posted 12-13-2003 07:49 AM            

"It's also theoretically possible that the soldier was given a contaminated vaccine."

"His family realizes that the cause of his disease is likely to remain a mystery."

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Disorder Steals Soldier's Mind, Life

By NANCY BARR CANSON
The Dallas Morning News

KARNACK, Texas -- Staff Sgt. James Alford can't talk. He doesn't recognize his wife. His head shakes, his hands tremble.

He is agitated, restless, diapered and helpless, requiring round-the-clock care from his family. Unable to coordinate his fingers and hands, the former marathon runner can still walk, with assistance, and his daily ritual is to unsteadily "walk the floor," as his wife, Army Spec. Amber Alford, describes it.

In April, the Green Beret and Bronze Star recipient was sent home from Iraq by the Army. But it wasn't because he badly needed medical care.

"They sent him home to be court-martialed," said his mother, Gail Alford, a former Army nurse. "They wanted to strip him of his special forces tab. They wanted him out of the Army."

Army officials say they did not realize the 24-year-old soldier's increasingly erratic behavior was an early symptom of the difficultto-diagnose Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. CJD is a fatal, degenerative brain disorder that attacks the human brain in the same way that "mad cow" disease attacks cattle.

Alford was disciplined and demoted. Although the Army has restored his rank and corrected what it admits was a mistake, the Alfords -- a family in which many members have served in the armed forces -- question how this could have happened.

"I don't blame the Army for this disease," said his father, retired Army Command Sgt. Maj. John Alford, who was in the service 34 years. "I blame them for how they treated my son. They treated him like yesterday's garbage. They reduced his rank. They called him an idiot, called him stupid -- this is a wounded soldier. It's no different than if he had taken a bullet to the brain."

The family has asked for and received acknowledgment that commanders in the 5th Special Forces Group erred.

"It's a terrible thing that happened," said Maj. Robert E. Gowan, public affairs officer for the special forces. "Everyone is deeply sorry for Sergeant Alford and his family. I think personal apologies, apologies that really mean something, will happen in time."

During his first six years in the Army, Alford was ranked an "excellent" soldier in every evaluation. He was awarded two Army Commendation medals, five Army Achievement medals, an Army Good Conduct Medal, numerous division ribbons and, in May 2002, the Bronze Star for "peerless expertise" in Afghanistan.

But four months later, changes in his behavior were noted. He went from being lauded for his "exceptionally meritorious service," "gallant conduct" and "incisive competence" to being called an irresponsible failure.

In September 2002, he was disciplined for losing his assault vest and other military items. He was AWOL for several days from his post in Fort Campbell, Ky., and later demoted from staff sergeant to sergeant.

"In retrospect, when he got back from Afghanistan, there were signs," his mother said. "But we thought it was combat stress. We didn't know what it was."

No one knew that the changes in Alford's personality -- forgetfulness and impaired judgment -- were early symptoms of CJD.

In Kuwait, as his condition worsened, his conduct became more erratic. He received a written order to carry a note pad "to write instructions down to ensure they are not forgotten." His records show he was placed on probation, accused of "dereliction of duty" and "larceny," of losing his protective mask, stealing another soldier's mask, failing to report for duty four times and lying to superiors.

His commander wrote on April 10 that he would initiate action to revoke Alford's special forces designation.

The Alfords were later told that Alford had been seen by a doctor in Kuwait, who reportedly said nothing was wrong with him. A psychiatrist in Kuwait reportedly said that he was "faking it."

The cause of Alford's disease, diagnosed as "sporadic" CJD, is unknown.

CJD is a fatal degenerative brain disease in which early symptoms of behavioral changes and memory loss lead to severe mental impairment, dementia, loss of coordination, involuntary jerking movements, loss of speech, loss of vision, coma and death. Sporadic CJD is said to occur spontaneously, while new variant CJD is caused by eating beef contaminated with mad cow disease.

Alford showed clinical symptoms of new variant CJD, but his brain pathology was consistent with sporadic CJD. The Alfords suspect he might have contracted the disease by eating contaminated beef somewhere. During the past six years, he was deployed to Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan, Oman, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Thailand, France and England.

But they also see another possibility.

Alford told his doctors and his family that he ate sheep's brain when serving in Oman two years ago.

It's also theoretically possible that the soldier was given a contaminated vaccine.

His family realizes that the cause of his disease is likely to remain a mystery.

Now, in the final months of his illness, Jamie is fed intravenously and sedated to help him sleep. He stares blankly and doesn't recognize his family. His wife, brother, parents and grandparents help him in his walking ritual.

The family knows it is only a matter of days or weeks before he may go blind and lapse into a coma.