December 2022 — MHCE
News from MHCE DECEMBER 2022 EDITION Democratic Sen. Warnock Wins Georgia Runoff Against Walker See page 22 Monthly Newsletter WWW.MHCE.US dismissal or fighting to be brought back into the ranks. The Army Keeps Booting COVID Vaccine Refusers as Shot Requirement May Be Dropped The Pentagon's COVID-19 vaccine mandate appears on the verge of being eliminated by Congress after just over a year, yet the Army -- the only remaining service to never slow down separating troops who refuse inoculation -- said Monday it will not pause those separations. The Army has kicked out 1,841 active-duty soldiers for refusing inoculation, according to the latest service data released Friday. The Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force have halted or been barred by the courts from continuing separations, particularly for troops requesting religious exemptions, as legal fights play out over Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's August 2021 order that all service members be vaccinated. Now, lawmakers might strike a deal to nix the vaccine mandate as part of the annual defense authorization bill after Republicans pushed for the repeal and the Marine Corps said vaccine disinformation in parts of the country is hurting recruiting. A vaccine mandate reversal could also set up an unprecedented legal fight with troops seeking compensation for their We will not speculate on any potential legislative actions, and continue to follow the policy of the Department of Defense and the United States Army to achieve a fully vaccinated force," a service spokesperson told Military.com in a statement Monday. The details of the massive defense bill were expected to be released Tuesday, and it was unclear whether the soldiers who were kicked out would be allowed to return to service or be provided compensation by Congress. "Will the services be proactive? Will they reach out to those discharged and allow them to enlist or commission or will Continued on page 12
