Even as some Americans await the arrival of their swine flu vaccines, the Pentagon has decided to vaccinate both soldiers and terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
There was no word Wednesday on when the the first vaccines would reach the remote base in southeast Cuba.
But U.S. military there were notified late last week that service members would get their H1N1 virus vaccinations first. Private contractors and sailors' wives and children could get theirs afterward ``as the supply permits.''
And that means the 221 war on terror captives would also be vaccinated first, said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Brook DeWalt, a Guantanamo spokesman.
``They get all the same quality medical care and treatment options that are provided to service members,'' he said by telephone. ``But they don't have to wait for appointments.''
Each detainee would be given the vaccine on a voluntary basis, just like ``with our seasonal flu vaccination program,'' said Army Maj. Diana R. Haynie, a prison camps public affairs officer.
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