In this file photo from 2005, a woman advertised for an adult club in Pattaya, Thailand. Marines who had been serving then on humanitarian missions in Thailand had been briefed several times about the risks of contracting sexually transmitted diseases. (Jim Schulz / S&S)
In this file photo from 2005, a woman advertised for an adult club in Pattaya, Thailand. Marines who had been serving then on humanitarian missions in Thailand had been briefed several times about the risks of contracting sexually transmitted diseases. (Jim Schulz / S&S)
The streets of Pattaya at night. (Jim Schulz / S&S)
PATTAYA, Thailand — As part of the pre-deployment preparation for the current mission to Thailand, Navy Lt. Tara High, a doctor with the 7th Communication Battalion from Okinawa, talked to Marines in her unit about the health risks they could encounter.
She reminded them of water- and food-borne illnesses, diseases caused by insects, snakebites and sunburns.
And the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases.
The topic of STDs is part of the medical briefs for every deployment. But in Thailand, where many troops in the relief effort are based, prostitution and the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases — including HIV — are among the highest in the world.
“That’s definitely a concern in Thailand,” said High, senior medical officer at the Combined Support Group clinic at Utapao.
Pattaya, the town nearest the troops’ base, is known in particular for its sex tourism. Although Thailand made major efforts to cap a spiraling HIV rate in the past decade — particularly among prostitutes — the prevalence rate for adults in the nation is twice that of the United States and 15 times higher than Japan and South Korea, according to the CIA World Factbook.
Troops are reminded of those dangers in the pre-deployment briefings, medical briefings once they arrive and daily unit briefings.
“We talked about STDs. I showed them all the scary pictures (of the effects of STDs) you could give them,” High said. “It’s not a moral issue, it’s a readiness issue. I’d rather that they be protected.”
In Thailand, gonorrhea and chlamydia strains have developed that are more resistant to antibiotics than those in the States, High said.
She said she recommends abstinence but in its absence, she strongly encourages troops to practice safe sex.
Inside the medical clinic trailer, boxes of condoms are there for the taking.
“When the corpsmen are out and about they carry condoms in their pockets,” she said.
Chaplains also focus on the issue. Navy Lt. Michael Peyton, chaplain for the 7th Communications Battalion, followed up on High’s medical briefings.
“I let them know that abstinence works every time it’s tried,” he said.
He reminds troops they’re not likely to find their soul mates in a nightclub. It’s unfortunate, he adds, that many servicemembers don’t come to see him until it’s too late.
“I’ve already seen a guy dealing with guilt,” he said.
Besides the health risks and regret, in the future troops who solicit prostitution also could face legal consequences: The Pentagon is trying to make soliciting a prostitute a specific crime under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. If approved this year, the new charge would carry a one-year sentence and dishonorable discharge for anyone convicted of paying a prostitute for sex.
Crackdowns on prostitution establishments already are occurring in South Korea and Germany.
Military reports for years have detailed the high incidence of prostitution overseas and at most deployment locations, such as Thailand.
High says the issue also carries over to home. She discusses STDs as part of normal medical information for her battalion. She said the message may be sinking in.
“My Marines walk around and say ‘Hey ma’am, I’m STD-free.’”
