My Personal Swine Flu Experience

In 1976 there was a potential swine flu pandemic and President Ford authorized that all Americans should get the shot. One soldier had died; the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic in America began with soldiers, and the idea was to avoid that again. About 40 million Americans got inoculated. The problem was, the side effects; Guillian-Barre syndrome, which is a paralyzing nerve disease. The inoculations were stopped because about five hundred people got this syndrome and thirty died from it.

I had just joined the Navy when this had happened, and all military personnel were ordered to get the shot. I had quarterdeck watch the night I got the shot, and was feeling a little light headed when I reported for watch. I had been on the quarterdeck for a while, and I started to feel really bad. The officer of the deck was turned away from me when I collapsed on the ladder leading down to the deck. Just at that time another officer came around the corner and I remember his distant voice saying, "Stand up when you're on duty Seaman". I pulled myself up by the rail and the officer of the deck turned and walked over to me. I remember us talking for a bit, and the officer saying I was relieved from watch, to hit my rack. I did, and went into convulsions for the next few hours and then passed out. No one thought anything of this. I didn't. I didn't realize till later I could have died from this.