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Service members who were involuntarily discharged by the military for refusing to take the COVID-19 shot have the opportunity to receive an honorable discharge.
According to the U.S. Department of War, over 4,000 of the troops discharged for refusing to take the shot were given a general discharge status. Without an honorable discharge, they became ineligible for GI Bill education benefits for themselves or their family members.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum on Dec. 6 that allows relief for these service members. He added, “I hereby direct a proactive review of personnel records to identify individuals who were involuntarily discharged solely for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine and facilitate appropriate discharge upgrades.”
The Department of War is now actively seeking to upgrade the status of these troops. It posted about the effort to X on Tuesday, stating, “If you received a general discharge for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine, the department is looking to right that wrong. Each service branch will be reviewing service records and facilitating upgrades where appropriate.”
One of President Trump’s first acts upon starting his second term in office was to reinstate military members who were dismissed for refusing to take the COVID-19 shot, per Axios. He called the vaccine mandate “an unfair, overbroad, and completely unnecessary burden on our service members.”
“The military unjustly discharged those who refused the vaccine, regardless of the years of service given to our Nation, after failing to grant many of them an exemption that they should have received. Federal Government redress of any wrongful dismissals is overdue,” he added. Now the Department of War is carrying out that redress.