Pneumonia claims two GIs in Iraq

VFW Magazine, Oct, 2003 by Tim Dyhouse

Two soldiers have died from pneumonia in Iraq: Army Sgt. Michael Trosto on June 17 in Baghdad and Spec. Joshua Neusche on July 12 after being airlifted to Germany. Some 100 U.S. troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Qatar and Uzbekistan were hospitalized between March 1 and July 30 because of the disease. In August, the Pentagon dispatched two emergency medical teams to investigate.

Media accounts of an "epidemic," however, appear to be unfounded. Army statistics show that between 1998 and 2002, 17 active-duty troops died of pneumonia. This corresponds with the Army's average rate of about three soldiers dying from the disease each year.

"There are a lot of different reasons why one can get pneumonia," said Lyn Kukral, a spokeswoman for the Army Medical Command. "Sand or other things in the air are one of the possible causes."

Military doctors have found no evidence linking the disease to biological agents, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) or person-to-person transmission. Soldiers in Iraq say they are more worried about guerrilla attacks than illness.

"There is more danger out there for me and my soldiers than pneumonia," Staff Sgt. Julian Oliver told the Associated Press on Aug. 6. The Pentagon says soldiers in Iraq are being attacked an average of 12 times a day. Since May 1, more than 50 GIs have died in the guerrilla campaign.