Thomas L. Rempfer, a captain with the Connecticut Air National Guard, is a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate who has served tours as a senior fighter pilot in Bosnia and the Middle East. Recently, Rempfer and dozens of other pilots resigned rather than disobey an order to take a mandatory anthrax vaccine.

Pilots refusing the vaccine have expressed concerns about the safety of the vaccine. Pentagon officials maintain that the shots have been successfully administered to more than 200,000 service members. Defense Secretary William S. Cohen, concerned about the possible use of anthrax-releasing weapons against U.S. troops, wants to inoculate the entire 2.4 million active-duty and reserve force by 2005. Meanwhile, the Air Force is creating a panel that will take a renewed look at the year-old program of mandatory vaccinations, The Sun reported last week.

Rempfer and other service members, representing the pro and con sides of the inoculation issue, are to testify on the vaccination program Wednesday before the National Security Subcommittee of the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight. He wrote this article for The Sun.

Pub Date: 03/21/99