In August, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin released a memo stating a mandatory vaccination against COVID-19 was necessary to keep “a healthy and ready force.” The Pfizer-BioNTech version of the COVID-19 vaccination was officially approved by the FDA, while it was previously under emergency-use authorization. With this change to official approval, the Department of Defense moved toward requiring vaccination. The Moderna and Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccinations are still under emergency-use authorization and are therefore not included.
There is a long history of required vaccinations within the military. Vaccinations for Small Pox and Anthrax are required for deployment and readiness. According to AP News, the Navy and the Marine Corps stated they had zero religious exemption requests for other vaccines in recent years while the Air Force reported there were a few, and the Army did not have any data to share. When the COVID-19 vaccination approval was first announced, the vaccination was offered to military members, but not initially required.
On August 31, Vice Admiral W. R Merz, the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, Plans and Strategy released NAVADMIN 190/21 which mandated that all Navy service members must be vaccinated for the COVID-19 vaccination. All Navy personnel must be vaccinated by November 28th, 2021 and reservists must be vaccinated by December 28, 2021. A message from Marine Corps Commandant General Berger stated that “All non-exempt active component personnel will achieve full vaccination no later than 90 days from the date of ALNAV 062/21, and all non-exempt reserve component personnel will achieve full vaccination no later than 120 days from the date. Vaccination could occur on installation or off, proof just needs to be provided to the active or reserve command for appropriate documentation. Exemptions for medical or administrative reasons can be requested through the Navy personnel or Marines command. Among the Marine Corps, a permanent medical exemption can be approved by the first O-5 or O-6 command surgeon in the member’s chain of command after the recommendation by a licensed healthcare provider working for the Department of Defense. Anyone who is not exempt who refuses the vaccination by the deadline will face adverse administrative action.
The Army released its plan for implementing the mandatory vaccination on September 14, 2021, stating that all active-duty units are expected to be vaccinated by December 15, 2021, and Reserve and National Guard units are expected to be vaccinated by June 30, 2022. Furthermore, it stated that soldiers who refused the vaccine would be counseled through the chain of command and medical providers and that failure to comply could lead to administrative or non-judicial punishment. Soldiers would have the ability to request an exemption through medical, religious or administrative reasons as outlined by Army Regulation (AR) 600-20 and AR 40-562. While pending a request, no punitive actions would be given.
The Air Force released their COVID-19 implementation plan on September 03, 2021. It stated that all active-duty service members without an exemption are required to be fully vaccinated by November 2nd and Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve personnel are required to be fully vaccinated by December 2nd, 2021. Service members can apply for medical or administrative exemption through AFI 48-119_IP and for religious accommodation through DAFI 52-201. Any refusal of the vaccination could lead to punitive actions.
New joins or recruits are required to have vaccination as well. The Navy stated that “new accessions will be fully vaccinated as soon as practicable following service entry” per a Navy message. The Marine Corps stated that “Marines in recruit training will be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccination.”
All across the board – every service member is required to get the COVID-19 vaccination. Even if the service member had a COVID-19 infection previously, vaccination is required. Any refusal of the vaccination without an exemption is punishable by the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).
Per a Pentagon briefing on August 25th, the current percent of service members who were fully vaccinated for each service was the following: Navy and Marine Corps: 73%, Air Force and Space Force 57%, Army: 40%.
When I went into the Air Force in 1970 we did not have a choice. We were given every thing including typhoid, yellow fever and more. We did not have a choice. We took them and went about business. In my opinion I think the military of today is soft. “Time for your Covid vaccine ….oh you don’t want it well that’s OK, dear. You can move on”. Yup, soft.
This is not a “vaccination”! It is an inoculation, at best. Those that get jabbed can still get the virus and still infect others! True vaccines do not allow for that! Our military should not be required to get this without many years of testing, just like ALL other real vaccinations have to complete.
I’m not in the military and thankfully my husband is retired from it. I think you’ll be losing lots of military members because this particular jab is really against many persons individual faith relationship at this time with their God. Fine if you don’t believe in God and you want the jab get it, but not all jabs are the same, some see this particular jab in an alignment with a prophecy in the Holy Bible. I think it is stupid to make people get a jab for a virus where the jab hasn’t been proven to prevent the person from getting the virus, transmitting the virus or dying from the virus. I also think the virus manufacturers the the military should be financially accountable and responsible to all the service members who end up with heart inflammation or other medical damages to their bodies from any of these jabs, and to there families for life if they die from having to have to take a jab that wasn’t studied for the long haul before being forced on the masses. This is from a former nurse. Not all jabs are created equal in my opinion and I know of some very fine Doctor’s that feel the same way that are being silenced. I know nurses and Doctor’s who are leaving the field because of this nonsense. Should be your body your choice, but I guess that only rings good for this administration if you’re killing a baby inside of you.
Sorry for the grammar mistakes above, but upset about all these stupid mandates.
Totally agree with you! So glad husband is retired! We had Covid he is 73 and I am 68 and both survived taking natural supplements. Getting sunshine and walking and resting. We have natural immunity much better than a shot! If you have had Covid you should not have to take the shot. It is not working anyway now you have to have 3 pretty soon it will be 4! There should be a religious exemption as well. If the shot works no one has to work about those that don’t take it.
The problem I have…Executive Order issued by Biden, federal vaccine mandate, does not apply to, illegal immigrants, members of Congress, U.S. Postal Service employees and several other groups. Yet, American citizens are chastised and careers ruined. WHY??? Just to meet a quota he set and cannot meet, therefore punish those that do not bow down and conform. Biden, Fauci, Pelosi stated they could not force people and it was unconstitutional in doing so. Biden cannot let unvaccinated Illegals go around the United States and Americans not push back.
What part my comment wasn’t true, For you not to post it…
I am a retired US Air Force Chief Master Sergeant (E-9) with over 30-years on active duty. I have had pretty much every shot or inoculation the military prescribed (or rather Ordered…); not every shot, but enough to offer some advice as I gaze at the second copy my Shot Record because the first one is filled…
What has become of the Greatest Military Force in the World? Are we a bunch of pantywaist wusses? I’m not so sure anymore. Oh, it’s against your “religion” or your “personal convictions…” I understand amd accept that there are those who really have a real reason to not receive the vaccine. But I’ll lay even money that the vast majority who are professing this would not stop for a second to agree to receive “Heroic Measures” (blood transfusion, medication, organ transplant, etc…) if they were involved in an auto accident…
When I joined the Air Force back in 1971, I like every other man, woman, and “whatever you call yourself today…” raised our right hand and took the Oath of Enlistment or Oath of Office (Officers); that we would obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over us, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
That means that if you are ordered to charge up that hill, in the face of an enemy’s blazing machine gun, you will charge up that hill. When you said those words and swore or affirmed that you take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; you agreed to the “Unlimited Lability Clause.”
Simply put, the Unlimited Lability Clause means that you may have to give your life for your country.
During the Afghanistan war, over 800,000 service members served in Afghanistan. There were 2,401 military deaths and almost 21,000 wounded. If you do the math, each service member had a 3% chance of being killed or wounded while serving in Afghanistan.
There have been over 400,000,000 doses administered to almost 200,000,000 Americans with 9,143 reports of death among people who received a COVID-19 vaccine. Again, doing the math, you have 0.0000455% of dying from the vaccine.
Now, let’s put that percentage into perspective. If you served in Afghanistan, for every 100-service members, three would be killed or wounded.
For every 21,978 recipients who receive the vaccine, one person might die.
There have already been 740,000 deaths from the complications of Covid-19 and this does not count the “walking wounded” who recovered; those who continue to suffer lingering effects, such as: memory loss, reduced attention and an inability to think straight (and 20% to 25% of the survivors report some lingering symptoms…)
Do you really want someone suffering from these symptoms next to you in the trench?
So, back to the point of all this, charge up the hill against a hail of machine gun bullets, or pull up your sleeve, get the shot, and probably save your life.
Just saying…
I am a retired US Air Force Chief Master Sergeant (E-9) with over 30-years on active duty. I have in the past 70 odd years, but I guess I ain’t seen it all…
In light of recent news concerning so many service members refusing the get vaccinated I have had a chance to rethink my position on getting the vaccine (see my previous posting on this subject…). Oh, I received my two shots and I await my opportunity to receive the booster, but I still expect our military to perform their duty and that means do everything to maintain readiness (yeah, that means not getting sick…).
But what I find absolutely inexcusable is our government’s demand that the military get the vaccine or else. “Else” you ask, punishment ranging from loss of security clearance, duty restrictions, non-judicial punishment (loss of pay and/or rank), up to and including discharge from the service.
How can the government take such harsh and adverse action against the service members who have taken the oath to protect this country with life and limb, and then they allow all manner of illegal immigrant into the country with “open arms” without so much as any medical check of their health, let alone a security check for criminal record.
These “poor souls” who have illegally entered our country are being bussed, trained, and flown on planes in the dark of night all over our country.
Talk about a Super Spreader… The following article “Illegal Immigration and the Threat of Infectious Disease” speaks to the truth of letting these undocumented people into our county without any sort of quarantine.
https://sma.org/illegal-immigration-and-the-threat-of-infectious-disease/
So, I’ll give our service members a pass for refusing the vaccine, but I would highly encourage them to get the shot, they are sure to come in contact with these folk soon enough when the outbreaks start to occur and the military is called out because the civilian sector cannot handle it…
Just saying…