The U.S. Army is contacting soldiers separated from service for refusing to take the COVID shot and telling them all is forgiven.
If their vaccine refusal got them something other than an honorable discharge, they can appeal, according to a letter to former soldiers from Brigadier General Hope C. Rampy, director of the Army’s personnel management.
And they may get their former rank and positions back.
Rampy’s letter was posted on social media by Rogan O’Handley, known as commentator and influencer DC Draino.
“US Army sending letters to former troops saying that in light of the removal of the Covid-19 vaccine requirement, they can now apply to get their reasons for discharge changed,” O’Handley said.
“This means derogatory remarks or dishonorable discharges can now potentially be removed or reversed,” his post continued.
“The Army is also inviting unvaccinated troops back into the military This is a huge reversal of Biden’s tyrannical military vaccination policy that was finally put to an end by Republicans in Congress.
“A rare win for the good guys,” according to O’Handley.
🚨NEW: US Army sending letters to former troops saying that in light of the removal of the Covid-19 vaccine requirement, they can now apply to get their reasons for discharge changed
This means derogatory remarks or dishonorable discharges can now potentially be removed or… pic.twitter.com/zSwydaJYE5
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) November 17, 2023
Apparently, there were no dishonorable discharges related to vaccine refusal, since as separations got underway, Congress made clear such draconian penalties would not be permitted, Military Times reported at the time.
O’Handley’s reference to Republicans was illustrated in their June efforts to restore vaccine-separated troops by amending the year’s defense policy bill, according to Military.com.
Amendment sponsor Rep. Jim Banks, an Indiana Republican, at the time called it “a fair, equitable and honorable option for our wrongly separated service members.”
Banks said the amendment was needed “especially in a time of great need as we face the greatest recruiting crisis since the establishment of the all-volunteer force.”
Suprisingly, (or maybe not a surprise, given Democrats’ track record on most everything) Democratic Rep. Adam Smith of Washington objected.
“Within the military, orders should not be viewed as optional,” according to Smith, the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee.
“For this committee to come back afterward and tell service members that they have the option basically of whether or not to obey the orders of their commanders, I think is a really dangerous precedent,” Smith said.
As of April 2022, 70 percent of the separated veterans from all services got general instead of honorable discharges. The remainder received honorable discharges, Military Times reported.
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A general discharge “usually means there was something that prevented the service member from performing their job adequately or from meeting expected standards of conduct,” according to Law for Veterans.
A veteran with a general discharge is not eligible for the GI Bill and they cannot re-enlist, though they are eligible for most other veterans’ benefits.
At least the Army’s reversal is a step in the right direction.
Government policies during COVID were a disaster, resulting in destroyed businesses, crippled education and family distress.
And then there are the myriad negative health threats of the COVID shots that so many former military members sacrificed their careers and national service in an attempt to avoid.
