The Department of Defense (DOD) is reviewing and reinstating servicemembers who were “wrongfully” kicked out of the military for refusing to comply with the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell exclusively told Breitbart News on Wednesday.
Approximately 100 cases are currently under review, with 13 servicemembers having already been welcomed back, while over 700 individuals who were ousted over their unvaccinated status have expressed interest in returning since President Donald Trump reclaimed the title of commander-in-chief in January, the Pentagon said.
Although former Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin rescinded the August 2021 mandate in January 2023, nearly 8,000 active duty and reserve servicemembers were “involuntarily separated” for taking the vaccine, the department stated.
The effort to reinstate those who want to come back to their military careers implements Trump’s January 27 executive order which called the vaccine policy an “unfair, overbroad, and completely unnecessary burden on our service members.”
The order states that every servicemember who was discharged “solely” for their refusal to get the vaccine must have reinstatement made available to them, and emphasized that those who return can keep their former rank and “receive full back pay, benefits, bonus payments, or compensation.”
“We are committed to doing right by those who were affected by the previous administration’s COVID-19 vaccination policy, and will continue to welcoming back these wrongfully separated servicemembers with open arms,” Parnell said.
Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth, who issued implementation guidance for the executive order in February, acknowledged that there had been some hiccups impacting the timeline for the reinstations, saying in April, “It hasn’t been perfect, and we know that.”
“We’re having an ongoing conversation with you to get it right,” the Pentagon leader said, as he signed a memorandum directing more clarity regarding the department’s efforts. “[We’re] working with the White House as well. We want anyone impacted by that vaccine mandate back into the military — people of conscience, warriors of conscience — back in our formations.”
Olivia Rondeau is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in Washington, DC. Find her on X/Twitter and Instagram.
