{"id":2422898,"date":"2025-04-12T17:19:01","date_gmt":"2025-04-12T21:19:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/service-members-separated-for-rejecting-covid-vaccine-can-be-reinstated-but-a-catch-has-many-refusing\/"},"modified":"2025-04-12T17:20:32","modified_gmt":"2025-04-12T21:20:32","slug":"service-members-separated-for-rejecting-covid-vaccine-can-be-reinstated-but-a-catch-has-many-refusing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/service-members-separated-for-rejecting-covid-vaccine-can-be-reinstated-but-a-catch-has-many-refusing\/","title":{"rendered":"Service Members Separated for Rejecting COVID Vaccine Can Be Reinstated, But a Catch Has Many Refusing"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fservice-members-separated-for-rejecting-covid-vaccine-can-be-reinstated-but-a-catch-has-many-refusing%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2422898&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In a recent progress, service members who were separated for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine now have the chance to re-enlist, following an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-follows-radical-agenda-in-first-72-hours\/\" title=\"Biden Follows Radical Agenda In First 72 Hours\">executive order signed<\/a> by President Donald Trump in January 2023. This order rescinded the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chicago-police-union-wins-minor-victory-in-city-vaccine-mandate-suit\/\" title=\"Chicago Police union wins minor victory in city ... suit\">vaccine mandate imposed<\/a> during the Biden management, which had led to the dismissal of approximately 8,700 service members. Tim Dill,the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hey-free-beacon-leave-vivek-alone\/\" title=\"Hey Free Beacon, stop targeting Vivek!\">acting deputy undersecretary<\/a> of defense for personnel and readiness,confirmed that those affected are receiving letters of apology and instructions on how to pursue reinstatement. <\/p>\n<p>However, there&#8217;s a important condition tied to this offer; individuals who had voluntarily separated must sign a form that states thier departure was voluntary and not coerced. This requirement has raised concerns among some veterans and their attorneys,as signing it might waive their rights to back pay or claims for wrongful dismissal. Many affected service members express a strong reluctance to accept these terms, feeling that it undermines their original dismissal circumstances. The Department of Defense has set a deadline of April 1, 2026, for separated members to express their interest in returning to service.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Service members separated for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine can now re-enlist, but the Department of Defense requires them to do the impossible first.<\/p>\n<p>During a press briefing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defense.gov\/News\/Transcripts\/Transcript\/Article\/4149951\/performing-the-duties-of-deputy-under-secretary-of-defense-for-personnel-and-re\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tuesday<\/a>, Tim Dill &mdash; the acting deputy undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness &mdash; outlined the plan for <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">reinstating <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/unvaxxed-military-members-still-facing-consequences-despite-end-of-mandate\/\" title=\"Unvaxxed Military ... Still Facing Consequences Despite End of ...\">service members separated<\/a><\/a> during the Biden administration&rsquo;s vaccine mandate of August 2021, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defense.gov\/News\/News-Stories\/Article\/Article\/4150566\/dod-welcomes-back-service-members-impacted-by-covid-19-vaccine-mandate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news release<\/a> from the DoD.<\/p>\n<p>The secretary of defense rescinded the mandate in 2023, but by then, 8,700 service members had already lost their careers.<\/p>\n<p>In January, President Donald Trump signed an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/01\/reinstating-service-members-discharged-under-the-militarys-covid-19-vaccination-mandate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">executive order<\/a> reinstating said service members.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/biden-admin-illegally-hid-report-found-us-servicemembers-china-got-covid-october-2019-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">service members<\/a> &hellip; are now receiving letters of apology from the department in the mail, along with instructions on how they can pursue returning to service,&rdquo; Dill said at the news conference.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Those who were involuntarily separated would receive back pay, while those who &ldquo;voluntarily&rdquo; separated would not, Dill said. Both, however, would be reinstated with the same rank and pay as when they left.<\/p>\n<p>They will have until April 1, 2026, to express interest, according to the DoD release.<\/p>\n<p>Since Trump&rsquo;s order, the various military branches have started reaching out to separated service members.<\/p>\n<p>But there&rsquo;s a catch.<\/p>\n<p>Former members of the Air National Guard, Air Force, and Space Force must first sign a <a href=\"https:\/\/justthenews.com\/sites\/default\/files\/2025-04\/Attachment%202_DAF%20Fillable%20Attestation%20Memo%20%28Voluntary%20Separated%20ILO%20COVID-19%20Vaccination%29%2020250404%20%282%29.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">form<\/a> acknowledging that they &ldquo;voluntarily separated&rdquo; or allowed their service to lapse, and that their &ldquo;decision to separate was made freely and without coercion,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/justthenews.com\/politics-policy\/coronavirus\/military-members-who-left-over-covid-vax-can-be-reinstated-if-attest\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Just the News<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s a requirement outlined in Trump&rsquo;s Executive Order, which reads:<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Allow any service members who provide a written and sworn attestation that they voluntarily left the service or allowed their service to lapse according to appropriate procedures, rather than be vaccinated under the vaccine mandate, to return to service with no impact on their service status, rank, or pay.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>R. Davis Younts, a lawyer representing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/activist-compares-lgbt-crowd-veterans-fed-mayor-puts-place-maximum-disdain\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">veterans<\/a> affected by the mandate, told Just the News that some of his clients wouldn&rsquo;t take the deal.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I talked to several clients who were forced out,&rdquo; Younts said. They &ldquo;have no interest in signing the document,&rdquo; but would otherwise &ldquo;gladly come back in. They don&rsquo;t care much about back pay, but they are not going to sign a false statement just to come back in.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If I have clients who I believe have a legitimate claim to rectify an error in justice that occurred &mdash; like they should&rsquo;ve been promoted but weren&rsquo;t, or were not allowed to reenlist over the vaccine because of an injunction pending&ndash; I&rsquo;d have a hard time advising them to sign it,&rdquo; since &ldquo;they&rsquo;re waiving a lot, saying they left voluntarily, and waiving the opportunity to be compensated for the loss of promotion and backpay,&rdquo; Younts said.<\/p>\n<p>Younts fears the form acknowledgement is meant to deliberately sabotage returning veterans.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m optimistic that senior leadership and officials that I talked to at the Pentagon understand and are sympathetic to these concerns and want to address them, but I&rsquo;m seeing a level of malicious compliance in an attempt to stop, slow roll, or make an effort to make reinstatement meaningless for most people impacted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/rock-star-recounts-horror-started-covid-vax-ended-ruining-life\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">COVID<\/a>,&rdquo; Younts said.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Service members who were discharged for not taking the COVID-19 vaccine can now rejoin, but the Department of Defense has set challenging conditions. In a press briefing on Tuesday, Tim Dill, the acting deputy undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, explained the process for reinstating those separated under the Biden administration&#8217;s vaccine mandate from August 2021. Although the mandate was lifted in 2023, around 8,700 service members had already lost their positions. In January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to reinstate these individuals. Dill mentioned that former service members are receiving apology letters from the department along with guidance on how to return to service.<\/p>\n<p>Those involuntarily separated will receive back pay; however, those who &#8220;voluntarily&#8221; left will not be compensated. Both groups will be reinstated at their previous rank and pay level. They have until April 1, 2026, to express interest in returning. Since Trump&#8217;s order was issued, military branches have begun contacting separated personnel but with a stipulation: former Air National Guard and Air Force members must sign a form stating they &#8220;voluntarily separated&#8221; or allowed their service to lapse without coercion.<\/p>\n<p>R. Davis Younts, an attorney representing affected veterans, noted that some clients are unwilling to sign this document despite wanting to return because they feel it falsely represents their situation and could waive potential claims for back pay or promotions lost due to unjust separation policies related to vaccination mandates. Younts expressed concern that this requirement may intentionally hinder veterans&#8217; reinstatement efforts while acknowledging some Pentagon officials understand these issues and wish to address them<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2422899,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Picture-2025-04-12T154858.236.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[32496,39947,10765,32250,38780],"class_list":["post-2422898","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-covid-vaccine","tag-military-policy","tag-reinstatement","tag-service-members","tag-vaccine-mandate"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Picture-2025-04-12T154858.236.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2422898","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2422898"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2422898\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2422902,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2422898\/revisions\/2422902"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2422899"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2422898"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2422898"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2422898"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}