Episode 56 - Rejoining the Ranks: The COVID Vaccine Reinstatement

Explore the complex realities behind the military's COVID vaccine mandate and its aftermath in this thought-provoking episode. We delve into the journey of service members who faced discharge for refusing the vaccine and the newly introduced options for reinstatement. With insights into the administration's decision to allow those affected back into service, we unravel the emotional and logistical ramifications of rejoining the military landscape. 

What concerns do these members have about acceptance in a changed environment, and how will unit cohesion be impacted? Are the few who have taken the path back ready for the challenges that await them—both from within the ranks and in reclaiming their sense of belonging? With current statistics showing only a fraction of those eligible have chosen to return, it raises pressing questions about trust and the military's evolving culture.

Join us as we discuss these vital issues and more, providing a platform for service members to share their stories and insights. We invite you to engage with us and foster a community that understands and supports those navigating these tumultuous waters. Be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share your thoughts on this compelling topic!

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to the Reinstatement Debate
• 31:27 The Impact of COVID Reinstatement on Military Culture
• 12:39:31 Executive Order Details and Future Implications

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

So, back in 2021, the Secretary of Defense mandated the COVID vaccine. This caused a huge issue in the Army because not all service members wanted the vaccine. Those who refused the vaccine were ultimately booted from the Army. Now, fast forward to 2023 and the mandate was lifted because of it being unnecessarily burdened on all service members unnecessarily burden on all service members, so ultimately labeling the discharges as unjust and those who were forced out. What does that mean? Stick around and find out, roger Sarn, all right.

Speaker 1: 0:44

So welcome back to the Roger S Sarnt Podcast, where we talk all things Army and I'm your host, sarnt Cruz. So today we're talking about President Trump's new COVID reinstatement and towards the end, I'll show you guys the order itself. And, without further ado, as always, let's get started. And without further ado, as always, let's get started. So thousands of service members were discharged for refusing COVID vaccine. We're all aware of that right. So now the military is offering them a way back. But is that really? Is it really that simple? Is it really going to be that easy to just, oh hey, I want to get back in? Some are ready to return, probably without hesitation Not many, as we'll see in a second While many others aren't even sure if they can even trust a system that let them go, and could we blame him? So I guess what does that mean for the army culture, like unit cohesion and those who never left? Let's see what the fact sheet says about the. How many troops have taken advantage of being able to come back in, all right. So here we go. Here we go.

Speaker 1: 2:11

Fact sheet Pret, let's go here. So this was back in october 2nd 2023 and this was on cnncom, and it says only 43 of more than 8 000 discharged from the us military for refusing COVID vaccine have rejoined, and this was written back in 2023. It's a three-minute read Every time. I say I'll leave it in the description. It's going to be on my Google Drive. So you click on the Google Drive. It's probably like the fourth one down. You click on it and then you can see it. I'll have a um, a word document with all the links. Then you just click them and read them so you can formulate your own opinion. So this is back in 2023, right? So what does the fact sheet say here?

Speaker 1: 2:57

January 27th 2025, president trump reinstate service members discharged for refusing the covid vaccine. Right, and we'll slide all the way down to here from 2021 to 2023, the biden administration and former secretary of defense lloyd austin, discharged over 8 000 we already know that solely because of the vaccine. So this and now, if you actually think about it, because we did have a drop in retention, right, and it says right here, it says such dismissal likely had a chilling effect on recruitment. What do you guys think about that? Right, if I'm in the, if I'm watching people in the military right that are defending the country, defending the nation, and we're sitting here and we're thinking, well, you know, not many American, many Americans did get it. I don't know what the percentage is you guys. If you guys know what the percentages of Americans that actually voluntarily got the COVID vaccine, you can drop it in the comments. But, um, it was split, right, some people didn't want it, some people got it, I had to get it. I don't think my ex-wife got it. So even in my household it was split 50-50,. Right. So it says it could have been the reason why it's collective recruiting targets around 41,000 recruits. Right, so they were missed, they missed it, they missed it. And then it says again, reconfirming that only 43 troops have joined. Right, that's. That's a massive, that's a small number right, that's a very small number to recruit to have come back. I would have thought it would have been more like if I would have gotten out, like I know many troops that got out and, um, I would have probably came back in, especially if I'm picking up where I left off. But we'll see how that works out, right, as we progress. So let's keep going.

Speaker 1: 5:08

Um, I think for all those coming back, um, it's not just about putting on the uniform, like putting the uniform back on. It's about getting what they lost right. The new policy lets reinstated service members return to their former rank. It gives them full back pay, benefits, bonuses that they would have lost or received. I'm sorry that they lost or would have received, but after months or even years, how are they actually going to fit back in? I think that's the biggest question. How are they going to fit back in? I think that's the biggest question. How are they going to fit back in? And will the military itself truly make them whole again?

Speaker 1: 5:55

Like you know the sense of camaraderie and all that cool stuff, but like you, you're out for a couple years, you're living your life, you're not thinking about anything, and then all of a sudden you're back Right. So let's let's try and like break down what that kind of means for those returning Right. So let's think about this Will they get their battle buddies Right? Because when, for instance, my battle buddies from my first duty station I've never I can't even think about how many have I ran across since then like face to face. I keep in touch with them, right. We message each other every now and again on Facebook, sometimes the younger ones that I know will be on IG, whatever. But in reality, like from my first duty station, I don't see many of them right, but I do keep like in connection with them.

Speaker 1: 6:59

The next thing is those who left kind of got cut off right. So when you're coming back in, where are you going to be stationed? Are you going to go back to that same unit because it says they're going to be able to pick back off, pick back up where they left off? So when I was in um, when the covid man mandate was in effect, I was in third brigade 3-8 battalion. So if I would have not taken the shot and I would have gotten out, would I go back to Third Brigade 3-8 Battalion? Would that be my comeback or do I get to pick somewhere Like what's that process? And let's say they did bring him back to that said unit or battalion.

Speaker 1: 7:48

I was in HHC. It's not the same. You're the new dude now, right, you're coming back and you're that new guy. You're the NFG, right? You're not coming back to the same individuals who you knew two, three years ago. So it's a whole different ballgame. Even now, I'm in 2nd Brigade and when I go down to 3 brigade land, I don't see many of the guys that I knew. There's a couple of them there, but not the ones like from when I was there.

Speaker 1: 8:16

Another question I think is good to ask is are they going to be treated differently because leaders feel some type of way right, differently because leaders feel some type of way right? Um, this is, this is a rough one, right? This is I think this is a debatable uh question, because, at the end of the day, you're getting a second chance and, whether you like president trump or not, he's giving us a second chance. Those who got out, whatever. But some may see it as you're getting a second chance on insubordination because you didn't get out on your own. Some some did, some that let let their time lapse, whatever, but those who were pushed out, they may come back and be like oh, that's that COVID dude, you know, I don't know, maybe they'll accept them with with open arms.

Speaker 1: 9:05

Not everyone needs to know where you're coming from, why you're here, whatever it is, but somehow some way people find out because you have, um, you have your, your, your s1 clerks and they talk oh, he's back, they're not there, and then that that conversation leaks and leaks and leaks and it keeps going. Your commanders are definitely going to know. So how does that work? I think, right, like, are they going to be treated differently, right, so?

Speaker 1: 9:31

And when you take a hiatus, like let's think about this, put this in perspective Like when you go on, leave and you come back, don't you feel lost? I know, I do. Like, if I, if I take anything over a week, I come back and it's like I don't even know where I'm at, right, so is this the same thing? Or is it kind of like worst? Right, that's how you say it. Worst or worse, worst, I don't know. But yeah, you're gone for two years and you come back and it's kind of like you got to get into the groove again.

Speaker 1: 10:09

Um, if you didn't work out like it's so many aspects on, on, on the, on the psyche, that we don't consider, which is probably why only 43 troops joined. They're like you know what, I have an exercise and so much. I got to deal with these waking, I got to deal with the field, I got to deal with that. It's not worth the back pay, who knows. But I guess, what do you guys think put in the comments? I want to read your thoughts and you, those who have commented, know that I come, I'll answer back and, um, it'll probably take me a day or two sometimes if I'm like too busy, but I definitely comment and I and I um comment on my. I do my own comments, right, cause ain't nobody, I don't have a team, it's just me. All right, I digress.

Speaker 1: 10:52

So, um, I don't think, um, like not everyone was discharged. Like some service member, like I mentioned before, like some service members chose to just walk away rather than take the vaccine. Right, let their time expire. Now they too have a chance to come back in with no penalty, to their rank, their pay, their service status. Now, these guys are a bit different because they just let their time expire versus being pushed out Because of this. Will they be welcomed the same way as those who are forced out? That's a huge question that is going to remain to be answered. Right, I have yet to run into a soldier that has been reinstated from COVID. Right, have any of you Like that's actually that would be like a good one, like let me know down below, because I don't know of any, and you got the? Like I said you got the one that got pushed out and then you got the one who let their time expire, but they both were out because of the same reason. And who's to say, like, when they come back in, if, if, they're going to be accepted? I think that's my biggest worry. Like, what's the exception? Right? Like, how is that going to be the reintegration? Right, I think that's the biggest thing in my issue. That in my head. Real quick, if you're listening on the podcast, download and leave a review, thank you.

Speaker 1: 12:32

Now let's get this straight real fast. Like, reinstatement doesn't mean that they're going to get a free pass, right, while service members can return. This order doesn't protect them from disciplinary or even administrative actions, like if they violated like any UCMJ. It doesn't protect them from that and it specifically says that, and we'll talk about it in a second, when I, when we read the the executive order so what does that actually mean in practice? Like, could troops be coming back to still face consequences for their past actions? I think that's kind of like.

Speaker 1: 13:14

Uh, another question that I have right, could you imagine getting your rank taken away or, even worse, getting kicked back out? Like this is exactly what I'm, what I'm talking about right here. It's like I don't, I don't get it. Like, if you leave it open, is this just like a catch 22? Like, oh well, they're going to come back in a catch 22? Like, oh well, they're gonna come back in, but because you, you, you violated whatever um, ucmj or whatever article, now you're gonna get, now you can be subject to it. Not that they will do it I don't think that that they'll be that crazy but, um, yeah, like, let's see, I don't know, I don't know, I need to. I need to run into someone who's come back in One of those 43 as of 2023.

Speaker 1: 14:02

But let's get into this executive order real fast, right? So, reinstating service members discharged under the military's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, which was last month, almost a month to three days from now. Last month, almost a month to three days from now. So by the authority vested in me as president, by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order Right, so we're going to jump all the way down to Alpha. You guys can read this on your own, but I gonna highlight alpha, bravo and charlie real fast.

Speaker 1: 14:41

So alpha says make reinstatement available to all members of the military active and reserve who are discharged solely for refusing to receive the covid vaccine back the covid 19 vaccine, and who request to be reinstated. Right, it's not that they're going to get reinstated off the bat, they got to actually ask for it. Right, they got to do there's a process for it. Bravo says enable those service members reinstated under this section to revert to their former rank and receive full back pay, benefits, bonus payments or compensation and moves into Charlie. Allow any service member who provide a written and sworn attestation I guess that I've never heard of that one that they voluntarily left the service or allowed their service to their service to lapse according to appropriate procedures, rather than being vaccinated under the vaccine mandate, to return to service with no impact on their service status, rank or pay. So if you were forced out, like I said and if you were just voluntary, just let your time expire, you ets, boom, you are golden.

Speaker 1: 16:03

Now, if we read section three, this is. This is where this is why I said the last statement that I said additional agency responsibility. Nothing in this order precludes disciplinary or administrative action for conduct that is prescribed by Chapter 47 of Title 10 United States Code of Military Justice. You see what I mean. I don't know, it's a rough one, but either way, at the end of the day, this isn't just about the policy, it's about the people.

Speaker 1: 16:44

Right, service members who left or were forced out now have a path back, but the question still remains. Right, we just read it. The question still remains Will they be fully welcomed? Will they even like? Will the trust even be restored, like in the system itself? Will this ever happen again is probably what they're thinking, right? Oh, something else is going to happen. They're going to force us out, blah, blah, blah. And what impact will this have on the military as a whole? But I'll tell you one thing's for sure this decision is just. It's like the beginning of a much bigger conversation, I would say. But if you like this video, I have another one for you. That's about soldiers and their mental health. I recorded that out in Stockyard. You can go ahead and watch it, but before you go, remember you don't have to embrace the suck if you got the right tools in your ruck. I'm Sarn Cruz and I'll see you in the next one. Peace.