the bennymay story: chapter 8
How are you? Okay, thanks
In February 1998, the RAAF assessed me as having a medical fitness of ‘Class 1’, and thus being ‘Fit for Aircrew Duties’.
When I return to Australia in late 1998, as I am driving home from the airport with my family, the RAAF phones me. (I’m going to depersonalise a lot, and thus say ‘the RAAF’ or ‘Ronny RAAF’ or ‘Ron’ does thus and so.) Ronny RAAF tells me he has made a mistake or two. He does not seem to notice or care that I am very tired from travelling. He says I need to return to Sydney to redo ALL my medical examinations.
So, now in early November, Ronny RAAF again assesses me as Class 1: Fit for Aircrew Duties. (Sometimes he writes this as A1G1Z1, meaning class 1 for Aircrew, Ground-crew, and for Zonal Deployability.) Ron documents this on 5 November 1998:
At my officer-commissioning appointment, on Friday 6 November 1998, I have another quick checkup (with that same medical officer who signed me off last year—as above).
This weekend I drive down the south-eastern side of beautiful Aus’ to Officer Training School, Point Cook (about 25 km from Melbourne) Victoria, Australia.
Monday 9 November 1998 is an orientation day, and we only have half a workday. I meet a bunch of the guys—great guys—mostly pilots, but also a handful of others, including three chaplains.
Tuesday 10 November 1998 is our first full day, working for the man—in this case, Ronny RAAF.
What better way to start a military career, than for Ronny to insert a sharp piece of metal through your skin, and into my flesh, and squeeze in some foreign disease and a little mercury for good measure?
Of course, to be fair, in 1998 it is not so haphazard as that. Ron has many regulations regarding his administration of vaccines. For example, the Australian Defence Force Publication dictates, ‘The authority for the clinical aspects of vaccination in the ADF is the Australian Immunisation Procedures Handbook referred to as the ‘Handbook’ in this publication. Australian Defence Force Publication 702 (ADFP 702)- Immunisation Procedures, supplements the ‘Handbook’ with ADF specific requirements for immunisation. Defence Health Service (DHS) staff who perform immunisations are to ensure that the latest edition of the ‘Handbook’ is obtained and used in conjunction with ADFP 702,’ (ADFP 702, paragraph 1.4)
The ‘Handbook’ comes with the disclaimer (for civilians) that it is a ‘general guide to appropriate practice, to be followed only subject to the clinician’s judgement in each individual case… designed to provide information to assist decision-making…’ (Handbook, page ii).
Yet, ‘the ‘Handbook’ is the authority for the clinical aspects of vaccination in the Australian Defence Force. The procedures contained within the ‘Handbook’ for the administration of vaccines are to be adhered to by all Defence Health Service (DHS) staff,’ (ADFP 702 paragraph 3.1; emphasis added). Although it is a ‘guide’ to civilians, it is ‘the authority’ to ‘be adhered to’ by defence members.
Only four days since Ron declared me A1G1Z1, Ron tells me he wants to give me vaccinations. I am fit and healthy, but I am a little concerned. One of the vaccines is Twinrix—for Hepatitis A and B. That reminds me. I had a Twinrix vaccine on 10 Feb 1998, shortly before I moved to Germany. Someone told me back then, travelling is a burden on your immune system—with all the sharing of breath and diseases on airlines—so it was unwise of me to get a vaccination so soon before travelling. I don’t know if that opinion was well founded. But I do know I just travelled from my mate’s wedding in England, across to the USA, thousands of miles around North Carolina visiting relatives, across to LA, down to Sydney, 600 km drive home, 1200 km return trip to Sydney for more medical appointments, 600 km drive back to Sydney, and another 1000 km drive to Point Cook. I know nothing at all about the Australian Immunisation Procedures Handbook, nor ADFP seven-o-anything, at this time, but I know I am a little hesitant to go against a friendly medical warning without any good reason. And I know that I’m really tired and exhausted from all that travelling. I was planning to have a whole week of rest, but Ronny RAAF, making me redo all my medical assessments, really took that from me.
© Benjamin May 2009
another side to a story 8a:
Ron came back later to rewrite history. He said, Ben says that his medical condition might have started when he got pneumonia in the early 90s or when he got sick in 1996.
another side to a story 8b:
Regarding that topic, the specialists said that the medical problems that began in Nov 1998 had nothing to do with my period of sickness in 1996.
another side to a story 8c:
Regarding Ron putting words in my mouth, and submitting them as part of a formal medical review board document, bennymay says: (1) Ron lied, (2) Ron made that up, (3) I never said anything like that, (4) it is the complete opposite of what Ron recorded in my medical documents of what I thought and said, (5) Ron has absolutely no evidence of me saying anything like it. Shame, shame, shame on you Ron!