Two USS La Salle sailors tested for
anthrax after handling suspicious letter
By Ward Sanderson,
Naples bureau
NAPLES, Italy — Two USS La Salle sailors are being tested for exposure to anthrax
after handling a suspicious letter addressed to the former 6th Fleet commander.
The sailors are taking antibiotics as a precaution, the fleet announced Thursday.
Initial test results show that it’s unlikely the letter contained anthrax.
No one opened the envelope. Instead, it was sealed by the Naval Criminal Investigative
Service and handed over to Italian officials for testing, as was clothing worn by the
sailors. The flagship La Salle is currently at its pier in Gaeta, Italy.
The sailors considered the letter suspicious because its return address appeared to
have been somehow crossed out and rewritten, and its destination address was handwritten.
The letter was postmarked from New Jersey.
"It didn’t look like something usually sent to our front office," said
Cmdr. Bob Ross, spokesman for the fleet. However, he said there is no evidence of a real
threat.
"We may find out that it was a perfectly legitimate letter."
No material, suspicious or otherwise, was found on the envelope.
Ross praised the sailors for noting the suspicious traits and not opening the letter.
"The important thing to note is, the sailors were doing their job."
The addressee, Adm. Gregory G. Johnson, had just left his post with 6th Fleet on
Tuesday. On Wednesday, he officially took command of U.S. Navy Europe and NATO’s
southern region.
During a ceremony in Naples, the threat of terrorism and the military’s call to
fight made up much of Johnson’s speech.
"All of us who care about freedom, democracy, human dignity, the rule of law and
the inalienable right to live in a world free of fear, must resolve that we will provide
the mutual support and protection required to defeat this evil enemy," Johnson said.
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