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As of Friday, the services have rescinded their vaccination orders as required by Congress.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Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin formally rescinded the order to receive the COVID-19 vaccine on Jan. 10 as directed by Congress in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed in December.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“What is the point if we rescinded the mandate?”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.
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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.
These are two separate and distinct matters.
The U.S. has been engaged in military campaigns all over the world for the entire duration of my lifetime — without a single declaration of war by Congress. We’re any orders issued to U.S. military personnel in Vietnam or Iraq or Afghanistan (for example) LAWFUL?
Getting an experimental EUA injection isn't a lawful order.
Comirnaty was the ONLY thing troops could ever be given.
Troops were given something OTHER THAN Comirnaty,
just like the rest of the world.
>>> “It’s very important that our service members go and follow orders when they are lawful,”
And there it is... the center of the tootsie pop...
Was this mandate really a lawful order???
The unvaccinated troops all deserve medals for NOT following an UNLAWFUL order!!!
In 2022-23, I’m thinking a dishonorable discharge from the U.S. military is comparable to a dishonorable discharge from NAMBLA.
Sounds like something Fidel Trudeau, supreme leader of Communist Canada would agree with.
Deep State isn’t just discharging able bodied.
It’s discharging able bodied capapable of critical thinking.
Deep State wants a military of myrmidons.
...capable...
The fastest way to discipline and removal was to formally say no thanks via an exemption. At least that was my understanding of some organizations. Exemptions were being blanket denied as soon as they were submitted. Was better to say that I am seeking medical and religious inputs in order to decide which exemption to take or to possibly take the Vax. Just delay until sanity returned.
Once again, they the pentagone and this administration are thumbing their noise at the legislature. If the legislature has any guts at all, and that I doubt, they will push back with malice.
“had an option to seek a medical or religious exemption to the vaxx mandate and couldn’t even be bothered”
What are you talking about? Do you have the DoD paperwork on this?
I can not believe that people think an option for exemption exists.
What are you talking about?
“What if they just didn’t want it because it was experimental and long-term effects weren’t known?”
That a good reason for not wanting it. There is no exception for it.
I cant believe people think it’s easy to sidestep that with som random excuse
“ people in the military are subservient by definition”
Not for you, but for anyone that might be following,”service” is not subservience
One example of how subservience is rampant in a greedy corporate world-
When I was in the military I did the same job I’m doing now, working for a corporation. Now I’m expected to work 12 hours a day or more, 5 days, to get my job done, the military would never have allowed that.
My apologies for not knowing the obscure reference.
I wonder how many old vets like me are dissuading men and women of military age from joining the military? I hope it's thousands.
My youngest son just turned 21, I don't have to worry about him...he's full MAGA, lol.
Stupid is as stupid does.
It wasn’t the first time this happened. I believe a similar scenario unfolded with anti-anthrax injections during the first Gulf War.
I think you’re right. Keep in mind that the Canadian military is basically a Girl Scout troop that wears blue UN peacekeeper helmets as its uniform.
In other words, there were two difficult options and some of these folks chose the wrong one — at least if their thought process was the same as what you said.
Maybe I’m missing something here.
No, maybe YOU are.
Read the article. The hearing described here specifically involves discharge orders for military personnel who didn’t apply for an exemption.
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