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‘What Is The Point?’: Pentagon Mulling Discharges For Unvaccinated Troops Who Didn’t Seek Exemptions
Daily Caller News Foundation. ^ | February 28, 2023 | Micaela Burrow

Posted on 03/04/2023 4:10:52 AM PST by george76

The Department of Defense (DOD) is mulling moving forward with discharges for some servicemembers who did not seek exemptions to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, according to a Feb. 24 letter from the Office of the Secretary of Defense viewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

As of Friday, the services have rescinded their vaccination orders as required by Congress.

“It’s very important that our service members go and follow orders when they are lawful,” Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Gilbert Cisneros told Republican Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana Tuesday.

The military is considering discharging servicemembers who did not seek a medical or religious exemption to the COVID-19 vaccine and received adverse actions to their military records, according to a letter to Republican Reps. Jim Banks of Indiana and Mike Rogers of Alabama viewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation and testimony provided to Congress on Tuesday.

Although the military services have rolled back their COVID-19 vaccine requirements and halted discharges of unvaccinated members after Congress legislated the end of the department-wide mandate, the Department of Defense is mulling moving forward with separations if members did not seek religious or medical exemptions, according to a Feb. 24 letter from the Office of the Secretary of Defense viewed by the DCNF. When pressed for an explanation at a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee Tuesday, service leaders said vaccine refusal cases are still being dealt with on an individual basis.

“Appropriate officials within the military services continue to review cases on an individual basis to determine appropriate action for service members who did not submit an exemption or accommodation request, remained unvaccinated, and refused a lawful order to take the vaccine,” the letter said

...

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin formally rescinded the order to receive the COVID-19 vaccine on Jan. 10 as directed by Congress in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed in December. In the weeks following, each military service branch has formulated guidance echoing the rescission.

“It’s very important that our service members go and follow orders when they are lawful,” Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Gilbert Cisneros said in response to a question from Banks questioning the reasoning behind continued review.

“What is the point if we rescinded the mandate?” Banks asked.

“The situation that you just described it was members who refused the vaccine, disobeyed a lawful order,” Cisneros continued. “Services are going through a process to look at that and evaluate what needs to be done in those situations.”

He said several thousand members did not seek any accommodations.

Roughly 8,400 members were discharged, but in 2022 several legal cases blocked the services from issuing discharges to the remainder of unvaccinated servicemembers, and the Army voluntarily paused discharges.

...

Soldiers, sailors and airmen who have already been discharged have the opportunity to petition their service branch to change the characterization of their discharge to honorable, according to guidance issued by each service.

However, those who bucked orders to receive the vaccine and did not seek medical or religious accommodations could have violations of the military justice code and other disciplinary consequences ingrained on their records, Under Secretary of the Army Gabe Camarillo said. Those violations would in normal circumstances lead to discharge, he explained.

Representatives from the Navy and Air Force echoed Camarillo’s explanation.

“Aggravating factors” beyond sole refusal to receive the vaccine will not be able to scrub their files of all adverse actions, Under Secretary of the Air Force Gina Ortiz-Jones said.

...

In a letter to DOD from earlier in February, Banks and Rogers asked the department to provide clarity on each service’s process for removing the vaccine mandate and reintegrating unvaccinated members into the force. They asked whether the rescission memos implied that only members who submitted accommodation requests are exempt from the vaccine in the future.

“No Service members currently serving will be separated based solely on their refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccination, if they sought an accommodation based on religious, administrative, or medical grounds,” the Friday response said.

“The department has complied with the NDAA requirements,” Cisneros said in his opening statements. He reiterated that no vaccination requirement exists for new military accessions — enlisted, officers, cadets and other programs — or retention.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: eua; euainjection; experimental; experimentaleua; injection; mandate; mandates; order; orders; unlawful; unlawfulorder; vaccine; vaccinemandate; vaccinemandates; vaccines; vax; vaxx; vaxxes
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1 posted on 03/04/2023 4:10:52 AM PST by george76
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To: george76

BUT if there is equity, if 40% of the population is UNVAXXED shouldn’t the military hold that same standard?


2 posted on 03/04/2023 4:12:30 AM PST by rovenstinez ( )
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To: george76

They should make public, the stats regarding pre-vax and post vax mandate, “died suddenly”.


3 posted on 03/04/2023 4:14:00 AM PST by Fireone (The only reason our elections are complicated is because the cheaters want it that way.)
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To: george76

I’m not sure why this is even a story. If these military personnel had an option to seek a medical or religious exemption to the vaxx mandate and couldn’t even be bothered to take that minimal step, then what’s the point of standing up for them now? These people were either dumber than rocks, too lazy to bother, or didn’t want to be in the military anyway.


4 posted on 03/04/2023 4:46:22 AM PST by Alberta's Child
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To: Alberta's Child
"I’m not sure why this is even a story. If these military personnel had an option to seek a medical or religious exemption to the vaxx mandate and couldn’t even be bothered to take that minimal step, then what’s the point of standing up for them now? These people were either dumber than rocks, too lazy to bother, or didn’t want to be in the military anyway."

How subservient and Canadian of you.

5 posted on 03/04/2023 4:51:10 AM PST by wildcard_redneck (Biden will mess up the Ukraine worse than Afghanistan.)
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To: Alberta's Child
What if they just didn't want it because it was experimental and long-term effects weren't known?

There wasn't an exemption for that.

6 posted on 03/04/2023 4:53:55 AM PST by Repeat Offender (While the wicked stand confounded, call me with Thy saints surrounded.)
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To: george76

How many religious exemptions were requested and approved?


7 posted on 03/04/2023 5:04:37 AM PST by silverleaf (It’s not propaganda just because you disagree with it. )
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To: george76

Discharging the able-bodied makes perfect sense in an administration that wants to render the military as combat UNready as possible. Would anyone want to stay in an organization that makes them feel as unwanted as this administration?


8 posted on 03/04/2023 5:10:16 AM PST by iontheball
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To: wildcard_redneck
If I was a Canadian you might have a point.

Apparently you don’t even realize that people in the military are subservient by definition. I’m so NOT subservient that I wouldn’t have joined the military regardless of its stance on those stupid vaccines.

9 posted on 03/04/2023 5:12:08 AM PST by Alberta's Child
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To: Repeat Offender

You could make a religious exemption request out of that without any trouble at all.


10 posted on 03/04/2023 5:13:34 AM PST by Alberta's Child
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To: Alberta's Child
I’m not sure why this is even a story. If these military personnel had an option to seek a medical or religious exemption to the vaxx mandate and couldn’t even be bothered to take that minimal step, then what’s the point of standing up for them now? These people were either dumber than rocks, too lazy to bother, or didn’t want to be in the military anyway.

As a purely legal maneuver, I think it would be advisable to reach for all options available before facing discharge (or unemployment). (I think any good lawyer would advise the same.)

But as a matter of principle, any resistance to these shots should not be dismissed lightly; we simply don't know the intent of those involved.

(The instructions to take these shots were simply unlawful orders, and should have been disobeyed for that reason alone.)

11 posted on 03/04/2023 5:14:54 AM PST by Captain Walker (Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction.-Pascal)
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To: Captain Walker
But as a matter of principle, any resistance to these shots should not be dismissed lightly; we simply don't know the intent of those involved.

If their opposition was based on principle then I’d support them 100%.

The issue here is: If that’s the case, then why the hell would they want to get back into the military?

12 posted on 03/04/2023 5:19:26 AM PST by Alberta's Child
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To: Alberta's Child
"If I was a Canadian you might have a point.
Apparently you don’t even realize that people in the military are subservient by definition. I’m so NOT subservient that I wouldn’t have joined the military regardless of its stance on those stupid vaccines."

So I am to guess then that your mother was named Alberta and that you do not hail from the canuck province of Alberta?

According to you the military is supposed to be absolutely subservient no matter what the orders from government so you would be perfectly fine with not prosecuting soldiers who shoot American citizens on government orders?

13 posted on 03/04/2023 5:21:56 AM PST by wildcard_redneck (Biden will mess up the Ukraine worse than Afghanistan.)
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To: silverleaf; Alberta's Child
"How many religious exemptions were requested and approved?"

From what I have read, none.

14 posted on 03/04/2023 5:23:28 AM PST by wildcard_redneck (Biden will mess up the Ukraine worse than Afghanistan.)
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To: Alberta's Child

“Apparently you don’t even realize that people in the military are subservient by definition.”

Not according to their oath. They are not required to obey unlawful orders.


15 posted on 03/04/2023 5:25:57 AM PST by odawg
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To: Captain Walker

I have the disturbing suspicion that purging the armed forces of anyone who would refuse an illegal order is exactly the point of this policy


16 posted on 03/04/2023 5:29:14 AM PST by Cowman
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To: Captain Walker

“unlawful orders, “

Not FDA approved, can’t be required.
An EUA is NOT a legally compelling authority for mandatory participation in a human experiment.


17 posted on 03/04/2023 5:29:18 AM PST by Macoozie (Handcuffs and Orange Jumpsuits)
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To: Alberta's Child

Wow! That’s a scary attitude you have about knuckling under to gubmint totalitarianism. If I’m a ground troop I’d take the opportunity to get the hell out before being thrown into the Uke meat grinder. I don’t think they need to worry. I’m sure the warmongering brainiacs in the Pentagon are wondering where they will find cannon fodder to send to vinyl pants now. Of course, the plan might envision bringing back the draft since the world war we are being blundered into will be a two front one again. With any kind of luck those kids smart enough to avoid the vaxx might be able to parlay that into a deferment.


18 posted on 03/04/2023 5:31:22 AM PST by hardspunned (Former DC GOP globalist stooge)
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To: Cowman
I have the disturbing suspicion that purging the armed forces of anyone who would refuse an illegal order is exactly the point of this policy

If it's not the intent, it appears to be the biggest side effect.

19 posted on 03/04/2023 5:36:52 AM PST by Captain Walker (Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction.-Pascal)
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To: wildcard_redneck

“Alberta’s Child” is the name of a song, dude.


20 posted on 03/04/2023 5:38:27 AM PST by Alberta's Child
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