BILOXI, Miss. — Air Force physician John Buck will not serve prison time for disobeying a direct order to take an anthrax vaccine before being deployed overseas.
An 11-member panel of Keesler Air Force Base officers Tuesday sentenced Capt. Buck, 32, to 60 days of base restriction and fined him $21,000. He will also be reprimanded. The same panel convicted Buck Monday.
He had faced the possibility of five years in prison and dismissal from the Air Force.
Capt. Jim Winner, a prosecution spokesman, said $1,500 will be taken out of Buck's $3,656 monthly salary for 14 months starting in two weeks.
The reprimand will come in the form of a letter added to Buck's personnel file, Winner said.
During Tuesday's sentencing phase of the court-martial, prosecutors asked that Buck be dismissed. For an officer, that is the equivalent of a dishonorable discharge.
Prosecutors also requested Buck be fined $2,000 a month fine for six months and receive an official reprimand.
The defense did not request a sentence, but did ask that Buck not be sent to prison.
Buck said the vaccine could be dangerous.
The panel did not rule Monday on whether the vaccine was safe — only on whether Buck disobeyed an order. Buck's attorney, Frank Spinner, said he will appeal the ruling.
Buck said the vaccine could be dangerous. The military insists the vaccine is safe and the best weapon against biological attacks.