US Army recalls soldiers fired for refusing COVID-19 vaccine amid shortfall in numbers – WION

Short of soldiers, the US Army is recalling former soldiers who had been fired from their jobs after refusing to get jabbed by the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a report in the New York Post. The army is sending letters to the ex-soldiers and urging them to apply to rejoin.

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The army retracting its earlier position comes almost a year after Congress forced the Pentagon to roll back its mandate that required all troops to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

As part of the overall Covidmandate rescission process mandated by Congress, the Army this month mailed the letters to approximately 1,900 individuals who had previously been separated, Bryce Dubee, the army spokesman was quoted as saying by the publication.

Of the 1,900 letters sent, only 19 have returned to active duty but the army was hopeful that more will return as the news spreads.

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The former soldiers are being urged to contact the Army, Army Reserve, or National Guard recruiter. Notably, almost 8,000 soldiers were shown the door at the peak of the coronavirus crisis when they stuck to their pro-choice motto.

It isstill not clear if the re-hired soldiers will be restored to their old job profiles. Moreover, there is no clear-cut list of standards for acceptance back into the service but the Post stated that applicants will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

It was in August 2021 that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sent a memo, mandating the soldiers to get vaccinated. While the majority complied, a section doubted the efficacy of the newly minted vaccines and refused to follow the order.

However, the Republicans contested the decision, arguing that it would hurt the military in the long run. For 15 months, the mandate remained in force before being taken down as COVID-19 numbers dropped.

The US Army is facing a crunch in the number of personnel joining the service. The strength fell from an original485,000 in late 2021 to around 452,000 active-duty soldiers in 2023. The recruitment board of the army fell 10,000 short of its hiring goal of 65,000 in 2023 alone.

(With inputs from agencies)

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US Army recalls soldiers fired for refusing COVID-19 vaccine amid shortfall in numbers - WION