Last month, the Army sent a letter to thousands of soldiers who were discharged for refusing to comply with the COVID-19 shot mandate.
The letter states that, “as a result of the rescission of all current COVID-19 vaccination requirements, former soldiers who were involuntarily separated for refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccination may request a correction of their military records.”
It also states that, “individuals who desire to apply to return to service should contact their local… recruiter.”
A copy of the letter the U.S. Army sent to service members discharged for refusing the COVID shot.
A Destructive Policy the Army Is “Proud of”
The letter itself offers no actual policy change, but rather reiterates policies the Army issued back in March 2023. It does not describe any new process in place since then for soldiers to return, other than directing them to their local recruiter.
More importantly, there is no actual apology to these soldiers. In fact, it is quite the opposite. The Army, on its Human Resource Command website, states with regard to the new guidance that:
We remain proud of the Army’s response to the pandemic and will continue to encourage vaccination against the COVID-19 variants as the surest way to ensure readiness, protect our members and guarantee mission success.
This is absurd.
These policies that the Army “proud of” led them to kick out around 2,000 soldiers, mistreat many others, deny soldiers’ their First Amendment religious freedoms, coerce them to take what lawyers have argued was an experimental drug that potentially left many injured by the vaccine, ignore basic common sense, and threaten and often destroy the livelihoods of the soldiers who volunteered to defend this nation and the Constitution even with their lives.
Because of a massive recruiting crisis that is keeping the Army from substantially reaching its recruiting goals, Army leadership sent this letter to bring soldiers discharged for the vaccine mandate back into service as a small attempt to stop the bleeding. And just like many may have followed COVID policy for expediency in career progression, it is possible that this letter is a feigned attempt to “do something” about the recruiting fiasco.
So, where does this leave the Army and what effect will this letter have on bringing service members back, alleviating the recruiting crisis, fixing retention, and improving readiness?
Why This Letter Won’t Work
To understand why this letter is ineffectual requires one to understand just how difficult it was for service members who, for a variety of reasons, did not want to receive the COVID-19 shot. Department of Defense (DoD) leadership were so hell-bent on getting every service member fully vaxxed that they threatened and destroyed the livelihoods of thousands and used whatever methods at their disposal to force compliance.
The unvaccinated were often forced to wear masks while those vaccinated did not, were not allowed to use gyms during certain hours designated only for the vaccinated, and were subjected to weekly invasive COVID tests. These individuals were at times put in quarantine for extended periods and not allowed to leave their barracks or ships. In some training environments, unvaccinated soldiers were required to wear red wrist bands that said “unvaccinated” and red tape on their gear to indicate that they were somehow unclean.
These tactics and policies pitted service members against one another when it is vital that service members have each other’s backs in times of war.
And even if your own unit didn’t participate in these shenanigans, policies from the DoD made it extremely difficult for the unvaccinated to progress in their careers. Those with a pending religious exemption could not deploy, travel for work or to career enhancing schools, or move from one base to another without permission from the undersecretary of the Army and only then when such travel was deemed “mission critical.” These policies seemed crafted to punish the unvaccinated.
The U.S. Army building in For Knox, Kentucky, where the COVID-19 vaccinations are administered to soldiers on September 9, 2021. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)
A poster showing the history of Fort Knox is seen behind a soldier filling out his COVID-19 vaccine registration forms on September 9, 2021 in Fort Knox, Kentucky. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)
Religious exemptions were either blanketly ignored or denied which is an absolute denial of our First Amendment rights to freedom of worship, and a violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
The Army ignored its own medical policy and did not accept medical exemptions based on prior immunity or infection contradicting its existing policy in Army Regulations 50-562.
The military also blatantly broke the law. In order to mandate a service member to take a drug, that drug must be U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved. (See 10 U.S. Code § 1107a) At the time of the mandate, only Experimental Use Authorized (EUA) products were available, which lawyers argued the DoD cannot mandate or force anyone to take without a presidential waiver.
Sadly, some of those who succumbed to the vaccine mandate through pressure or lack of informed consent may have suffered adverse effects from the COVID vaccines. For example, national guardsman Karolina Stancik, after receiving two Moderna shots, has suffered three heart attacks, a stroke, and other medical complications. And despite receiving the vaccines after enlisting, the Army is not covering all of her medical expenses. She is 23 and played multiple sports before entering the Army.
Over 8,000 service members were discharged and many of those kicked out did not receive an honorable discharge, but rather a general discharge. That means that those veterans don’t receive all their VA benefits, including the GI Bill to attend school. It can also affect job applications and future employment, especially within the government.
Army Captain John Frankman receiving his Green Beret at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, at the Special Forces Qualification Course graduation in August 2019. (Photo courtesy of John Frankman)
Army Captain John Frankman and his team conduct Military Free Fall jumps in Eloy, Arizona, in June of 2021. (Photo courtesy of John Frankman)
Army Captain John Frankman (right) and his detachment are on the ground in Eloy, Arizona, after having completed a Military Free Fall jump in June of 2021. (Photo courtesy of John Frankman)
In my view, this letter is not enough to bring service members back. Rather, it is another indication of the hubris of military elites who would rather continue down the wrong path of destroying the military, hurting service members, and lowering morale, rather than being accountable for their actions and admit that they screwed up.
But it is not just the military that is responsible for the treatment of service members. Members of Congress were told by their constituents since spring of 2021 what was happening to those in the armed forces. Yet for years, the majority of those who vocally praise service members and thank them for their service were not there to advocate for these patriots punished by their own government’s policies.
Though I’m happy this issue is getting some traction now, the silence and lack of action on this issue for almost three years by most is inexcusable.
So, How Do We Fix This?
To begin, military leaders must be held accountable for this order that destroyed readiness, mistreated service members, and was often executed through coercive means. There must be transparency about the infractions that occurred and accountability for actions that were unlawful.
Because DoD leadership has proven ineffective at policing itself, Congress must step up and, as our representatives, hold military leaders accountable. Therefore, every committee and subcommittee related to the military, the COVID vaccine mandate, and the weaponization of the government, needs to immediately conduct hearings and investigations. This will raise awareness on how service members were treated, expose the wrongdoings of leaders that in many cases were illegal and threatened the livelihoods and lives of service members, shed light on serious mistakes that took place from the DoD mandate, and provide lessons learned to avoid this error in the future.
Representatives must also hold regional hearings on this topic. I was on Capitol Hill last month and already shared with over a dozen congressional offices that there are Involuntary Veterans from various backgrounds and areas of expertise that are ready and willing to testify and bring light to these issues.
Furthermore, service members who suffered from these policies must receive restitution for their hardships. This includes, at a bare minimum and is not limited to, automatically elevating discharge statuses, allowing service members the opportunity to return, backpay or severance pay, health care for life and 100 percent Department of Veterans Affairs disability for any service members injured by the shots, favorability for promotion and assignments for lost opportunities, and a reward for personal courage.
Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) calls for members of the military who chose to not get the COVID vaccine to not be dishonorably discharged during a news conference on Capitol Hill on November 4, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)
To restore trust, there must be a sincere apology and a guarantee that something like this will never happen again. This must come through legal policy, but also holding DoD leaders accountable for any existing laws or policies they may have broken. Furthermore, service members ought to be aware of their legal rights through receiving regular training on the Constitution they swear an oath to defend.
COVID mandates did not just affect the military, but gravely affected the livelihoods and freedoms of all Americans. Congress needs to thoroughly examine and hold the entire administrative state accountable to include the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Justice, and every other agency to ensure that these institutions still serve the American people. We pay them to work for us, not to limit our freedoms. If we don’t fix the larger issue of government intrusion into our rights, the way service members are treated will just be one among many other problems.
The letter inviting soldiers discharged for the COVID mandate will prove ineffective in bringing these mistreated soldiers back. However, may it be effective in bringing attention to the mistreatment service members received so that military leaders are held accountable, service members receive restitution for the wrongdoings they suffered, and we ensure that these same atrocities never happen again. Without this, trust will remain broken and recruiting may never recover.
John Frankman was a Captain in the Army who served as a Special Forces Green Beret and resigned after eight years active duty due to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Follow him at JohnFrankman.com and on X and Instagram.
