US embassy cable - 01ABUJA3081

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 003081 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
AF: PDAS BELLAMY AND DAS PERRY 
AF/W FOR BOOTH 
AF/RA FOR BITTRICK 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/06/2011 
TAGS: PREL, MASS, MARR, NI 
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: OFR P3 ILLNESSES AND ACCIDENTAL DEATHS 
 
Classified by Ambassador Howard F. Jeter; Reasons 1.5 (a). 
 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY: A spate of illnesses and accidents have left 
two OFR trainers dead, and seven afflicted by malaria (one 
soldier with malaria subsequently died, but from a condition 
not necessarily connected with the malaria).  The Forward 
Surgical Team, under the direction of the Battalion 
Commander, is investigating the possible causes of seven 
confirmed cases of malaria.  While the details of these cases 
have been reported in other channels, we repeat them for the 
Department's information.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
==================================== 
LIGHT ANTITANK WEAPON RANGE ACCIDENT 
==================================== 
 
 
2. (C) On November 1, during LAW (Light Anti-Tank Weapon) 
training with the 20th battalion, Serti, a LAW misfired.  A 
subsequent effort by three soldiers to destroy the misfired 
weapon led to a premature detonation, with the soldiers in 
close proximity. 
 
 
3. (C) The three wounded soldiers were evacuated by 
helicopter to Abuja for treatment by the Forward Surgical 
Team (FST).  No host nation personnel were injured in the 
incident. The most seriously injured was SSG Adam Harding, 
who sustained injuries to his carotid artery and was in 
respiratory distress.  He was stabilized and placed on a 
ventilator.  Harding was then evacuated to Landstuhl Army 
Medical Center via a contracted medical-evacuation flight. 
Despite these efforts, Harding's condition deteriorated.  He 
died on November 4. In the same incident, SSG Joseph B. Smith 
was seriously injured, sustaining what appeared to be right 
side neurological deficit, and shrapnel wounds to the face, 
neck, left hand, lower legs, chest, and abdomen. Smith also 
was evacuated to Landstuhl.  Surgery was successfully 
completed, and Smith was evacuated to the U.S. on November 
10.  The prospect for his full recovery is unknown. SSG 
Joseph A. Vollenberg received superficial wounds to his face 
and neck.  Vollenberg was evacuated via a commercial airline 
to his home station where he was treated on an outpatient 
basis.  He is expected to recover fully. 
 
 
============= 
ROAD ACCIDENT 
============= 
 
 
4. (C) On November 7, two U.S. soldiers and a Nigerian 
civilian PAE contract driver, while traveling in convoy from 
Abuja to Kachia in Kaduna State, were injured in a 
single-vehicle accident.  The vehicle veered out of control 
on a bad section of road, overturning in a ditch at a high 
rate of speed.  Injured were SFC Laurance Morgan, who 
suffered a head laceration and dislocated right shoulder, and 
SSG Pierre LaGuerre, who sustained a fractured right leg, a 
laceration to the right leg, an unstable left knee, and a 
bruised right lung.  The PAE driver sustained hip and back 
injuries.  All three were evacuated to the FST in Abuja via 
helicopter.  Although none of the injuries was life 
threatening, the soldiers were evacuated to Landstuhl as a 
precautionary measure, and the driver was transferred to a 
local medical facility. 
 
 
======================== 
MYSTERIOUS MALARIA CASES 
======================== 
 
 
5. (C) On November 13, during a planned stop at Ascension 
Island while en route to Ft. Bragg from Nigeria, SSG Terry 
Kentcy was diagnosed with Falciparum malaria.  Medical 
personnel decided to continue movement of Kentcy to Roosevelt 
Roads Naval Base, Puerto Rico.  Upon arrival at Roosevelt 
Roads, he was moved to the Veterans Administration (VA) 
hospital in Santiago, PR.  Kentcy was stabilized and 
reportedly recovering satisfactorily.  However, during the 
early morning hours of November 16, Kentcy began experiencing 
chest pains and breathing difficulties.  Kentcy went into 
cardiac arrest shortly thereafter and medical personnel were 
unable to revive him.  The autopsy indicates Kentcy died of a 
pulmonary embolism.  It is unclear but unlikely that Kency's 
death was directly connected to malaria. 
 
 
6. (C) SFC Jody Free was diagnosed with cerebral malaria by 
the FST.  He was evacuated on November 13 to Landstuhl. Prior 
to boarding the aircraft, Free slipped into a coma and was 
placed on life support.  While under treatment in Germany, 
Free contracted pneumonia and was placed on dialysis.  On 
November 28, Free was evacuated to the United States.  Our 
last reports indicate that he was off dialysis, conscious, 
lucid, and rapidly recovering. 
7. (C) There have been five other cases of malaria among 
soldiers participating in OFR. 
 
 
8. (C) COMMENT: From an operational and political 
perspective, OFR III has been a resounding success, 
characterized by tremendous support from the Nigerian Army 
and Ministry of Defense.  This is in marked contrast to the 
lack of bilateral cooperation in OFR Phase I.  This success, 
however, has been dampened by the tragic accidents and 
illnesses described above.  The seven malaria cases are 
troubling, particularly when compared to Phase I, which had 
none (DATT COMMENT: Phase I personnel resided in hotels, not 
tents.  END DATT COMMENT).  FST personnel are investigating 
the causes, including the possibility of: a strain of 
resistant malaria; degraded anti-malarial medication; or, 
soldiers not taking their medication.  The third possibility 
appears unlikely, as initial reports from unit medics 
indicate full compliance with the prescribed medical regimen. 
 
 
9. (C) COMMENT CONT: During Phase I, the trainers (and FOB 
personnel) lived in hotels, and were often indoors at dawn 
and dusk, when the possibility of contracting malaria 
significantly increases.  However, for reasons of force 
protection, the trainers did not use hotels for Phase III. 
Thus, Phase III trainers have lived in open-air camps, and 
were significantly more susceptible to malaria-bearing 
mosquitoes.  END COMMENT. 
Jeter