On February 7, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense released a memorandum for military departments with the subject line “Correction of Military Records for Service Members Involuntarily Separated for Refusal to Comply with Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination Requirements.”
While the subject implies this is a memo for those “involuntarily separated,” there is a section for “voluntary separations.” And it’s the latter category that is grabbing the attention of former service members.
The Gateway Pundit spoke to John Frankman about the memo. The former Army captain and Special Forces Green Beret had his 8-year active duty career cut short as a result of the now rescinded 2021 shot mandate.
“Although the memo robustly addresses those kicked out,” he quickly pointed out, “it does not provide adequate reparation for those who voluntarily separated.”
Bradley Miller, a former U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, agreed. In October 2021, he was relieved of his battalion command within the 101st Airborne Division for refusing the COVID shot after 19 years of service.
“The memo explicitly states that the offer of reinstatement with back pay only applies to those who were involuntarily separated,” he also noted. “This process for reinstatement does not offer back pay to the much larger group that was so-called voluntarily separated.”
The word “voluntary” is “problematic” for both Frankman and Miller. “For those who left the military over the COVID-19 shot mandate, did they really leave voluntarily?” Miller offered. “No, I think the argument can be made that they too were forced out.”
Some estimate there could be tens of thousands of service members who were coerced and threatened with dishonorable discharge, court martial, removal of benefits, demotion, and more.
“So did they leave service voluntarily?”
“While the current plan does have some remedies, which include reinstatement and back pay for those who were involuntarily separated, this only applies to a very small group of people,” Miller argued. “There’s a group that is at least 10 times that size of those who were ‘voluntarily separated’ that have not been offered an appropriate remedy,” he asserted.
“And what about service members who were harmed by the shot and are no longer medically fit to carry out their military responsibilities?”
In Frankman’s opinion, “The Department of Defense (DOD) must address the many service members who were medically injured from the COVID shot by providing payments and medical coverage for life.”
According to him, “For these individuals and the unvaccinated who remained in the military, there ought to be an adjudication board to address lost career opportunities and negative evaluations incurred because of prejudice in order to ensure these individuals can still be competitive in their careers and to incentivize them to return.”
Because the memo falls short in these areas, Miller considers it “insufficient” and “based on an incomplete understanding” of how problematic the mandate was for service members. He maintains frequent contact with other former service members who agree and express a wide range of emotions over it.
“Some feel like it a step in the right direction but doesn’t go far enough,” he said. “And on the other end, some are incredibly frustrated and angry, insulted by how little it actually achieves.”
Ultimately, what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the entire DOD have failed to acknowledge is that “the mandate was unlawful,” Miller shared.
To that end, Frankman said, “The DOD must acknowledge the order was illegal, [and he is] hopeful this is the first of many actions, [believing] President Donald Trump sincerely cares for service members and wants to make things right.” Miller is equally concerned, noting that “no one has seen the need to carry out any true form of accountability at all.”
And for Frankman, “any repair must involve real accountability.”
He said, “This means that those responsible ought to be held accountable for violating the law, stomping on service members’ religious rights, and leaving many medically injured.”
Both Frankman and Miller agree, this could be accomplished in the form of a court-martial for those who violated the law by implementing and enforcing an unlawful mandate.
Without more drastic action, Miller said there remains a “moral injury” that continues to plague the force.
“Thousands upon thousands of service members have seen people within the ranks openly violate everything the military purportedly stands for, and many have been waiting for some sort of restitution for the unlawfulness surrounding it all,” Miller shared.
Sadly, he said, “it doesn’t appear that kind of restitution is coming any time soon, further contributing to the moral injury these men and women have suffered.”
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