29. Secret Military History

1978-0615, VD, Penicillin-Proof VD.
A small outbreak of penicillin-proof gonorrhea in Korea is under control DoD says. 17-cases of the disease known as PPNG since the strain was first detected in 1976. Prostitution is legal in Korea and the women are checked once a week. Soldiers are warned to use condoms when patronizing unregistered "business-women.”
PPNG is much more frequent in the Philippines where 40 cases were reported in 1977. There are drugs that can cure the disease: Trobicin, Tegopen and Vibramycin are effective.

1978-0626, Quartermaster, HMMWV the Beginning.
1st mention of new aluminum replacement for the Jeep. A new High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV). Looks cool, works great.

1978-0701, Race, Stop Kicking So Many Blacks Out.
Army COS says stop discharging black Soldiers. Army COS tells Commanders to reduce the number of adverse discharges of black soldiers.


1978-0819, Religion, Muslim’s Murder 450 Muslim Moviegoers.
450 people are murdered when Muslim arsonists lock the exits and pour gasoline down the aisles of the Rex Cinema in Abadan, Iran. The blaze was the work of Islamic student fundamentalists who did not approve of the decadents of motion picture movies. The movie Animal House was playing.

1978-0828, Aviation, Apache Introduced
1st picture of Apache helicopter released.

1978-0828, Health, Secret, Environmentalism, Catastrophe at Ft Bragg, NC.
A civilian tanker truck driver dumps 10,000-gallons of deadly PCBs mixed with other hazardous chemicals on the tank trails of Ft Bragg, NC. The first indication was when hunters noticed all the wildlife started dying and had strange sores on their legs.
Paratroopers walking down Longstreet after a jump were also getting sores on their lower legs. The driver was trying to save money on disposal fees. He opened the drain valves and just drove around the ranges all night. It took 10-years to get it all cleaned up.
Author’s note: This was kept secret. The only mention was a small article in the Army Newspapers.


1978-1010, Drugs, 47-percent Use Weed.
47-percent of Soldiers use marijuana on a regular basis.

1978-1101, Military, Secret: Committee of Nine.
ACOS approves recommendations from the secret Committee of Nine to change 46-Army policies, which undermine the "special trust and confidence reposed in officers.” Only two secret suggestions were publicized:
Officers writing checks at the PX or commissary did not have to have their name checked on the back-check writer list at checkout.
Allow officers to make one mistake without jeopardizing their careers.
Author’s note: If anybody has information on the “Committee of Nine” please send it to me.

1978-1101, Military, Unions
President Carter signs law banning Soldier unions.

1978-1113, Race, Promotion Quotas.
The first racial quota requirement for promotions, New DA Pam 600-26 requires statistical equity for minority promotions. No exceptions.

1978-1113, Quartermaster, Kevlar Ballistic Helmet.
Field-testing for the new Kevlar ballistic helmet begins. Much better than the old steel-pot.


1978-1207, Religion, the First US Scandal Involving Muslims.
US Army under investigation for sending 20,000 cases of pork only C-Rations to the Saudi Arabian Army. The supply clerk thought the MAJ in charge said, "Go pork.” When the MAJ at S4 swears, he said, "No pork." the Saudi Army ate 15,000 cases of the C-Rations before discovering the error.

1978-1215, Gender, Women Will Stay and Fight.
Army Personnel Office rules, WACs will not fly home from Europe if war starts.

1978-1215, Hookers, Soldier Burns Down Duffy's Club in Korea.
A SPC from USAFSK, Camp Humphries is drunk; he thinks it would be fun to set a small Christmas tree at the entrance to Duffy's Club (brothel) in Anjonee on fire and run through the club. The club had cotton balls strung from the ceiling decorating the main lounge area. The fire spread rapidly, killing five-prostitutes and two US Solders, one of them a female Soldier who was in bed with one of the business-girls (hookers), 23-Korean business-girls were burned.
The US Army paid Duffy's $3,000,000 (12,936,258-2022) to rebuild. Duffy’s became the best club in All Korea with 500 full time hookers.

1978-1231, Gender, 1978:
52,900 WACs in the Army.
06 Percent of the Army.

1979-0112, Accident, Panama, Accident.
16-Soldiers in the back of a two ½-ton truck drown when it drives into the Panama Canal by accident.


1979-0209, Race, Cross-Burned on the Carrier USS America.
A cross was burned on the deck of the Navy Aircraft Carrier America. Three hundred crewmembers watched it burn, many were wearing white sheets. I was not able to find the entire story.

1979-0229, Gay, USMC Chapters 13 Lesbians.
13 USMC female drill Sergeants chaptered for homosexual conduct with female trainees.

1979-0416, Religion, the First Military Mosque.
Ft Benning, GA, opens the 1st Mosque on a US Military installation. It was called “Islamic House of Worship.”

1979-0528, Military, New Sedan Rules.
Officers banned from using chauffeured Military vehicles for trips less than 200-yards.


1979-0604, Military, Walter Reed Investigates the Enlisted Culture in the Barracks.
MAJ Larry H. Ingraham, Army Medical Research Unit found that Army units with high drug use performed better and had higher moral. His official report concluded that “barracks drug and alcohol abuse, seals a strong bond of brotherhood and contributes to the high moral.” MAJ Ingraham was never heard of again.
Research on barracks life conducted by Walter Reed research office results in many Army leaders shock, dismay and disgust.
The research finds officers are little concerned with enlisted. Officers are more worried about promotions, maintaining authority and avoiding the suspicion of incompetence. Few Army leaders venture into the Barracks at night.
Officers and NCOs drink alcohol, lower ranking Soldiers smoke weed. The worst thing you can call a Soldier is a "Nark.” Prior to entering the service Soldiers learn about Army life from father, uncle, brother, or friends.
One secret enlisted rule: “Soldiers must never compliment the Army.”
Soldiers who smoke weed, drink beer, read Porn and have a car will slip into the mainstream of Barracks life.
Young Soldiers view themselves by their jobs in the Army; they are more of a truck mechanic, tank driver or police officer than a Soldier.
MAJ Ingram, one of the researchers from Walter Reed, lived in the Barracks for 4-months researching barracks life. He found the Barracks is an ideal environment for drug use the worse the unit the more drugs Soldiers use in the Barracks. Soldiers who use drugs in the Army used drugs before they joined. Drug use drops sharply during BCT goes up in AIT and is higher than pre-Army use by the time Soldiers reaches his permanent duty station. Soldiers who do drugs part their hair down the middle. The more élite a Soldier considers his unit the less likely he will do drugs. Drug use in Combat units is as high as support units. Drug use is no big deal for Soldiers. It is simply accepted as part of everyday life.
For Soldiers, the Army is a job, officers and NCOs are lifers who cannot cut it on the outside. When Soldiers get a part time job, moonlight, the Army comes in second.
There are five-types of bars soldiers go to: redneck, nice, tough, dive and black. Soldiers prefer dive bars. A white Soldier can only drink at black bars if with a black soldier. Blacks can always drink at white bars, but few do because they are treated rudely. Young Soldiers are not alcoholic drinkers. Older Soldiers are.