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Former Military Medical Personnel Call for Change

A Purple Heart recipient who risked his life to save fallen Marines is speaking out against the military’s use of animals in trauma training—and so are many other former military physicians, medics, and nurses. So is a West Point graduate and 20-year veteran of the Army who currently practices neurosurgery and personally experienced a goat-based trauma training lab.

Veterans of the current wars are also speaking out. In 2008, Brandon Friedman, a former Army infantry officer in Afghanistan and Iraq, wrote about the Army’s plan to use pigs in combat trauma training exercises:

I don't think it's necessary, and I think it will end up doing more harm than good—especially from the standpoint of soldier psychology. These are counterinsurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan—not force-on-force pitched battles. You make your money in these places with cultural awareness, conscience, empathy, a little more sensitivity than would've been necessary in World War Two, and the ability to kill mercilessly when your life is threatened. But we don't need desensitized, unfeeling killing machines. And when you do stuff like this, that's what you're developing.

In addition, in June 2009, these former military medical personnel signed a legal petition requesting that Department of Defense officials require that existing human-based methods replace the use of live vervet monkeys in chemical casualty management training courses, as well as the use of live goats and pigs in combat trauma training courses.

Thomas J. Poulton, M.D., F.A.A.P.,
F.A.C.P., F.C.C.M., F.C.C.P.
LCDR, Medical Corps, USNR (Ret.)
Professor of Pediatrics and Surgery
Marshall University School of Medicine
Huntington, W.Va.

Charles J. Rosciam, M.H.A.
CAPT, Medical Service Corps, USN (Ret.)
Jacksonville, Fla.

Marion Balsam, M.D.
RADM, Medical Corps, USN (Ret.)
Bethesda, Md.

Douglas Bell, M.D.
CPT, Medical Corps, USA (Ret.)
Honolulu, Hawaii

Wendy Bernstein, M.D.
COL, Medical Corps, USA (Ret.)
Rockville, Md.

Drew Brodsky, M.D.
Former MAJ, Medical Corps, USA
Osterville, Mass.

Ronald Burmeister, M.D.
LCDR, Medical Corps, USN (Ret.)
Rockford, Ill.

Yvonne A. Carson, R.N.
Former MAJ, Nurse Corps, USAR
Columbia, S.C.

Paul Corrao, M.D.
LCDR, Medical Corps, USNR (Ret.)
Lewiston, Maine

Ralph Charles Fenwick
Former Combat Corpsman, USN
Former Medic, USAF
Director, Medical Corps
Lowell, Ohio

John P. Gluck, Ph.D.
Former CPT, Medical Service Corp., USAR
Albuquerque, N.M.

Maureen Hackett, M.D.
Maj, Medical Service, USAF (Ret.)
Minnetonka, Minn.

Joel Mack, M.D., F.A.C.S.
LT, Medical Corps, USNR (Ret.)
Bakersfield, Calif.

George Mayo, M.D.
LCDR, Medical Corps, USNR (Ret.)
Huntington Beach, Calif.

Rich McLellan, M.D.
Former Private, USAR
Los Angeles, Calif.

Kimberly J. Stone, M.D.
LCDR, Medical Corps, USN (Ret.)
Chesapeake, Va.

Jonathan Vordermark, M.D.
COL, Medical Corps, USA (Ret.)
Lubbock, Texas

H.R. 1417, BEST Practices Act

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Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
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Phone: 202-686-2210 Email: pcrm@pcrm.org