systems. The others merely had symptoms – difficulty in breathing, high fevers and fluid in their lungs, that resembled pneumonia. But these same symptoms are also characteristic of “hypersensitivity pneumonia” the allergic reaction that DOD’s own doctors acknowledged can occur in individuals taking the anthrax vaccine! They are also the same symptoms experienced by Rachel Lacy prior to her death!

The families of the two soldiers who died from the mystery disease, Army Specialist Zeferina Colunga of Bellville, Texas and Joshua Neusche of Montreal, Missouri want answers and are demanding an independent investigation of their deaths.

Rachel Lacy’s father Moses, too, believes something is amiss and suspects a cover-up of the connection between the vaccinations she received and her demise. Her doctors, too, are surprised that her death was not reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. One of them, Dr. Jeffrey Sartin noted that, “If she had been a civilian the case would have almost certainly been reported as a vaccine adverse event.”

What is particularly significant in the case of Rachel Lacy and others who have died from the “pneumonia-like” mystery illness is that because the Army insists in limiting adverse event reports to instances where the Army believes it was connected to a vaccine – something it is loath to do – reports of deaths like those of Lacy, Neusche, Colunga, Eaton and countless others are NEVER MADE to the VAERS system. This not only understates the Army’s record on adverse reactions (which on paper is far superior to the civilian sector) but also keeps the responsible officials in the dark about potential threats!

But would the military really cover up a health problem of this potential magnitude? Would it be so callous in violating the Nuremburg Code – to which it is a signatory – concerning informed consent? Would it place American soldiers at risk in order to save face?

Next month you’ll get the shocking answers to those questions – answers that catalog over half a century of deceit that has threatened the health and well being of hundreds of thousands of U.S. service members.