US Marines' Posthumous Fertility

Members of American Marines elite troops have started having their sperm frozen ahead of an expected deployment for possible war in Iraq, a newspaper reported yesterday. Doctors at the Fort Bragg military sperm bank told the Sunny-Herald newspaper that thousands of elite commandos had contacted them over the past two weeks after learning of their possible deployment to the Gulf. "It's a bit of insurance so that the option is there if they are incapacitated in some way while they are serving overseas," doctors said to the newspaper.

Marines are mostly concerned about possible effect of the antitank radioactive depleted uranium shells on their genetic material. As it is known from the former 1991 Desert Storm campaign, thousands of US veterans' children were born with malformations as aftereffects of radiation which occurred due to inhalation of DU particles on the Iraqi battlefield. The DU rounds are also blamed by veterans for contributing to Gulf war syndrome.

The American government is running this special sperm bank to ensure posthumous fertility for soldiers on regular military service and reserve duty.