Nineteen hundred and three soldiers were discharged from the Army for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine and were not given an exemption. Those soldiers were discharged for “disobeying a lawful order,” as the order required all military personnel to get COVID-19 vaccinations unless exemptions were made. The exemptions included religious, administrative, and medical. Congress passed the NDAA in 2022 and repealed the mandatory COVID vaccination mandate. That meant anyone could refuse the COVID-19 vaccination, with or without an exemption. That didn’t help those who were already separated from service.
Army spokesman Bryce Dube stated in a NY Post article, “As part of the overall COVID mandate rescission process mandated by Congress, the Army this month mailed the letters to approximately 1,900 individuals who had previously been separated.” Within the letter, the soldiers were invited to return to an Army recruitment office to reapply for service. In addition, the letter provided information on how the soldier could have the previous discharge record corrected.
When the military members refused the vaccine and were classified as “disobeying the lawful order,” they were discharged with other than honorable or general discharge. These discharge classifications would not allow the use of benefits like the GI Bill if earned. The GI Bill benefit providing financial educational assistance is often a benefit that those who join for four years have specifically joined for. For those not wanting to return to service, the letter reminded discharged soldiers that they could have their records corrected. Per the Army Review Boards Agency, a correction can be made to records when the discharge was “an error or unjust.” Furthermore, “If the former Soldier can provide evidence that their discharge character or reason for discharge issued in the last 15 years is erroneous or unjust, the former Soldier can apply to the Army Discharge Review Board for a discharge review and request that their RE code be changed according to the correct reason for discharge.”
The letter is not a surprising move. By September 2023, the Army only brought in 55,000 new recruits – short of their 65,000-recruit goal for fiscal year 2023. While there are not 10,000 vaccine refusers, returning discharged soldiers may undoubtedly change the appeal of serving in the Army. In 2022, the Army’s recruitment goal included 60,000 recruits, bringing in 45,000. Per US Army Recruiting Command, the Army recruited 57,606 recruits, meeting its goal of 57,500. Per the Associated Press, 19 soldiers have returned to service in the Army of the 1900 sent letters, and the Army is expecting more to return. Despite COVID-19 vaccination changes, recruiting challenges remain for the all-volunteer military force, with 50% of youth knowing little to nothing about military service and a declining veteran population with only 1% of the American population serving. For the Army, almost 80% of those who join have a family member who served in military service, so the declining veteran population impacts their new recruits.
Time will tell what the impact of rescinding the COVID mandate for Army recruitment will have. In the meantime, the Army continues to address recruitment challenges with its rebranding and increase in recruitment efforts.
