Kevin departed Frankfurt, West Germany, on the 14th of November, 1978, it was his twentieth birthday. He, and a plane load of soldiers, cheered as the ground dropped quickly out of view and faded into "all but a memory". The huge plane rapidly climbed and soon broke through the scattered clouds and into a full-bright sunshine! From the front cabin of the plane came the pilot's voice pleading with all to "calm down". The raucous jubilance was affecting his piloting. The soldiers were all finally on on their way back home - to the USA!. No one knew anyone, but there was plenty of laughing, dancing and sincere hugging once the "Fasten Your Seat belt" sign was flipped off. Many had spent three very hard and lonely years away from America, their hometowns, and more importantly, their sweethearts. One-half of the soldiers in that 747 airplane were bringing home more than, "old war stories". They were carrying a deadly virus back to the states in their blood. Back to their sweethearts. Back to their families and communities. Back to the military- from whence it came. If only "Customs" had been looking for a virus, along with bombs, and drugs, this story might never had been written.

Mark, Toni and their new baby, Stephanie, had returned to Central Michigan just months earlier. Mark was
fortunate that he could leave earlier than the rest of the unit members, because he was married and was now
moving a family. He returned "Stateside" to Fort Knox, Kentucky and out processed from the Army. They
returned to civilian life for a while and found a great offer from the Air Force. Mark could return with the rank
that he left the US Army as, a Corporal ready for promotion to Sergeant. He eventually ended up running a
Medical Treatment Clinic on an Air Force Base. But then Mark, and family, years later ended up back in Central Michigan with another daughter, Erica. Mark had been ill in the Air Force, but no doctor could find the cause of his symptoms! He returned to college and, with the loving support of his family, Mark graduated with a B.S in Chemistry. For the last ten years Mark has worked in research and development as a Chemist for a major U.S. Chemical firm, that works closely with the U.S. Government.

As the soldiers, unknowingly smuggled the virus out of the country, little did they realize that the virus had
already circled the planet. It had been around for almost 40 years already and was now taking hold in Kevin's
body. The HBV had begun to integrate itself into his liver cell DNA. This would take from a year to 18 months
to complete. Once completed the virus would be gone from the liver cell cytoplasm, and the resulting
inflammation would subside. The body would only show antibodies and not the virus, anymore. The term used
is "sero-conversion". Your serum no longer shows the virus, only the "footprints" of the virus. Most common
lab tests look for these footprints also called "antibodies".

The plane route from Europe flies over Kevin's home, on Long Island, New York and continues to McGuire Air
Force Base next to Fort Dix, New Jersey. Kevin had come full circle. As they departed the Air Base and entered Fort Dix, the soldiers were taken to the same "Reception Center" that many had come to on that first night in the Army. The building no longer looked as big as it did just 3 years earlier. The Army gave all an exit physical and within two days Kevin was heading home on the New Jersey Turnpike with mom and dad.

The body produces antibodies to attack the HBV virus. Antibodies are produced against both, the "core DNA"
of the virus, and the envelopes that the core is inserted in. For HBV, there are two spherical (circular)
envelopes made of lipo-proteins that are like one envelope slid inside the other one. Once the virus is in the
body it is routed through the liver, like everything else you ingest.

The HBV loves liver cells, just like the Adenovirus did. When it gets to the cell it slips through the liver cell membrane wall. There are holes in the wall that allow this. Once inside the cell, the body begins to respond with an immune response. The cell "puffs" up with fluid that acts as a median to transport materials around the cell. The protein envelopes are opened and the core is freed. The envelopes become garbage in the cell, and if enough garbage accumulates rapidly the liver cell will die. The core finds its way to the wall of the nucleus within the liver cell (hepatocyte), and tries to get in.

Kevin went to college for seven years and continued in the Army Reserves. He was a full-time student and part-time Sergeant. In 1985 he receives a Direct Commission from the Army and takes the "stripes"off, and puts on the "bars". His health is good but, five years out of Germany, he begins to feel tired. This he contributes to long hours as a student. For the next 5 years a plethora (group) of very minor symptoms begins to appear. He has a chronic cough and persistent, continuing, sinus problem. This he attributes to possible allergies. Nose surgery helps him breath normally for another 10 years, but slowly the membranes swell and start to close the airways. By 10 years out of Germany Kevin begins to show signs of what we know now as HCV. It is 1988 and HCV will be "discovered" in two months.

The body creates antigens against any foreign body, be it an envelope or a "zipper" of core DNA. When the
HBV virus gets to the nucleus wall it begins to unzip with a chemical from its own making - protease, and also
helicase. If you can prohibit these from working, the zipper would never open. Hence - "protease inhibitors"
or that which stops the DNA from unwinding and unzippering. Think of DNA like a "twisted zipper". That is how
the body stores the "blue prints" of creation. To think of replication, or DNA reproduction, think about the
zipper being totally or partly "unzipped". Protease and helicase also get inside the nucleus of the hepatocyte
and start to unwind the cell's DNA- in preparation for insertion of itself into you!

By fifteen years from infection, Kevin's body was fighting hard to defend itself against the changing virus. His
finger tips started to feel less sensitive. His sleeping patterns became disturbed and his fluid retention began. He could eat any food and never gain a pound. But he also could drink a gallon and not have to pee. Kevin married  in 1990, and instantly had three little girls, ages 7, 9 and 10. Over the next 5 years (years 15-20) the children would note that Kevin always had some little ache or pain. He was still climbing mountains but, also starting to strain some minor joints. His nosebleeds increased and his cough continued. He was given physicals by the military every 4 years, but in 1993 his military unit closed and Kevin's military career was relegated to a computer in St. Louis, Missouri.

By 1996 Kevin was beginning to be in constant pain. First it was the hands and elbows, then the feet and
ankles. The neck remained sore and the urinating at night increased in frequency. The "colds" seemed to never leave his body. He always had "flu like" symptoms now, and the children would tease him about this. The virus shows itself in the body by producing "Flu-like" symptoms. For another year Kevin fought depression, a limiting of his physical abilities, and chronic minor pain. "What is wrong with Me?", he would often think. He was only 38 years old and felt, already, like he was 58. Over the next year his body aged 10 years physically. His lungs began to scar and his weight began to drop. Still, he had no idea that a virus stemming from political aspirations, a century earlier, was gnawing and slowly killing liver cells. Kevin was 20 years from Germany, his good friend Mark and the initial HBV infection. In healthy adults the chances of us both defeating the virus, for good, was around 85%. Mark and Kevin lost! They, along with a third soldier, had HBV in Germany. All three went home and worked in the medical field. All three developed HCV years later. Why?

When Kevin and the other soldiers were cheering loudly in the plane, the HBV was knocking on the door of his liver's cell nucleus. The initial inflammation to the virus in the cell had subsided and the liver enzymes had returned to normal. There was no treatment for viral hepatitis in 1978. In order to protect many from getting HBV, the Army was beginning to give Gamma Globulin shots as a preventive measure. Too late for Mark and Kevin though. They never got the shots.

Gamma Globulin is one of three major Globulins that the liver cell produces in order to fight viral infections
in the body. The other two globulins, Alpha and Beta, act as mainly transport molecules within the body. As
opposed to "gamma", which is essential to the establishment of immunity in the body. Nearly all antibodies
are gamma globulin molecules. It makes sense now why "Gamma" was being used as a preventive measure
in the treatment of HBV in the military. Remember this is a virus that the military knows and understands. The
virus had been following the US troops for decades now. If only Mark and Kevin had been treated with Gamma Globulin. Things would be different today.

The American Century was coming to an end soon, and so was the public shrouding concerning HCV.