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| 'Go Pills' Tied To Bombing |
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Posted by CN Staff on December 21, 2002 at 09:31:17 PT By The Canadian Press Source: Ottawa Sun 
An ABC News 20/20 report says amphetamines given to two U.S. fighter pilots may have contributed to a friendly-fire incident last April 18 that killed four Canadian soldiers and wounded eight in Afghanistan. But reports by Canadian and U.S. investigators said the Dexedrine pills, known as speed or uppers, were not a factor in the attack on a live-fire exercise near the troops' Kandahar base. And the Canadian commander in Afghanistan, Lt.-Col. Pat Stogran, said it's "beyond comprehension" how the Americans could have mistaken a nighttime exercise for an attack from an altitude of 6,500 metres. The ABC report says the "go pills," given to pilots to help them stay awake and alert on long missions, are illegal narcotics. "This is speed," says Dr. Robert DuPont, former White House drug czar. "This is where we got the phrase 'speed kills.' " ABC obtained never-before-seen footage of the attack from the F16s' targeting imagery, as well as audio tape of Maj. Harry Schmidt -- "under the full influence of the amphetamine pills," says the report -- declaring he's taking ground fire. 'SELF-DEFENCE' "I've got some men on a road with a piece of artillery firing at us," he says. "I am rolling in self-defence." Schmidt had been told to hold fire, but says he was convinced he and his senior wingman, Maj. Bill Umbach, were under attack. "Bombs away," the flight recording says. "Cranking left." The tape shows it was only after Schmidt drops the 250-kg bomb that he is told it is not the enemy. "Bossman, disengage friendlies, Kandahar," says the tape. Schmidt and Umbach were blamed by U.S. and Canadian inquiries, which said while there were shortcomings in the command structure, Schmidt was too quick on the draw. The ABC report says the amphetamines may have affected his decision-making. The pair face a preliminary hearing at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana on Jan. 13. They face up to 64 years in prison if convicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter and assault. The Canadian board of inquiry said go pills have been used for more than 30 years. "Blood and urine tests and a drug screen done after the incident were normal for both pilots, with the only remarkable result being a low level positive in Major (name deleted) drug screen that confirmed his stated use of go pills," said the Canadian investigation's report. CLEARED FOR PILLS "In accordance with set policies, (the two pilots) were ground tested and both were without side effects and were medically cleared for operational use of go pills," it said. Stogran said yesterday he and other members of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, want justice to take its course. Stogran said he's "irked" by the tactics of the pilots' lawyers, including the release of selective segments of transcripts from inquiry interviews with Canadian soldiers suggesting weapons were fired into the air. The only tracers going up would have been ricochets, Stogran said. And a pilot flying in the area at the time said those were visible for only 330 metres, at most. "As if a fighter aircraft at (6,500 metres) would even see the terminal effects of a round at that range," said the colonel. "The tracer would have burnt out." GO PILLS - Dextroamphetamine, the clinical name for Dexedrine, is usually prescribed by doctors to treat depression, fight narcolepsy and alleviate attention deficit disorders in children. - Pilots take the drug to stay in the air for longer stretches. It stimulates the nervous system and wards off fatigue. But doctors say the pills come with risks. - One pilot known to have taken Dexedrine for long missions is U.S. Col. Robert Gass. He took a pill on a 20-hour mission during Operation Enduring Freedom last year to help him stay alert during a complicated mid-air refuelling. - Gass said taking the pill was "similar to drinking a couple of strong cups of coffee," which gave him a short-term boost. - The pilot said the decision of when to take Dexedrine is made during mission planning, adding he took the pill about 30 minutes before the refuelling. - Gass said the pills are taken when a high level of attention is needed. "When we are really just cruising at a high altitude, and the demands on our attention and aviation skills are lowest, we plan not to take it." - The U.S. military wants to increase the alertness of soldiers, to give them an advantage. Note: U.S. fighter pilots under influence, report says. Source: Ottawa Sun (CN ON) Related Articles: Military Looks To Drugs for Battle Readiness U.S. Pilots Stay Up Taking 'Uppers' Pill Could Make Sleeping Optional Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #2 posted by FoM on December 22, 2002 at 09:01:20 PT |
| I agree that speed isn't a narcotic. A narcotic drug is one that brings you down not fires you up and a narcotic type drug is also addictive and withdrawal will occur after using it for a while. Speed doesn't have withdrawal just a person gets grumpy depressed and tired because your body has run a sort of marathon. That's only my opinion. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by John Tyler on December 22, 2002 at 08:52:29 PT |
| "The ABC report says the "go pills," given to pilots to help them stay awake and alert on long missions, are illegal narcotics". I'm not an expert but, this is wrong on too counts, Dexedrine is not a narcotic, and it is not illegal, it is a perscription only drug. It is so annoying when people say every drug is a narcotic when they clearly are not. [ Post Comment ] |
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