Columbus Dispatch: Soldier facing jail in anthrax case - 4 Dec 2003

December 4, 2003

COMMENT: America has a shortage of troops, this soldier is willing to deploy

to Iraq, there is NO anthrax threat, and this soldier will be court-martialed,

perhaps repeatedly, because DoD is unwilling to admit that it hyped a

non-existent " WMD " threat for a decade -- and a Congress that is spending

billions on

that threat is unwilling to intervene.

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Soldier facing jail in anthrax case

by Sherri

Columbus Dispatch

Thursday, December 04, 2003

An Ohio Army National Guardsman charged with refusing to take the anthrax

vaccine was told yesterday that he could be jailed for more than 100 days, his

attorney said.

Spec. Kurt Hickman, 20, was threatened with confinement if he does not take

the vaccine, Levine said.

Hickman pleaded not guilty to refusing to obey a lawful order during a court

martial last night at the Beightler Armory. A Dec. 13 trial date was set.

" They told him if he does not take the shot, they would try to put him in

confinement for 100 days and if he still didn't (get inoculated), they would try

it again and again until he takes the shot, " Levine said.

Levine said he will contact Gov. Bob Taft today and ask him to intervene.

Hickman believes the vaccination could bring on health problems.

Retired Brig. Gen. M. Koper, deputy director of public relations for

the Adjutant General's Department of the Ohio National Guard, did not attend

Hickman's closed hearing, but said that " if a soldier disobeyed another direct

order, he might put himself in the same situation (of more jail time) again. "

Hickman, of Granville, is the first guardsman in Ohio to refuse the

inoculation.

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