Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) is seeking clarification from the U.S. Army regarding the discharge of troops who declined to receive Covid shots.
Schmitt is urging the Army to provide compensation to the former service members who were discharged due to vaccine refusal.
Close to 2,000 troops were released from the military for opting not to take the vaccine.
Amid recruitment challenges in 2023, the Army recently sent letters to the discharged soldiers, as reported by Slay News.
The letters informed them that they now have the opportunity to rectify their discharge characterization and re-enlist in the branch.
The Army has asserted that these letters are part of a congressionally mandated process.
In a letter addressed to Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth on Tuesday, Schmitt is insisting that these soldiers should receive backpay if they choose to re-enlist.
The senator also seeks clarification on whether the troops would be reinstated to their pre-discharge rank and whether the religious freedoms of service members will be safeguarded in the future.
Schmitt wrote in the letter:
“These mandates certainly harmed our military’s readiness and tragically destroyed the careers of thousands of brave volunteers.
“These members have faced negative implications for veterans benefits and employment outside of the military.
“It is likely that most of those former members will never return to the military and serve our nation.”
The senator also inquired whether the Army intends to consistently approach these specific members to inquire if they wish to re-enlist, especially given reports that the Army is approximately 10,000 soldiers below its recruiting targets for FY 2023.
In 2022, recruitment fell short by an even larger margin of 15,000.
Schmitt underscored the branch’s failure to meet recruitment objectives, emphasizing that “8,300 men and women across the entire military were discharged solely due to COVID-19 mandates.”
“The Army discharged 1,881 soldiers, and only granted 191 exemptions out of 10,699 requests.”
Schmitt asked for a reply to be provided by December 13, 2023.
The Army’s Office of the Chief of Public Affairs (OCPA) informed Fox News that they would be responding directly to the letter’s sender.
“As with all congressional correspondence, we will respond directly to the author of the letter,” Bryce S. Dubee wrote in a statement to Fox.
