iam Cohen proposed the mandatory vaccination of all active and reservist military personnel on May 18, 1998. Cohen concluded, The vaccination is the safest way to protect highly mobile US military forces against a threat that is 99 percent lethal to unprotected individuals(Anthrax n.pag.). The program will consist of four phases of inoculation starting the summer of 1998. By the year 2003, every service member will be fully protected; including new recruits. Military members that refuse to participate in the program face serious charges of disobeying a direct order. Consequences result in loss of pay and benefits, demotion in rank, complete discharge from the military, and court martial. The Surgeon General of the Army states, The armed forces cannot tolerate opposition to the inoculations if military discipline is to be maintained(Graham A3). Nonetheless, sailors and soldiers, continue to oppose the vaccine. Nhut M. Nguyen is a Vietnamese immigrant from California stationed aboard the carrier USS Independence. He along with 13 other sailors, including six officers has refused the shots. That decision not only jeopardized Nhuts Navy career, but also his pending US citizenship (Hafem n.pag). Private First Class Mathew Baker from Fort Stewart also refused to be vaccinated. Bakers First Sergeant threatened to tie him down to a gurney if he continued to refuse. After the first shot, Baker disappeared and resurfaced months later with an attorney to contest the Armys charges against him (Phillips n.pag; Muller).Questions regarding the long-term effects of the vaccine have also been under protest. Surprisingly, no recorded experiments exist; the long-term effects are unknown. However, the studies of short-term effects show that the vaccine is safe and resemble any other vaccination. Common effects like redness, swelling, and tenderness usually occur around the injection site. Reactions can also vary from low-grade fevers to m...
