US military asks unvaccinated soldiers to come back
The US Army this month sent letters to almost 2,000 former service members who were discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine urging them to come back.
Nearly ten months after the Defense Department rescinded the vaccine mandate, the letter began by telling former soldiers that they can request to have their military records updated to reflect that they were honorably discharged. About 70% of those who were fired for refusing the shot received general discharges.
“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 from either or both the Army Discharge Review Board (ADRB) or the Army Board for Correction of Military Records (ABCMR),” read the letter signed by Army Director of Personnel Management Brigadier General Hope Rampy.
Rampy added that “individuals can request a correction to military personnel records, including regarding the characterization of discharge.”
The letter then invited the recipients to re-enlist:
Individuals who desire to apply to return to service should contact their local Army, US Army Reserve (USAR) or Army National Guard (ARNG) recruiter for more information.
A similar letter was sent to former Air Force members, reports the Daily Caller, though it is unknown how many received it.
“I’m not planning to at this time,” former Army Lieutenant Colonel Danielle Smith told Fox News host Laura Ingraham when asked if she would reapply for her job. “It’s incredibly disingenuous after what they did to not only me, I’m just one of thousands who were forced to resign or involuntarily separated, and now they are coming back with no apology, you know, no back pay, no back entitlements. They are saying come back now. We need you. We need help.”
“It’s complete nonsense. And, you think about – as a physician, so, physicians are notoriously hard to retain in the military, particularly surgeons and I was only one of 15 of my kind that they forced to resign over this and now, you know, they have lost my trust,” Smith added.
Out of 8,000 service members who were fired for their refusal to take the vaccine, only 43 have so far re-enlisted. They include 19 Army members, 12 Marines, one Air Force member and two Navy personnel.
Many soldiers were forced to repay their signing bonuses after they were fired for being unvaccinated. One Army soldier who received a $7,000 signing bonus and was fired for refusing the shots in May must now pay back a pro-rated $4,000 to the Biden administration for failing to complete his six-year commitment. The soldier was forced to sell 60 of his vacation days to come up with the money.
The letter comes as the military suffers a worrying recruiting crisis. For 2023 the US Army fell 10,000 short of its recruiting goal, a mere improvement from 2022 when it fell short by 15,000 recruits — its worst performance in 50 years.
The crisis — blamed partly on the vaccine mandate and partly on the military’s infiltration by gender totalitarians — prompted a recent Army decision to create a new career field dedicated solely to recruitment. Currently, noncommissioned officers are tapped to temporarily serve as recruiters in addition to their military occupational specialty (MOS). Now the Army will hire personnel whose permanent MOS is to recruit new members.
Other strategies to boost recruitment involve financial incentives. In January the Army announced it will begin offering a $1,500 bonus to Army recruiters who exceed their quarterly quota. According to Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston, the Army “cannot afford another slow year in recruiting.” The Army is also offering several enlistment bonuses to new recruits.
It is unclear if these strategies will be effective, however. The number of service members and veterans who would recommend joining the military has dropped significantly, according to the Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN), from 74.5% to 62.9% in 2021.
Some say this is due to rampant “wokeness” in the Army spread by the Biden administration. Last year, for example, all U.S. Army personnel were forced to undergo mandatory gender dysphoria training by September 30th. In March, US Army Secretary Christine Wormuth announced the Army will be making the “war against climate change” a priority.
“A priority for me and our @USArmy is #resiliency in the face of climate change. At #FortBragg, we have the largest floating solar array in the Southeast United States,” Wormuth tweeted. “This is just one of many examples of how our Army #LeadsFromTheFront in climate innovation and adaptation.”
Many Army veterans slammed Wormuth for focusing on “climate change” instead of growing a robust fighting force able to effectively defend the United States against other military forces.
