Illness Strikes Down U.S. Military

Throughout history more people in wars are felled not by weapons but by disease. The current conflicts American soldiers find themselves in are proving to be no exception, and are providing some significant new insights on medical vulnerabilities. In Iraq, the military is investigating 19 cases of severe pneumonia since March, including two fatalities. Smoking is seen as a factor. And in Liberia (remember how important it was just a few weeks ago to oust Charles Taylor?), over a third of U.S. Marines sent in as military advisors to oversee a civil transition have since been quietly extracted from the country after coming down with malaria. Obviously it’s time to send in R. Lee Ermey from Mail Call to provide a little motivation….