Admiral Mullen Decides Not to 'Die' in the Amazon

By Andrew Burt, Washington Whispers

It was a very important trip for Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, when he traveled earlier this month through South America. During his trip through several countries (detailed on his Webpage titled Travels With Mullen), he talked about boosting U.S. ties in the region. But his trip had some lighter moments, too, like when he met a jaguar and munched on grubs. And when he toured the Amazon and faced some bloodsucking bugs (mosquitoes) that could carry malaria. "I went to Manaus and spent a day in the Amazon," Mullen says in a reference to Brazil's Amazon state and the largest city in the north. "I was handed this tube of special [bug-repellent] gel for the Army, and as we went out there they said please rub this on you every day or you may die. So I rubbed it all over."

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