I was on Operation Dewey Canyon, with 2/9 Fox,sometime before the 56 day op ended I got falsiprum malaria,I had uncontollable diaria,sleepy,couldn’t think,high fever,dehidrated,anemic,couldn’t eat or drink. I passed out starting up the next to the last hill where we were to be lifted out,they thought I had heat strokeso they put salt in a half canten of water I had,then took my food,water,all my ammo except one mag in my 16. took gernads,law,gun ammo,told me they would tell someone where I was,they said there were troops on the hill and if I didn’t make it up there they would come get me.THEY TOLD NOBODY ABOUT !!!!! I went in and out of contiousness and stuggle when I would wake to pull my p.liner out of my pack to protect my face from the sun. I couldn’t get free from my pack. Before they left me I ask one to turn me around a little so I could see down the trail and watch for gooks. A long time later,I woke to movement,I could not move my m16 in the direction of the sound. An american spead the grass apart,staired and said,where in the Hell did you come from,I don’t think I could answere,not sure,then somehow I woke on top of the hill,I was mad,why did you take so long to get me? He said,we didn’t know you were there,we seen movement in the same place sevral time and didn’t want to shoot and give away our position. I ask if my bunch came up on this hill,they said some Marines came thru a long time ago,but they never even said hi.I said they told someone up here,they said we are the only two here,and now you. Towards night a copper came in and took me out,we stoped at cunningham then went to charley med.Then on to thrid med,long story short,I had a higher fever,more malaria in my blood,and had it longer,and was in worse shape than they had seen,they thought there was no way I would live,I wieghed under 115 lbs, I think me being mad let me live,I just wanted to see the looks on there faces when I retuned,I’m sure we were in Laos,the looks was worth it and this secret has eat me alive for 40years. I suffer brain damage I know but no way to prove it. My insides suffered damage too,which they blame on something else, I was turned away from help when I came home so have had a destroyed life.One and a half years ago I went back to VA,and they tryed to trun me away again,I started to leave and a guy said welcome home,that was the first time I heard that,I turned around and got the nerve to make them listen,they took me to a women that talk to me,then she said you mean you are a combat vet and I said yes.She called someone and said he is a combat vet,what are you people doing.then they started to help,They said I have PTSD,maybe so,but the malaria or agent orange got me to. My mind or body hasn’t worked right since that operation,but I can’t afford to prove it,they said I was 50%,I think when they know your mind don’t works so good,your poor and can’t do anything about it,and they are right.Thanks for letting me vent,Simper Fi

By Lanny Alan Roedel on Jun 30, 2008 at 12:31 am

My father returned home from wwII with some type of disease that for over 60 years has caused him to be severly ill every 45 days with Malaria type symptoms,which up until the last year lasted approximately 3 days each time. Now that he is 83 years old, the problem is lasting longer and longer, sometimes up to 7 days, causing him to be very weak aterwards for another week.
Several time over the last 30 years, he has been studied by doctors in Houston, Abeline, and Wichita Falls, TX hospitals trying to figure what is causing this, all to no avail. Doctors have seen him during these episodes and still have no idea what it is or what causes it.
He served in Okinawa, Japan during the war.
We would like to find out what this is as it is causing my father’s health to go downhill really fast. If anyone else has the same symptoms or problems, we would like to be in touch with them to see if there is anything we can do.

By John Bellinghausen on Jul 4, 2008 at 10:44 am

When I arrived at the 6th Convalescent Center, I was really sick, the chloroquine-Primaquine combo for prophylaxis was a bear-Monday was malaria day-I would often keep within close distance to a latrine or my entrenching tool. I would acquire Plasmodiun Malarieae falciparum.
There were 1000 people in that hospital as sick as can be.

I spent some time in a quonset hut on IV quinine and responded very quickly. I was transferredto a hooch we aremost familiar with, and ordered too take oral quinine as big brown tablets (I will never, ever forget that), within a week I was back in the quonset with a relapse.

What I have not revealed is I was a draftee, and a registered pharmacist prior to being drafted. I knew what was going on.

You also need to know that the military had an SOP when someone was out of their unit for a prolonged period.
Although I do not remember the total numbers quite right anymore, if you were lost to your unit for 21 days, you needed to be peplaced. Once in country, the clock starts ticking. If you recover, you were reassigned. An FNG replaced you. Two men in country originally there instead of one!

A very smart medical officer and I sat down and had a man to man, I presented my credentials, and listened to a proposal for a study of different dosage forms of Quinine for oral use. Was there a reason for the replace rate that was through the roof?
We found out with permission of USARV that malaria patients who received a gelatin encapsulated quinine decreased the relapse rate profoundly. Soldiers and Marines were able to return to duty less than 21 days as a rule!
Side effects were seen more often but generally predictable regarding quinine-ringing in the ears (tinnitus).

The SOP was changed in August 1970 to treat malaria patients with “capsules” made of gelatin (the way we do today on most pharmaceutical products).

There is no way of knowing how many guys never had to leave CONUS as a replacement during those following years as a result of the change. I was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for Meritorious Service for my contribution.

Regarding types of malaria Falciparum was actually one of two possible diagnoses, Vivax was also present.
In trying to be accurate, Vivax was more life threatening than any other.
It is this particular type responsible for encephalitis (swelling of the brain. Plasmosis, the destruction of red blood cells would just be the beginning of a great battle.

Today, ovale malarieae in Africa kills 1,000,000 a year and we never hear of it.
Someday, someone will cure this disease by finding some common element of the disease and create a vaccine that will save millions world wide.

Best regards
Ricky

By Ricky Arnold on Jul 20, 2008 at 2:23 pm

OOPS!/TYPO
uncompleted sentence:
We found out with permission of USARV

SHOULD READ
We found out through our very scientific methods and with permission of USARV published our findings in a military medical journal circulated throught southeast Asia.

By Ricky Arnold on Jul 20, 2008 at 2:37 pm

hello i came from nam with malaria the va gave 25 dollars a month for 1 year allot of people said this is not right. do i have any recourse in this matter i hope you e.mail me back so i can known what to do thank you pat

By pat brady on Aug 13, 2008 at 1:16 pm

I have the very same question regard malaria. I had two types. received a $40 dollar check and then it stop ….just stop. where do I go from here?

By Roger on Oct 9, 2008 at 2:18 am

I WAS WONDERING IF ANYONE KNEW A DAVID OR DAVE OR
DAVIE BLEDSOE

By Kayla Bledsoe on Nov 8, 2008 at 7:41 pm

I am Viet Nam Vet, I contracted malaria, during my ture. I was
in the hospital in Da Nang and the Cam Ram Lost almost 50 lbs,
while in Da Nang I was in and out I can remember at least to
trips to the Ice blankets. Each time with a fulery of medical staff
trying to get my Fevor down.

When I came back to the states, I was having sever nervousness
and sever head aches. Periods of Jadious. Night mares chills and
shakes.

The sent me to see a mental health person who looked to be 12
years. I talked about thing that happened in Viet Nam.
He talked about may family life.
I told him that my brain was not working right, thing I could do
before I can not do now.

The gave me some Valume and Libriam and Darvon 85. well
there is much of the next year with a little Alcohal I do not
remember. After several near death events I cold turkeyed and
tried to pull my life together.

I managed to build a wall around my emotions, this allowed me
to control the angery out burst, the rage.
If it were not for a patiant and loving wife I would not be here
today.

I have not talked to any one about these events. I have shared
some with my wife.

I stil suffer the dreams at night about the war, I wake 3 or 4 time
a night check the door and windows to insure there locked.

I always feel like pending disaster is just around the corner.

thank you for the oppertunity to share. this is all I can do now

By Gary Davidson on Nov 16, 2008 at 3:52 am

I need help on my project do you know at least 5 things the U.S solders ate during the Vietnam War?

By Justin on Nov 22, 2008 at 9:05 am

To John Bellinghausen and all interested,
I am trying to find out if their is any such thing as Post-malaria syndrome. My dad is 82 and a WW2 vet who contracted Vivax Malaria in the pacific theater. Now 60 years later, after having survived non-hodgkins lymphoma, he is having a repeat of what he says are malaria symptoms several times a year also. He gets a fever, than the chills, then is weak for a few days and then better, but still not as he should be. The doctors(all of whom were not born until well after WW2), are stumped and have poo-pooed the idea of it being a remnant of the malaria. He and I are both convinced that it is. I recently read a book that there is such a thing as post-polio syndrome, as survivors begin to age they get symptoms again, especially when their immune systems are low.
I am going to post my e-mail if anyone would like to get back to me on this, I am trying to assure my dad he is not crazy. O am trusting that only those with info relevant to my post will email me.
Matha Lamdin
LAMDIN@SBCGLOBAL.NET

By martha lamdin on Dec 3, 2008 at 5:28 pm

My husband is a Viet Nam vet, had Plasmodium vivax and Falciparum malaria, VA passed it off as nothing. Now he is 61 and 2005 had a heart valve replacement, 2007 diagnosed with a basilar tip inoperable aneurysm, and 2008 diagnosed with CSF (cerebral spinal fluid) leak, which causes bad headaches, nausea, double vision, brain sagging. All symptons which appear to be related to the initial problems those two kinds of malaria present, toss in Agent Orange and you really have problems. Wow, how can these things show up 40 years later and you just begin to realize they all realate back to the malaria as the initial problem. Talk about PTSD, one Doc said he was depressed because he has an aneurysm, when you have CSF, and aneurysm is the least of your worries, of course she miss-diagnosed that one. Gee that felt good to write all that, thanks.

By Carla Killman on Jul 10, 2009 at 12:30 pm