This week, the U.S. Department of War (DOW) announced it is reevaluating the discharge status of servicemembers who were involuntarily discharged solely for refusing to take a COVID-19 vaccine.
Over 8,000 servicemembers were involuntarily discharged for refusing the vaccine between Aug. 24, 2021, and Jan. 10, 2023. Though most received an honorable discharge, according to the DOW, over 4,000 had their service characterized as “general” which is “one step below honorable.” This status made them “ineligible to use GI Bill educational benefits for themselves or a family member.”
“While nearly 900 veterans have already had their discharge characterizations upgraded, over 3,000 remain to be reviewed,” the DOW disclosed.
The review comes nearly a year after President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order directing the Pentagon to reinstate all servicemembers discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine with full backpay and restoration of their former rank.
In February, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth issued guidance on reinstating troops who desired to return to the military.
In a memorandum earlier this month, the secretary ordered the military branches to reevaluate the discharge status of those who received a “general” discharge.
“It is unconscionable that thousands of former service members who held true to their personal and religious convictions were not just separated, but separated with general [discharges], rather than honorable discharge characterizations,” Hegseth wrote. “While many have applied for and received relief from our Military Department review boards, I believe the onus is on us to make this right.”
The military’s branches will actively review personnel records to identify impacted individuals – servicemembers don’t need to take any additional steps.
“I hereby direct a proactive review of personnel records, to identify individuals who were involuntarily discharged solely for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine and facilitate appropriate discharge upgrades,” Hegseth ordered.
On Dec. 10, the Under Secretary of War for Personnel and Readiness Anthony Tata issued a memorandum giving each military branch 30 days to create and validate lists of individuals eligible for the review.
For years, the U.S. military has struggled to meet its recruitment goals. In 2022 and 2023, the Army missed its recruitment goals by almost 25%, The New Yorker reports. The Navy also failed to meet its goals in 2023, and the Army Reserve hasn’t met its benchmark since 2016.
The military’s onerous COVID-19 policies and its “woke” schemes certainly haven’t helped young Americans’ desire to join the all-volunteer force.
Under the Biden administration, the Navy trained its sailors to create a “safe space” by using “proper gender pronouns” in instructional videos. The Army created a recruiting advertisement titled, “The Calling,” featuring a soldier raised by two moms.
Under the Trump administration’s purge of “wokeness” and DEI initiatives from the federal government, the military has experienced a recruiting renaissance.
On June 3, 2025, the Army announced it met its fiscal year recruiting goal – four months ahead of schedule.
On June 18, the Navy announced it had achieved its 2025 recruiting goal three months early, bringing in the highest number of sailors since the early 2000s.
For the first time in four years, all branches of the U.S. military met or exceeded their recruiting goals in 2025.
“Recruits are proving they’re energized to contribute” to “President Trump’s vision of peace through strength and Secretary Hegseth’s focus on restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding the military and reestablishing deterrence,” Air Force Gen. Steve Nordhaus, National Guard Bureau chief, said in statement. “Young Americans are eager to serve.”
Our nation’s servicemembers willingly place their lives in harm’s way to protect our nation, our families and our freedoms. They deserve our eternal thanks and gratitude – especially those treated unjustly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We’re thankful for their service and grateful the Pentagon is taking steps to right the wrongs suffered by more than 8,000 military members.
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Related articles and resources:
Inspiring Stories of Faith on the Front Lines
Supporting Our Heroes: Reaching Out to the Military Community
Hegseth: No More ‘Woke’ At Department of War
SecDef Hegseth: Military Reinstating 8,700 Wrongly Discharged Servicemembers
Trump Ends ‘Transgenderism’ and DEI in the Military, Reinstates Wrongly Discharged Troops
Pete Hegseth Promises to Reinstate Unfairly Discharged Servicemembers With Back Pay
Photo from Getty Images.
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