For ads-free news, click here.
From Fox News: President Donald Trump will sign an executive order to reinstate service members booted from the military for declining to get COVID-19 vaccine jabs, according to the White House.
“The Executive Order directs the Secretary of Defense to reinstate all members of the military (active and reserve) who were discharged for refusing the COVID vaccine and who request to be reinstated,” according to the White House fact sheet.
The service members who are reinstated will be restored to their prior rank, and will be provided back pay and benefits, according to the fact sheet.
“From 2021 to 2023, the Biden Administration and former Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin discharged over 8,000 troops solely due to their COVID-19 vaccination status,” the fact sheet notes. “After the vaccine mandate was repealed in 2023, only 43 of the more than the 8,000 troops dismissed elected to return to service under the Biden Administration and Secretary Austin.”
Trump promised he would sign the order during his inauguration speech last week.
WATCH: President Trump, the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, announces he will reinstate service members who were kicked out of the military over refusal to take the Covid vaccine — WITH BACK PAY. pic.twitter.com/iaJkuhbmKr
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) January 20, 2025
However, according to a social media post by retired U.S. intelligence officer Sam Shoemate, an advocate for military veterans, many former military members who were fired for complying with the Covid vaccine mandate are still scared to re-enlist.
Shoemate explains why:
“No one has been held accountable. No one has been charged with a crime for making their troops take an experimental drug. What’s to stop the DOD from giving me an unlawful order in the future and ruining my life all over again if I refuse?”
This is the question I get from service members when they talk to me about Trump’s declaration to bring back troops who were discharged for refusing the Covid shot.
They tell me how appealing the back pay is. In some cases, it’s life changing sums of money. They could entirely wipe out debt plus have a substantial amount left over in some cases, but they don’t trust it. Here’s why:
Service members already signed a contract. That contract came with promises and obligations on both sides. Those troops would obey all lawful orders, and the military would only issue lawful orders. At the risk of sounding condescending, let me state the obvious and say a lawful order is one that is issued only within the boundaries of the laws of the United States of America as issued by Congress.
When troops were ordered to take an FDA approved COVID vaccine, the DOD never provided that vaccine. They couldn’t provide it, because it was never made. This simple fact has been proven over and over in hundreds of articles as well as in multiple cases in court. Ordering a service member to take an EUA vaccine, the only one made available by the drug company’s own admissions, is illegal.
Ignore the religious accommodations which were blanket denied in violation of law and already existing medical exemptions which were torn up and thrown out. The truth is those issues are secondary to the simply fact that you can’t order a service member to take an experimental drug, no matter how many arguments you throw at the issue. It’s flat out illegal.
Troops were ordered to do something that was black and white against the law. When they refused, they were threatened with dishonorable discharges, jail time, and much more. What ACTUALLY happened was troops being thrown out of base housing within weeks, effectively making them homeless without a paycheck, kicked out of military academies with their scholarships being revoked, and forced to repay tens of thousands of dollars in tuition and bonuses. Sometimes these bonuses were in the multiple tens of thousands. They were denied, and what was already given was forced to be repaid.
The DOD ruined thousands of lives. They broke the law, they broke two way contracts between those who raised their right hands to serve, and to date no one has been held accountable; not a single person.
So we go back to the beginning. Why would someone subject themselves to the potential for all of that to happen again? For a lot of money that could potentially, once again, be revoked and forced to be repaid on a whim if the DOD decides to break the law again and order it’s troops to do something unlawful? What if the next time is an order to take to the streets of America and round up citizens? What if a service member says they’re not going to and they’re thrown in jail and their family is left destitute? All because they took a chance on a promise that has no grounding in justice and accountability.
I imagine the dollar signs will force some to take a chance and sign up because they’re desperate, but until someone, anyone, is held accountable for what was done, I don’t foresee those who were betrayed willingly signing back up in large numbers “in the hopes” the DOD fulfills its obligation to lawful orders and binding, two way contracts.
“No one has been held accountable. No one has been charged with a crime for making their troops take an experimental drug. What’s to stop the DOD from giving me an unlawful order in the future and ruining my life all over again if I refuse?”
This is the question I get from…
— Shoe (@samosaur) January 22, 2025
And here’s a post from the father of one Marine who DID take the vaccine… with devastating consequences:
Dear @POTUS @VP @JDVance @SecDef @PeteHegseth. I applaud your decision to support our warriors unjustly removed from @DeptofDefense for refusing the Covid shots.
However, my son, a 23-year-old Marine 2ndLt at the time along with his fellow Marines, was FORCED to take the shots under threat of Court Martial, losing his Flight Contract and even imprisonment. He had recently recovered from Covid, and the Mfr’s of these shots all said not to take the shots within six months of infection, but complied with the unlawful order to avoid punishment. The consequences have been devastating.
After these forced shots his heart and vision were damaged. This young Marine, who once ran marathons and Ultra Marathons, struggled to walk around the block for awhile after the forced drugging. He endured sleepless nights with a pounding heart, fearing for his life. A clot of some kind in his eye and a permanent change in his vision resulted in his unjust removal from flight school—his dream and life-long goal of becoming a Marine Aviator, which he earned through relentless effort and merit, was gone at NO fault of his own.
This betrayal by the former administration, which had a duty to protect him and all service members, is heartbreaking. He didn’t need these drugs, yet was coerced to take them and will suffer the consequences forever, to include the loss of his opportunity to fly for his country!
I urge you to remember those who complied with this insidious order and were harmed, in addition to those you have already decided to make whole for not complying. My son and many others followed the commands of their senior officers, and are now paying the price. Please address the needs of everyone harmed by these drugs, particularly as the DOD refuses to acknowledge the damage caused.
My son will soon leave the military in April (he’s currently in Skill Bridge) and submit for VA disability, but I fear continued denial of accountability on this issue. All who suffered must receive 100% VA disability, no questions asked.
Please ensure these warriors are cared for too!
Dear @POTUS @VP @JDVance @SecDef @PeteHegseth
I applaud your decision to support our warriors unjustly removed from @DeptofDefense for refusing the Covid shots.
However, my son, a 23-year-old Marine 2ndLt at the time along with his fellow Marines, was FORCED to take the shots…
— Reeve Swainston, Esq. (@ReeveSwainston) January 27, 2025
Follow us on X (Formerly Twitter.)
The DML News App: www.X.com/DMLNewsApp
The Dennis Michael Lynch Podcast archive is available below, with the most recent on top. Never miss an episode. Subscribe to the show by downloading The DML News App or go to Apple Podcasts.