Mystery blood clots felling U.S. troops

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Unexplained blood clots are among the reasons a number of U.S. soldiers in Operation Iraqi Freedom have died from sudden illnesses, an investigation by United Press International has found.

In addition to NBC News Correspondent David Bloom, who died in April of a blood clot in his lung after collapsing south of Baghdad, the Pentagon has told families that blood clots caused two soldiers to collapse and die. At least eight other soldiers have also collapsed and died from what the military has described as non-combat-related causes.

A disturbing parallel has also surfaced: soldiers becoming ill or dying from similar ailments in the United States. In some cases, the soldiers, their families and civilian doctors blame vaccines given to them by the military, particularly the anthrax or smallpox shots.

Some of the soldiers who died suddenly had complained about symptoms suffered by Bloom -- including pain in the legs that could indicate problems with blood clots.

"If there is a significant number of deaths of this type, it would make you wonder what was going on," said Rose Hobby, whose brother-in-law, Army Spc. William Jeffries, died of a massive lung blood clot and swelling of his pancreas on March 31 after being evacuated from Kuwait.

"I would say that that number of cases among young healthy troops would seem to be unusual," Dr. Jeffrey Sartin, an infectious diseases doctor at the Gundersen Clinic in La Crosse, Wis., said about blood clot deaths. Sartin, a former Air Force doctor, last spring treated a soldier who might have died from anthrax or smallpox side effects.

"I am not aware that there were this many cases" during the first Gulf War, Sartin said.

The Pentagon has been investigating cases of a mysterious pneumonia that has killed two soldiers and put 17 more on ventilators. Besides the pneumonia, there do not seem to be any unexpected health trends given the number of troops in the region, said Army Surgeon General spokeswoman Virginia Stephanakis.

"We are not seeing larger numbers of most illnesses than we could have expected," Stephanakis said. "We have not seen any red flags. As far as I know, there has not been a huge red flag other than the pneumonia."

UPI's investigation found 17 soldiers who died of sudden illnesses. Families say they are bewildered by the deaths.

"Bill just dropped. They thought he had been shot. That is how suddenly it happened," said Rose Hobby, the woman whose 39-year-old brother-in-law William Jeffries collapsed in Kuwait.

After being evacuated from Kuwait to Rota, Spain, he was in intensive care for a week before dying, Hobby said in a telephone interview from Evansville, Ind. A doctor in Spain said Jeffries had "the largest pulmonary embolism he had ever seen," Hobby said. Jeffries also had a swelling of the pancreas, often caused by heavy drinking or some drugs. Jeffries was not a drinker, Hobby said.

Jeffries was back in the United States just days before his death to attend his own father's funeral. He had a scab on his arm from his recent smallpox vaccination. Hobby said she does not know if he got anthrax shots also, like most soldiers in the region.

Patrick Ivory arrived in Germany Aug. 16 to see his 26-year-old son, Army Spc. Craig S. Ivory, before he died. By then, Craig Ivory was already brain dead from a blood clot that hit his brain on Aug. 11.

"I had to make a decision to turn off life support, which was the most difficult thing I have ever done in my life," Patrick Ivory said in a telephone interview from his home in Port Matilda, Pa.

In other cases of apparently healthy soldiers who died suddenly in Operation Iraqi Freedom, families told UPI they have gotten few answers from the military. Local media reports have quoted military officials saying some of the deaths were apparent heart attacks; they have occurred from the beginning of the conflict through last week.

"If anybody has a right to know what my husband died of, it is me," said Lisa Ann Sherman, whose husband, Lt. Col. Anthony Sherman, suddenly clutched his chest and died Aug. 27 in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. "The only thing they (the military) had to tell me was severe myocardial infarction," or a heart attack.

Sherman said her husband complained of pain in his legs after getting anthrax shots. She said she has since learned that he went to sick call complaining of pain in his legs on the day he died. NBC's Bloom, who also got the anthrax and smallpox vaccines, complained of pain in his legs, presumably from a blood clot that has been attributed to cramped quarters in his armored vehicle.

"I am very suspicious about the true reason behind my husband's death," Sherman said.

The Pentagon said side effects from the anthrax vaccine are generally mild and rare.

In one case, however, the military said the anthrax vaccine did cause a soldier's chronic blood-clot condition.

Capt. Jason M. Nietupksi says he has suffered severe reactions to three anthrax shots given to him in the Army Reserves in February 2000, when he was 29 years old. Nietupski said the vaccine caused chronic fatigue, a skin reaction and a blood clot condition called Deep Vein Thrombosis. Nietupski described intense pain in his legs caused by the clots from that condition.

Nietupski is on blood thinners for the rest of his life. His records from the military state his blood clot condition was caused by the anthrax shots.

"CPT Nietupski had multiple adverse medical problems associated with three anthrax vaccinations he received while assigned to the 8th United States Army," read the results of a military line-of-duty inquiry report. "A condition described as Deep Vein Thrombosis, chronic fatigue and Steven Johnson's Syndrome all are adverse reactions that developed in this previously healthy individual from the anthrax vaccine. Evaluation by Walter Reed Physicians state (sic) that his symptoms are related to the anthrax vaccine."

The anthrax vaccine label warns of infrequent reports of heart attacks or strokes among people who have taken that vaccine. Both heart attacks and strokes can be caused by blood clots.

With smallpox shots, top Pentagon health officials released a study in June that said 37 soldiers have had a swelling of the tissue around the heart probably caused by the vaccine and eight other "cardiac events" occurred within a fortnight of getting the vaccine, including heart attacks. The Pentagon said they had seen no deaths that might have been caused by the smallpox vaccine.

In the April 4 death of Army Spc. Rachael Lacy of Lynwood, Ill., a civilian doctor who treated her and the civilian coroner who performed her autopsy said the smallpox and anthrax vaccines the Army gave her March 2 in preparation for her deployment for Operation Iraqi Freedom might have caused her death. Lacy had pneumonia and a swelling of the tissue surrounding the heart, among other things.

The Deputy Director of the Military Vaccine Agency, Col. John D. Grabenstein told UPI in August that Lacy's death has not been classified by the military as related to either vaccine.

"Rachael Lacy is still in the unexplained death program" at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Grabenstein said.

After two health care workers died of heart attacks after getting smallpox shots, in March the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that people with a risk of heart disease not take the vaccine.

You wrote:

"While I do have some concern over this, this still looks for all the world like more propaganda.".

I agree with this sentiment. Below, I have analyzed the original article, to support this opinion.

[I am not dismissing anyone's death or suffering. Nor, am I attempting to make the case that these vaccines are harmless. I am merely analyzing the article.]

"Blood clots are among the reasons..." Below, we see that: the "Pentagon" "told families" that blood clots were the cause of TWO deaths:

This apparent fact is coupled with another apparent fact:

At least eight other soldiers have also collapsed and died from what the military has described as non-combat-related causes.

This juxtaposition of two facts leads the reader to ASSUME that these "eight other" deaths are ALSO from blood clots. The fact that "the military" described these eight deaths as "non-combat related" merely means not shot or blown up. The "cause" could be anything--accident, camel bites, malaria, etc. etc.

There is NO "parallel" shown here. Soldiers got sick, or died, both here, and in Iraq. "In some cases..." "families and civilian doctors blame vaccines..." Whether "some cases...in the United States..." were caused by vaccines does not mean there is any connection with eight otherwise unexplained deaths in Iraq.

Further, what does "similar ailments" actually mean? Unexplained blood clots? Or unexplained deaths? We are forced to make ASSUMPTIONS, which are not supported by any actual evidence.

Some of the soldiers who died suddenly had complained about symptoms suffered by Bloom -- including pain in the legs that could indicate problems with blood clots.

Which are "some of the soldiers?" Were they the ones in the US, whose illness was blamed on vaccines? Or, maybe, were they the TWO deaths known to have been caused by blood clots? A real "journalist" should be able (and WILLING) to make that clear.

"How many others are out there?"

Do you imagine that this lady just HAPPENED to ask this question, when this reporter just happened to be there? This case must be one of the TWO known cases of "blood clots." Merely because she was induced into asking these questions does not imbue the questions with any actual significance. This is no more than a propaganda technique intended to make us ASSUME that there are hordes of relatives demanding THE TRUTH.

"I am not aware that there were this many cases" during the first Gulf War, Sartin said.

This is very shabby reporting. "That number of cases..." "This many cases..." Is the good doctor talking about TWO cases? Or is he talking about some number made up by this "journalist?" Did he "treat a soldier" IN Iraq? In Wisconsin? Did "the soldier" die? Was he sick, with an unknown illness, and "might have died?" was the doctor induced (by leading questions) to state that the soldier's illness "might have" been caused by "anthrax or smallpox side effects?" Notice that he didn't even say "VACCINES side effects."

There is no actual connection between what this doctor said, and the rest of the story. It merely SEEMS as if there were.

There does not seem to be any actual connection between these pneumonia cases, and the TWO blood clot cases. The juxtaposition makes it SEEM as if there were one.

UPI's investigation found 17 soldiers who died of sudden illnesses. Families say they are bewildered by the deaths.

OK. We have TWO blood clot deaths. We have TWO pneumonia deaths. We have the already mentioned "...eight other soldiers have also collapsed and died..." So, "UPI's investigation" found FIVE more "soldiers who died of sudden illnesses." The article does not mention whether these five deaths had a known cause, OR, whether they were in Iraq, or here, in the US.

Of course, the families will feel "bewildered," especially, if the cause of death is not known.

"Bill just dropped. They thought he had been shot. That is how suddenly it happened," said Rose Hobby, the woman whose 39-year-old brother-in-law William Jeffries collapsed in Kuwait.

What does "just days before his death," mean? A legitimate "journalist" would ask the question, and record the answer. Is it just THREE days? Or maybe THREE HUNDRED days? We must ASSUME what is meant.

"I had to make a decision to turn off life support, which was the most difficult thing I have ever done in my life," Patrick Ivory said in a telephone interview from his home in Port Matilda, Pa.

Obviously, this soldier is the other (of TWO) deaths known to be caused by a blood clot. It is touching, as any death is, but has no evidentiary value.

Maybe, there is no conspiracy. Maybe, "the military" just doesn't know. The second sentence makes it SEEM that there have been MANY unexplained deaths, even though the writer has only come up with ten.

Anthony Sherman, 43, was a marathon runner and a triathlete.

A close relative (of mine) had a heart attack, at 45, even though he was a highly conditioned mountain climber.

****This evidence has a lot more evidentiary value that ALL of the article above. Remember, the heart will be damaged in the same way, whether a coronary artery is blocked by plaque, or by a blood clot. A blood clot in the lungs will be called a "pulmonary embolism," and a blood clot in a coronary artery will be called a "coronary embolism," or a "heart attack."

"I am very suspicious about the true reason behind my husband's death," Sherman said.

And I am very suspicious about an "investigator," or "journalist," who uses the pain of a new widow to make a propaganda piece.

The Pentagon said side effects from the anthrax vaccine are generally mild and rare.

When did "The Pentagon" say this? Two years ago, or last month? Although I, personally, think that there is more likelihood of harm from these vaccines, the "Pentagon" statement is not proof of a cover-up.

In one case, however, the military said the anthrax vaccine did cause a soldier's chronic blood-clot condition.

Nietupski is on blood thinners for the rest of his life. His records from the military state his blood clot condition was caused by the anthrax shots.

****This particular case is again, much more valuable that the rest of the article. It ties "blood clots" to the anthrax vaccine. But, remember, this article has only presented TWO cases (probably three, counting the "heart attack" case) of death by "blood clots."

The anthrax vaccine label warns of infrequent reports of heart attacks or strokes among people who have taken that vaccine. Both heart attacks and strokes can be caused by blood clots.

****This, also constitutes important evidence of disease (at least, apparently) caused by the smallpox vaccine.

Civilian officials have disagreed, at least in one case.

"MIGHT have caused her death." This is written in such a way that we ignore the "MIGHT," and ASSUME that it DID CAUSE here death.

The Deputy Director of the Military Vaccine Agency, Col. John D. Grabenstein told UPI in August that Lacy's death has not been classified by the military as related to either vaccine.

"Rachael Lacy is still in the unexplained death program" at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Grabenstein said.

All this means is that "the military" has not (yet) changed the autopsy's "MIGHT have caused her death," to a DID CAUSE.

****This, again, is actual evidence in the case against these vaccines.

There is some sort of connection between these vaccines, and blood clots (and, I believe, other disease states). The four cases marked with asterisks **** have actual evidentiary value. The remainder of this piece is either horribly badly written, or constitutes propaganda, aimed at inflaming public opinion against the military, or the Iraq war.

The writer of the original article seems to have a penchant for writing articles which are used as propaganda for various anti-war/anti-Bush/anti-America outfits:

4,000 U.S. Non-Combat Evacuations in Iraq
Mark Benjamin
United Press International
http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20031003-024528-3543r
Posted 10/5/2003

October 3, 2003, Summary: The article below is very important because it
reveals how the US Department of Defense is intentionally misleading
American citizens and reporters about the scope of the carnage inflicted on US
soldiers by President George Bush's unilateral invasion and occupation of
Iraq. The article confirms nearly 4,000 non-combat evacuations from Iraq
since March 2003. When added to the more than 2,000 killed in action and
wounded in action, the total casualty count exceeds 6,000. Indeed, the high
price of Bush's war escalates steeply every day ...

Washington, DC (UPI) - Nearly 4,000 U.S. troops have been medically
evacuated from Operation Iraqi Freedom for non-combat reasons -- with more
than one in five of those for psychiatric or neurological problems, according to
Pentagon data.

A total of 3,915 evacuations from the region have been for non-combat medical
problems. A combination of what the Pentagon is calling evacuations for
"psychiatric" and "neurological" problems make up 22 percent of the total,
with 478 and 387 evacuations, respectively.

Another 544 evacuations have been for "general surgery," 290 for gynecological
reasons and 118 for orthopedic problems.

Army Surgeon General spokeswoman Virginia Stephanakis, who supplied the
data, said on Friday that she had few details, but that the Pentagon had not
detected any "red flags" indicating troubling or unexpected health patterns.

Some of the evacuations were for accidental injuries, she said, adding that
orthopedic, or bone, problems might reflect vehicle accidents.

A leading veterans' group said the data needed to be studied to understand
the true cost of the war and potential health hazards.

"Clearly there is more detail that needs to be given about the nature and
causes of these evacuations," said Steve Robinson, executive director of the
National Gulf War Resource Center.

In August, the Pentagon announced an investigation into a mysterious
pneumonia that killed two soldiers and made 17 others so sick they needed
ventilators to breathe. The probe is focusing on the role of smoking, those
officials said.

An investigation by United Press International found that 17 soldiers in
Operation Iraqi Freedom have died from sudden illnesses, including three
with fluid in the lungs, eight who suddenly collapsed and three who were found
dead in their cots.

Robinson questioned whether any of the psychiatric or neurological problems
might be related to Lariam, a common anti-malaria drug given to many
soldiers in the region. Lariam's FDA-approved product label warns of reports
of hallucinations, seizures, paranoia, aggression, delusions and suicide.

Published reports this summer said the military was investigating several
suspected suicides. UPI found that at least 15 service members in Operation
Iraqi Freedom have died from what were described as non-combat gunshot
wounds, the latest on Sept. 30.

The Pentagon says it sometimes uses Lariam, known generically as
mefloquine, over other anti-malaria drugs because side effects are rare and
must be weighed against the risk of getting malaria.

A total of 318 soldiers have died in Operation Iraqi Freedom since March 20,
according to the Pentagon. Another 1,380 soldiers have been wounded in
action as of Oct. 1.

Contributing: Christine Moyer

http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/newsArticle.asp?id=1155

Published on Tuesday, March 11, 2003 by UPI
Pentagon Papers Leaker Seeks
Leaks on Iraq
by Mark Benjamin

WASHINGTON -- Daniel Ellsberg, who in 1971 leaked the Pentagon Papers, on
Tuesday called on government officials to leak documents to Congress and the
press showing the Bush administration is lying in building its case against
Saddam Hussein.

Ellsberg, an ex-Marine and military analyst, said he held out hope that exposing
alleged lies by the Bush administration could still avert an unjust war. He warned
that whistleblowers may face ruin of their careers and marriages and be
incarcerated.

"Don't wait until the bombs start falling," Ellsberg said at a Tuesday press
conference in Washington. "If you know the public is being lied to and you have
documents to prove it, go to Congress and go to the press."

Ellsberg did not leak the Pentagon Papers to the New York Times until 1971,
although he says he had information in the mid-1960s that he now wishes he had
leaked then.

"Do what I wish I had done before the bombs started falling" in Vietnam, Ellsberg
said. "I think there is some chance that the truth could avert war."

The thousands of pages in the Pentagon Papers showed the government's secret
decision-making process on Vietnam since the end of World War II. Their
publication -- the government sued and lost to prevent it -- is widely credited with
helping to turn public opinion against the war in Southeast Asia.

Ellsberg's press conference comes a little more than a week after the London
Observer reported on what it said is a top-secret memo showing that the United
States planned to spy on U.N. delegates to gain an advantage in the debate over
Iraq.

The Observer reported the electronic memo dated Jan. 31, by high-ranking
National Security Agency operative Fank Koza, says the agency is "mounting a
surge" of intelligence activities mostly focused on U.N. Security Council members
for "information that could give U.S. policy-makers an edge in obtaining results
favorable to U.S. goals or to head off surprises."

NSA spokesman Patrick Weadon wouldn't comment on the authenticity of the
e-mail memorandum. "We have no statement," he said.

U.N. ambassadors have mostly shrugged off the memorandum as reflecting the
regular course of business at the United Nations.

Ellsberg said this story on spying at the United Nations is potentially more
significant than the Pentagon Papers because it comes before a war has begun
and it shows a desperate Bush administration. "This leak is potentially more
significant than the release of the Pentagon Papers, since it is extraordinarily
timely," Ellsberg said.

This past Sunday, the Observer reported that an employee at the top-secret
British Government Communications Headquarters had been arrested following
publication of the story. Ellsberg said reporters at the Observer told him the
28-year old woman arrested was not the source of the leak.

A second U.S. diplomat resigned yesterday in protest against the Bush
administration's war stance. John H. Brown, who served in the diplomatic corps
since 1981, said Bush's disregard for the views of other nations was giving birth to
"an anti-American century." Last month, a senior U.S. diplomat based in Athens,
political counselor John Brady Kiesling, resigned with similar complaints.

Last week, Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic
Energy Agency, rejected a Bush administration claim that Iraq had tried to
purchase high-strength aluminum tubes to use in centrifuges for uranium
enrichment.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0311-11.htm

This is my story of blood clots and my ordeal with the U S MILITARY.Sorry it took so long to tell, but I just found your sight and even after this long it is still rough just to hash out.But Thank you for the forum.I was a soldier for 12 years before my career was cut from under me and I am a survivor of multiple DVT's (in the right leg), one inside the thigh and the other behind the populates vein and a massive P.E (Pulmonary Embolism)which stop the function of all of my left lung and all but a 1/3 of my right lung. After 7 days of being called a profile rider, (were medical conditions limit your work that you can perform and even gets you out of certain duties),to it was pulled muscles, pneumonia, and at one point was just 3 hours way from being prep to have my gallbladder removed, the Army general surgeon in all his wisdom started to ask some more questions and was asking why I was complaining of pain were there should have been none. After about an hour of consulting with some Majors,LTC's and a few full Cols. a lowly 2nd LT. suggested it might just be a blood clot,SHE WAS RIGHT,the others (I still have my gallbladder),After a battery of test from CT scans , VQ scan (thats when they found what little lung I had keeping me alive and said they found it just in time, I had less then a day or hours before I would have passed) ,MRIs ,sonograms,test after test and blood work that felt like every 5 minutes they wanted another 1/2 pint,The good thing is they did find the one clot in my thigh and the P.E.and after a 22 day hospital stay they felt as if things were right to send me home,rest a little and jump back on the Helicopters ( I was in aviation, UH-60 Crew Chief). But my calf continued to swell, turn black, and hair started to fall out. On my follow up visits to the doctors and I saw many just kept saying that this was just part of the body's healing process and all would be great just let it run it course. By the 4th week and my calf now measuring 18 1/2 inches in diameter I decided to take a leave of absents and leave FORT HOOD Hospital and go to Brook Army in San Antonio. There,they were not happy I came on my own, but they could not believe what the were seeing. My leg actually dieing while still attached to my body. Needless to say they admitted me for a 35 day stay which included 5 opertaions trying to save the leg and 3 to amputee and make sure all infection was eliminated. Within 4 hours of begin admitted I broke out with A 108 Degree fever and held it for over 5 hours, the choice was made that the leg had to come off and then a fight would have to ensue.One I would have to win on my own if I intended to go on, after a body goes into total septic shock it's up the patient and his will to pull out of what could be a disaster. I guess I wanted to get even with someone or thing cause here I still am . Just as with alot of these horror stories it seems that most of the time you are in the field environment under alot of stress to stay still and in one position for extended periods or traveling great distances with no break,unable to loosen restrictive clothing , get up and stretch to get circulation following again to lower extremities. I know that this is the Army and I even believe we need to go back to an army that puts you under stress to bring out the best or worst in you so you can see what and how you will react under all conditions. I also think that there are alot of people that are in the services even though they do not want to be in for the reason the service exist and these are the people that end up making it hard for those that really have serious medical problems not to go get the help needed ,because they will be accused of riding a profile and most of the time injuring themselves or others worse,but when there is this kind of problem where so many are getting this complications then I think a risk assessment should be carried out, It's done on a lot less minor problems. And of course the other problem is that you do not hear about all the clots that are not fatal.So you can imagine that number.I am not saying vaccines,immunizations,or any of the other concoctions or things the army subjects us through are all to blame or that the are not a fault either, because everybody's bodies process things different. Just like in my case, blood work showed high levels of toxins, but they are toxins everybody used in my field (aviation) yet I'm the one that popped the clot. By the way this was in 1996 (no shots or anything like that going on at that time(that we were made aware of ,the only thing we were into heavy was still cleaning and repairing vehicles from GWI (gulf war one))Ammo boxes still treated with PCB, MEK as a cleaning solvent,Around JP8 with no respirator and sitting in fuel cells with out proper venting, soaked in morning with hydraulic fluid or JP8 and not allowed to leave to change till lunch if lucky. . After losing the leg on behave of the doctors at DACH in Fort Hood Texas in such an irresponsible way some investigations and more test were run to find the problem. After about 6 months of probing they found a lot of oversight on the fault of the doctors and hospital staff, But the biggest thing that they found was that just like the reporter David Bloom I have a deficiency in my blood that makes me prone to clotting. This is something you may never know unless something like what happened to Mr. Bloom or me or if you have a reaction to something(some women are reporting problems with clots and such after starting meds. for menopause and some after starting birth control pills)and men are having symptoms after starting meds and just as risky as women after long travel trips were you fail to get up and move around to get criculation following. I know this is a long text and being my 1st time to contribute to something like this I know I have a lot of Internet messaging etiquette to learn. BUT I REALLY HOPE THAT THIS IS NOT THAT LONG WHERE YOU WANT READ IT AND I HOPE THERE IS SOMETHING THAT TOUCHES SOMEBODY TO MAKE THEM TAKE THEIRSELEVES OR SOMEONE THEY LOVE TO GET A SIMPLE TEST TO SEE IF YOU ARE PRONE TO THIS LIFE ALTERING (I'M LUCKY REMEMBER I JUST LOST A LEG AND HAVE LUNG PROBLEMS)OR LIFE ENDING CONDITION. The test is a simple blood test and it can give you a heads up to problems that can arise from this condition. It will not be able to tell you when or if you will ever clot ,but it can give you knowledge to help avoid certain things that can increase the chances of clotting. By that I mean in growing up I have broke bones, contusion, massive bruising and even rode bulls and had all the knocks and kicks that went with it ,but nothing to suggest a problem. I even gave blood and platelets to just 2 pints shy of the 5 Gallon goal and nothing was ever mentioned. I believe that this test (though in no way should it be used to disqualify you from joining or being able to do any MOS that you meet the standards for) should be administered to all recruits and even service personal that are in now so that they can know their risk and along with medical personal make sound choices that want end up cutting your leg out from under your career. Thanks Again for the space and I hope some one might take something from this. And even though this is a long winded story this is condensed somewhat ,and now come the problems of the V.A and the Dept of Defense not living up to what i was told would be my benefits

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