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Old April 1st 18, 11:20 AM posted to sci.space.shuttle
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Default Fred Haise illness?

On Friday, August 19, 2016 at 7:33:39 PM UTC-10, wrote:
We'll never know the truth of the nature of his illness because due to the nature of the NASA\military culture of the crew, the public exposure, and the nature of the times back then, does anyone really think anyone then or now would say: "Oh yeah, he was suffering from VD the whole flight." ? Even after so many yearsafter the first gay astronaut flew in space, and all the strides gay Americans have made since then, does NASA acknowledge it and how many Americans are even aware a gay American flew intoo space ?


I was an Air Force medic stationed at Hickham AFB during the Apollo 13 flight. After they had landed and were recovered in the Pacific they were flown to Hickam to meet with Nixon. All of the medical personnel wanted to go out to the flight line to see the ceremonies so they all loaded into the clinics ambulances and headed out to see the event. All but me and our new nurse, however. Being low man on the totem pole I and one of our nurses were told to stay and man the clinic. Off they all went to see it all. When they arrived on the flight line they were sent to the far end away from the event and were told to not leave their spot until it was complete and the astronauts and Nixon had flown off base. My nurse and I were a bit miffed at missing the event until a group of well dressed men in suits and with radios entered the clinic. They asked who was there that was handling the medical problems and I said it was my nurse and myself. They then brought in 3 guys in flight suits who just turned out to be the Apollo astronauts. Haise was introduced to me and explained that he had a urinary tract infection which had been treated on the ship but was still causing him discomfort. The infection was probably from the catheters used while in space. I prescribed a drug called Pyridiun (turns your urine orange) and we sat around the clinic shooting the bull until he was able to pee orange and felt fine without the typical burning. We didn't have any cameras around then and probably would not have been able to use them. We were not allowed to get autographs even though they were willing. The suits said "no". They then left to meet Nixon. When it was all over and the rest of the clinic returned we found that they were not able to see anything and had to sit in the ambulances which had no A/C in them.