A new PDF memo purportedly from the Department of the Army concerning bad batches of the questionable Anthrax vaccine has been confirmed as originating from DOD despite claims from Massachusetts Department of Veterans’ Services secretary Francisco Urena that it was “fake” and a “scam.”

UPDATE: Five Things You Need To Know About Anthrax Memo

DOWNLOAD: Army Anthrax Vaccine Memo

Over the weekend, an Army memorandum circulated to soldiers about possible disability related to bad Anthrax vaccine batches that then leaked onto social media to the public.

The leaked memo was immediately dubbed as a “fake memo” and “SCAM” by Massachusetts Department of Veterans’ Services (MDVS) secretary Francisco Urena, but a deeper look at the memo revealed its authenticity.

SEE: Facebook Post Alleging Memo Scam

A PDF of the memorandum, drafted by a person named Patrick McGrath II was digitally signed using a DOD certificate authority, and that its contents are “not subject to repudiation because the certificate chain is intact,” according to attorney Francis White, III, a former US Air Force compliance inspector for information technology.

I spoke with White, a colleague of mine in the same office, about his professional impression of the memo and his statement above.

White says faking the signature using a DOD CA certificate chain is nearly impossible in this context, “the digital signature on that memo is valid” and the related documentation shows it “was signed by an individual named Patrick Steven McGrath II, and is not subject to repudiation…”

RELATED: US Military ‘Inadvertently’ Shipped Live Anthrax Virus

White says that does not mean McGrath had the authority to circulate the memo to the public, but it does show the memo “cannot be summarily dismissed as fraudulent,” contrary to the suggestion of MDVS secretary Urena.

Basically, since the memo is valid, it likely originated from the 2nd Battalion located in South Korea implicating soldiers stationed at Ft. Campbell and Fort Drum from 2001-2007.

RELATED: Vets Exposed To Blasts At Risk Of Amnesia

In short, it may not be a fake, after all, and hopefully, Army will do the right thing by identifying and notifying affected soldiers.

The intent of the memo appears to be simply to inform soldiers who participated in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom that they may be eligible for disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Army Bad Batch Anthrax Vaccine Notice

Task. 2nd Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery Regiment identifies Guardian Soldiers who received Anthrax vaccination from Ft. Campbell and Ft. Drum from 20012007 for Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom NLT 04MAY18 to inform Soldiers of possible Veteran Affairs benefit. Purpose. The purpose of this tasking informs Soldiers who received bad Anthrax batches from Ft. Campbell and Ft. Drum from 2001-2007 for OEF/OIF IOT notify possible 100% VA disabilities due to bad anthrax batches. Coordinating Instructions. a. Units identify Soldiers who received bad anthrax batches providing name, rank, and DOD ID number to CPT Potter at [email protected], 1LT Patterson at [email protected], and 1LT Vanderburg at [email protected] NLT 04MAY18. b. Physician Assistant 1LT Vanderburg will screen and validate Soldier’s medical records.

Despite what appears to be a straightforward memo, some sources, including the MDVS secretary Urena are misinforming the public that the document is a fake because “This is not how VA Claims are filed.” But the memo appears to serve as a mandate to “identify soldiers who received bad anthrax batches” and little more.

Anthrax Vaccine Scandal In History

I also spoke with retired USAF Lt Col Thomas “Buzz” Rempfer about the memo this morning given his longtime research into the unlawful Anthrax vaccination program.

Like Attorney White, Rempfer and I have known each other for a few years. We are loosely brainstorming ideas about increasing transparency related to DOD forced vaccine programs like the Anthrax program.

Now, some of you reading this may not be familiar with the history of the DOD Anthrax Vaccine Program in the late 90’s through 2007. During that period, soldiers including myself were forced to take the Anthrax vaccine even though appropriate investigations into its efficacy had not been completed.

Basically, the soldiers were the guinea pigs, and we all knew it.

Those of us who refused the vaccine were punished by bad conduct discharges. Some of us who took the vaccine were badly injured. Some died.

As a whistleblower against the program, Rempfer believed the document warranted further review into what the Army is attempting to accomplish, and that the Anthrax vaccine program itself reveals a darker history warranting attention of President Donald Trump right now concerning the 2001 USPS Anthrax attack and subsequent investigation by FBI conducted by Robert Mueller’s subordinate James Comey.

Hoping4Justice.com Website

From Rempfer’s website about the Anthrax program:

Rempfer’s perspective on the Anthrax issue is not limited to the USPS attack. He also believes the President has the opportunity to secure military records changes for former soldiers who were discharged for refusing to take the vaccine.

Anthrax And Bad Conduct Discharges

The long takeaway about the Anthrax program is that many soldiers were given bad conduct discharges for refusing to take the vaccine even though the program itself was unlawful.

Many more soldiers were permanently injured as a result of the bad batches. Perhaps this leaked memo is a sign of internal shifts in vaccine policy within the US Army.

As you read over this information and contemplate your response in the comment section, I would like to ask you to look up what your favorite “big six” veteran organization has said and done about the dangers of the Anthrax vaccine or this leaked Army memo.

Go on. Take a look.

Most VSOs likely are aware of the memo being circulated. What have they said about it?

The biggest VSOs including Disabled American Veterans have an annual budget of over $500 million. Head of DAV reportedly earns annual total compensation of over $500,000.

Here, I found out about the memo and immediately reached out to topic experts to evaluate whether what the Massachusetts Department of Veterans’ Services secretary asserted on the memo being “fake” could be independently evaluated.

And, I did this with a staff of ONE PERSON and an advocacy budget on DisabledVeterans.org of 10,000 times less than that of DAV… I’ll let you do the math.

Where were your favorite VSO big shots yesterday? What were they doing about Anthrax and the memo? Sleeping off the hangover from their party with Shulkin last week?

RELATED: DAV, VSOs Hold Party To Honor Fired Secretary Shulkin

That aside, do you have an Anthrax vaccine experience? We would like to hear about it if you’re willing to share below.

UPDATE 4/17/18: We are still waiting for feedback from the US Army about the memorandum’s content. Again, what we know is that the document is likely authentic meaning it was electronically signed by a person named Patrick using his official DOD CA. This also means it was not written by some random guy sitting on a couch typing up a fake memo. We do not know if the information in the memo is totally accurate, but it was published and then signed using a DOD authentication key process when electronically signed by Patrick.

UPDATED 4/21/18: Army officially retracted the infamous memo April 19, 2018, on Army Times without acknowledging VA disability impact from adverse reactions. Subsequent articles citing Army’s retraction provided additional details. The Army memo was authentic but the Defense Health Agency later stated its contents were false without providing additional details as to what information within the memo was false.

Bad Batch Anthrax Vaccine Memo

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Massachusetts Department of Veterans’ Services Sec Francisco Urena SCAM Alert

DOD Certificate