Nearly two years after booting unvaccinated soldiers, the Army is now calling on them to come back.
According to a letter signed by Army Director of Personnel Management Brigadier General Hope Rampy, former soldiers who were discharged due to Covid-19 vaccine refusal can request a correction of their military records. The letter provides guidance on contacting recruiters to return to service. It is unclear if returning soldiers will rejoin their former units or Military Occupational Specialties.
In February of 2022, the Army began discharging servicemen who did non comply with Covid vaccine mandate. At that time, more than 3,000 troops had requested permanent medical or religious exemptions, with only six being granted, according to official data.
The 2023 National Defense Authorization Act compelled the defense secretary to rescind the vaccine mandate, with the Army officially suspending separation actions for non-compliant soldiers in February 2023.
John Frankman, a former Green Beret in the Army Special Forces, recalled how the Army treated the unvaccinated and harshly criticized the Army and the Department of Defense for failing to enforce accountability for the immoral and allegedly illegal Covid-19 vaccine mandate.
The letter appears to be an attempt to deal with major recruitment challenges, as the Army has failed to meet its targets for two consecutive fiscal years. According to the Army Times, these challenges “caused [Army’s] end strength to fall from an original level of 485,000 in late 2021 to around 452,000 active duty soldiers today — its smallest full-time force since 1940.”
