Posted on 03/02/2023 8:43:58 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Enlisted leaders of the military branches told a House Appropriations subcommittee Tuesday that service members who were forced out of the military due to their refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine now have a process that can allow them to return.
The testimony came in a hearing of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies.
Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston testified that the Army’s guidance allowing the return of people to the service was published “in the past 24 hours.” The process is the same for anyone who has had a “break in service” and who wants to rejoin the military, he said.
Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne Bass echoed that, as did other top enlisted members testifying Tuesday. “There is a board process that we’re doing,” Bass said.
Committee member U.S. Rep. John Rutherford, R-Fla., noted the Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin rescinded the military mandate to take the COVID-19 vaccine in January, at the direction of Congress in the most recent defense budget. More than 8,000 members of the military were discharged “solely for refusing the vaccine,” Rutherford said, while others were not able to deploy to assignments or saw other career impacts.
“I talk to many of these individuals back home. In Jacksonville, Northeast Florida, we have a very large military population,” Rutherford said. “One of the things I keep hearing is they want to come back.”
He added, “I understand if they want to come back, there’s going to be a process.”
The Air Force will reverse disciplinary or “adverse” actions taken against members who had requested an exemption from the mandate to get the COVID-19 vaccine for religious reasons, the service said Friday.
All military services have until March 17 to rescind their COVID-19 vaccination policies, according to a Pentagon memo released last week.
However, also Tuesday, Gilbert Cisneros Jr., undersecretary of defense for personnel, told the House Armed Services personnel subcommittee that some service members who disobeyed the lawful order to get the vaccine — and did not seek any type of exemption — were still going through the review process, according to an Associated Press account of that testimony.
“In order to maintain good order and discipline, it’s very important that our service members go and follow orders when they are lawful,” said Cisneros, adding that military services were going through each case to evaluate what should be done.
Cisneros and top officials from the Army, Navy and Air Force told the subcommittee that in some cases troops may have committed other misconduct in addition to the vaccine refusal, so each case was being reviewed, the AP reported.
“What’s the point?” said Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., the subcommittee chairman. “We rescinded the mandate — what’s the point of continuing to review the cases?”
The Air Force will remove “adverse information” from records of service members who sought an exemption on religious, administrative, or medical grounds and who had those actions taken against them “solely due to their refusal to take the vaccine,” the service said last week.
Service members do not need to initiate any actions for their records to be updated, the Air Force said Friday.
Boy, are our military leaders screwed up. Thank God we have some good men and women still willing to protect us.
I wouldn’t come back to a service that kicked me out for political expediency.
“Break in service?”
Right. No full reinstatement and lost pay, it seems.
Seriously? How many of these peeps would return under those conditions?
Why bother. Who wants to serve Brandon?
There’s no way I’d go back in under these woke POSs....no fricken way.
Some may be returning just for the guaranteed employment vs going through the gauntlet and phony rituals of civilian interviewing.
Even then, those who do return won’t forget how easy it was for the government to quickly discard them like some defective dishrag.
Some bitterness will remain. Some degree of hesitation to give it your all may remain.
Sort of like returning to a bad marriage, where, for a while you seemed to have lost everything you worked for.
Jobs seem to be a dime a dozen.
I’d tell them thanks but pound sand.
Bullcrap, they may have been 'lawful', but they were wrong!
I think that ship has sailed and it will take years to repair the trust of the Americans of fighting age and spirit.
Military ping
I hope Trump has the insight to offer all military men and women full back pay for being treated so lousy for not taking an experimental vaccine if they come back to the services-
[[Even then, those who do return won’t forget how easy it was for the government to quickly discard them like some defective dishrag.
Some bitterness will remain.]]
Absolutely! Stinkin shame what the military did to them-
[[Sort of like returning to a bad marriage]]
That about sums it up perfectly
How about adding “adverse actions” to the records of those that refused exemption requests? That would clear out a nice echelon of future weasel generals.
Every officer involved with directing the Pfascist mandate needs to stand trial at Nuremberg II. "Just following orders" didn't work at Nuremberg I and it won't work at Nuremberg II.
Trying to go back on active duty after a break in service usually means coming back at at least one rank lower than you left and sometimes two grade levels.
Awesome... recruiting falls flat, war could pop with Russia or China, trannies and homos run everything, incompetence is rampant...
and suddenly, there is a pathway where you can return?
SMH
If I was booted because I refused the jab; there would be zero chance of me return just to get screwed over when the next big scare comes up. The leadership will also know who you are and will 100% always look poorly towards you. You will always be overlooked for promotions.
Yeah. Sign back up guys. Lextenant, Champaign Bubbles (zhir /Zhar pronound) can’t wait to have you back in Zhir’s army.
Ah, but do they get back pay and seniority?
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