|
|
 |
 |
|
 Home Page |
About Page |
Photo Page |
Photo2 Page |
Photo3 Page |
Photo4 Page |
Photo5 Page |
Photo6 Page |
| OUR SERVICES TO THE GOVERNMENT WERE AS GOOD AS GOLD "As Human Guineapigs," The Special way to serve the nation for Seventh Day Adventist Consciencious Objectors, or as we like to perceive; "Cooperators", was as a Whitecoat. During World War Two, before the Whitecoats were conceived, one of our very own; Corporal Desmond Doss became one of the GREATEST war heroes of all time and made us extremely proud, and he did it without a weapon of any kind. Adventists have served mainly as unarmed Medical Aidmen from World War One to the present. Since 1954, Seventh Day Adventist young men from all walks of life, took their basic training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, then on acceptance into this top secret government program, were sent to Fort Detrick at Frederick, Maryland, a part of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, situated in Washington, DC. Here, one was asigned a specific responsibility. He may be assigned special duties in the medical laboratories, or in other departments that may align with his experiences and abilities. Some men who have studied engineering at college are assigned to the engineering office. Others with business background, may go to the finance office. Others interested in art and photography may go to the medical illustration division. On the job training is part of the program, say officials of the project. At regular intervals during the period of a year, specific tests are planned by directors of Operation Whitecoat. Assignments are made for select personnel to participate in an experiment. Physical examination, psychological evaluations, and personnel interviews are part of the preliminary procedures within the selection of participants. This testing is vital as the volunteers are to participate in studies that will further knowledge of various types of disease, possibly even the evaluation of new vaccines or in new treatment methods. Even at this point, the soldier is permitted to withdraw if he feels that he cannot proceed with the program as planned. It was in September 1956, and I had just finished my second year of college while working full time and living at home with my dear mother, and so I needed to fly away, and to leave the nest like the eaglets do, to build a family, and so at twenty one years of age I submitted my name to the DRAFT of the US Army. Mother would never know that I had volunteered for the draft, and so her feelings were not hurt. I made my move to go far away from home, and so it was so. The very night before I flew off to Monterey, California to be inducted at Fort Ord, our small group of friends decided to go to the beach during the night, to celebrate my change of direction. It was September 12, and I was young and indestructable, and how foolish I was as the sea was very rough, but we swam and swam underneath a universe of stars, and the Moon reflected green iridescence within our wakes. It was so beautiful, that I stayed out there beyond the breakers after everyone had swam back to the beach. Bad news, for I was caught within the grip of a riptide that night and almost didn't make it any further than twenty one. I had never heard what to do within that circumstance, and so I should have died alone within the sea, as something like a small still voice told me to let the sea have it's way and to just take a sip of air and be turned beneath the breakers again and again, pushing up again to breathe for an instant over and over again. I always felt within that I had witnessed a "miracle," From Fort Ord, I was flown to Colorado Springs, Colorado during a storm, and took my basic training at Fort Carson, Colorado. In training, they marched us out for two weeks to live and endure within the cold and snow at the base of lofty Cheyenne mountain. Physically; it was the most miserable that I have ever been, and it didn't seem that I slept a wink, even getting some frostbite on my toes. After a week they took us back to the fort by truck, because a young soldier died in the night of hypothermia. It seems that his canteen did leak while he slept in his sleeping bag within a foxhole of frozen snow. From there I was transferred to Fort Sam Houston in Texas in 1957, and I was chosen for a control group of young men to be based at Frederick, Maryland at the headquarters of the US Army Medical labs for Infectious Diseases. For better words; "GERM WARFARE." Being a very private person and not being a follower by nature, I didn't like the military life and longed for the two years to end as soon as possible. Thankfully, I was blessed to meet my beautiful wife; Nancy Lee at that time, and so my stay as a Human Guinea Pig became much more bearable. By the way, we are still happily married after forty three years of marriage. I worked white collar jobs within the civil service and department of Employment for about five years, and then within the Aerospace Industry for the rest of my working life, and in 1992 became a poet and pencil artist on the Internet. I am published with my first book, and am installed within the International Poetry Hall of Fame at Owings Mills, Maryland. We reside within the city of Lancaster, California, and have for the past thirty two years. |
 |
|
THE HISTORY AND STORY OF WHITECOATS MR. KEN JONES;At the San Antonio Reunion, he was elected as President of Whitecoat Activities LINK - CLICK here |
|
