oaf@mit-vax.UUCP (Oded Feingold) (09/12/85)
Ron Rizzo mentioned that testing of military recruits for HTLV-III may be controversial because non-combat personnel and civilian employees don't expect exposure to combat conditions (and possible exposure to bodily fluids.) I found that statement curious, and called MIT's ROTC unit for verification. ALL army personnel are considered deployable in case of need. Personnel with non-combat MOSs (presently includes all women, by act of Congress) may still face combat situations. Example; transport. All army personnel get basic training involving weapons usage and hand-to-hand combat. They are not expected to lose those skills. All army personnel may be called upon to donate blood for transfusions in combat situations. (I don't know what conditions pertain to civilian employees, but suspect they too may be called upon to donate blood in case of emergency.) That seems to make sense, both from the viewpoint of military effectiveness and the utility of HLTV-III screening for new recruits. Also for future testing of present military personnel. Note that I'm not commenting on any other issues, such as insurance or foster care. If nobody can explain what this has to do with net.singles, I will not post AIDS-related messages to that group in future. -- Oded Feingold MIT AI Lab. 545 Tech Square Cambridge, Mass. 02139 OAF%OZ@MIT-MC.ARPA {harvard, ihnp4!mit-eddie}!mitvax!oaf 617-253-8598