Airmen at Lackland Air Force Base train in 2018. The Air Force at the base in Texas is experiencing a severe flu outbreak among basic trainees. File Photo Courtesy of the U.S. Air Force.
A major outbreak of flu has hit Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, less than two months after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth dropped the requirement for flu vaccines.
The disease has run through an Air Force basic training area, where recruits live in close proximity to each other, sleeping on bunk beds and dining together in open mess halls.
The 37th Training Wing, which is at Lackland, “has been managing a localized influenza outbreak among trainees at Basic Military Training,” the Air Force said in a statement.
Two sources told The Washington Post that about 160 have gotten sick. That division sees more than 36,000 trainees per year. The training wing is part of the 737th Training Support Squadron.
In April, Hegseth announced that the Department of Defense would no longer require annual flu vaccines for military personnel, calling it an attempt to “restore freedom and strength to our joint force.”
The Air Force has not said if those sickened at Lackland had been vaccinated.
Those showing symptoms are being isolated and treated, and medical staff are also monitoring people who were in close contact with the sick, the Air Force statement said.
Trainee Keon McDaniel died on Tuesday after “he experienced a medical emergency” at Lackland, the Air Force said in a press release. He was treated at Brooke Army Medical Center. It was not clear if his death was related to the flu outbreak. The Air Force is completing a comprehensive medical review into his death to find the cause. McDaniel was in his sixth week of training.
“Every trainee is a vital member of our Air Force family, representing the future of our service and the strength of our nation. We are deeply saddened by the loss of Trainee McDaniel,” said Col. Kellie S. Courtland, commander of the 37th Training Wing, in a statement. “Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with his family, friends, and fellow trainees during this incredibly difficult time.”
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President Donald Trump presents a Medal of Honor to Tom Ripley on behalf of his father, John W. Ripley, during a Medal of Honor award ceremony in the East Room of the White House on Thursday. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI | License Photo
