The Army, facing the most dire military recruiting crisis since the end of the draft more than 50 years ago, is reaching out to former soldiers who were discharged for refusing an order to get the COVID-19 vaccine at the height of the pandemic.
The Army forced out more than 1,900 soldiers as a result of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s August 2021 mandate that required the vaccine for all uniformed and civilian personnel.
The mandate sparked an angry, long-running battle with mostly conservative lawmakers on Capitol Hill, who eventually forced the Pentagon to rescind the order.
Service chiefs defended the mandate as a readiness issue. They cited canceled Navy deployments and unit depletion in the early months of the virus.
The Army, which missed its recruiting goals by about 15,000 soldiers in 2022 and 10,000 in 2023, is openly soliciting the ex-GIs with an offer to wipe the slate clean and return to active duty.
“As a result of the rescission of all current COVID-19 vaccination requirements, former soldiers who were involuntarily separated for their refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccination may request a correction of their military records,” according to a Nov. 1 letter from Brig. Gen. Hope Rampy, the Army’s director of personnel management.
The letter also tells the former soldiers that rejoining the force is an option.
“Individuals who desire to apply to return to service should contact their local Army, U.S. Army Reserve, or Army National Guard recruiter for more information,” Gen. Rampy wrote.
Mr. Austin’s January memo rescinding the policy said no service member would be separated solely based on their refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccination if they sought an exemption on religious, administrative or medical grounds.
“The Secretaries of the Military Departments will further cease any ongoing review of current service member religious, administrative, or medical accommodation requests solely for exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine or appeals of denials of such requests,” the defense secretary wrote.
More than 8,000 soldiers, sailors and other military personnel were discharged for refusing the COVID vaccine. On Tuesday, a Pentagon spokeswoman said she was unaware of the Army letter and did not know whether other military services planned to reach out to those dismissed over the vaccine mandate.
The military news website Task & Purpose reported that the Army sent out letters to virtually all of the 1,903 active-duty soldiers mustered out in the COVID vaccine controversy. It’s not clear how many will take up the offer. CNN reported last month that just 43 of the more than 8,000 discharged personnel across all the services showed an interest in rejoining.
Congressional Republicans led the charge against Mr. Austin’s vaccine mandate. They repeatedly pressed Pentagon officials to give soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines the choice of opting out. Some lawmakers said the Army’s latest change of heart doesn’t go far enough.
“Maybe an apology and back pay would be appropriate as well, or even an admission that it was a really stupid and misguided policy,” Sen. Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Republican, said on social media. “Will [the Department of Defense] finally be transparent with the data on vaccine injuries?”
Added Rep. Bob Good, Virginia Republican and a leading member of the House’s conservative Freedom Caucus, “Our dedicated troops should never have been discharged for putting their personal health and safety ahead of an experimental COVID shot. They should be unconditionally reinstated and restored with full pay and benefits.”
In February 2022, the Army announced that it would begin discharging soldiers who refused to take the COVID vaccine. The far-reaching policy applied to full-time and reserve soldiers and even cadets training to become Army officers.
“Army readiness depends on soldiers who are prepared to train, deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars,” Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said at the time. “Unvaccinated soldiers present risk to the force and jeopardize readiness.”
After the Army rescinded the service’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement in February, Ms. Wormuth said she was “proud of the efforts” the Army had taken to respond to the pandemic.
Retired Army Maj. Chase Spears called the service’s latest move a positive step in addressing the immediate hostility toward those who questioned the wisdom of the COVID-19 mandate. He declined the vaccine until it became mandatory and said he noticed disapproval from senior Army officials over his decision to delay.
“Soldiers who rightly reserved the right to discern what to put into their bodies were drummed out in short order,” he said. “Those actions could be reversed as quickly if the Army wanted. It is an insult for Army officials to put the onus on them to request yearslong processes in order to right the Army’s wrongs.”
Mr. Spears said the Army should manage the reinstatement process for those wishing to return in an “expedited fashion.”
“Anything else is bureaucratic smoke and mirrors,” he said.
For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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