Should being a hero exempt him from following the rules? I read a short story when I was young about a sailor whose mistake allowed a cannon to escape, causing carnage below decks, doing great damage to the ship itself. His heroics got it back under control, earning him a commendation. After he was awarded the commendation, he was executed for allowing the cannon to get loose in the first place. Being a hero doesn't exempt anyone from having to follow the rules.
Not sure I made an argument about anyone being exempt. the policy made complete sense with what we knew/understood about Covid and vaccine at the time. Based on what we know now it’s a shame it hasn’t already been reversed and men like this kept in the fold.
Sure thing. This will Be fairly general. At the time is was scientific and medical consensus that the vaccine not only prevented vaccine recipient from contracting the virus but also prevented transmission/ spread to others. So it made complete sense to mandate a vaccine to assure readiness. Now it’s it scientific and medical consensus that it does neither and it’s primary benefit is preventing severe Covid. the benefits for 25yo rescue swimmer is negligible and certainly not worth pushing out highly skilled/ highly and expensively trained individuals .
As a point of information discharge from the military for refusal to accept mandatory vaccinations predates the Covid vax by decades. It's not a new policy. Military court upholds discipline of soldier who refused anthrax vaccine - United States v. Washington, 57 M.J. 394, 399 (C.A.A.F.2002) CNN - Marine gets 30 days in jail, bad conduct discharge for refusing anthrax vaccine - June 17, 1999 https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/RS21414.pdf Likewise, the military has broad authority in dealing with its personnel, both military and civilian, including the protection of their health.80 Military regulations require American troops to be immunized against a number of diseases, including tetanus, diphtheria, influenza, hepatitis A, measles, mumps, rubella, polio, and yellow fever.81 Inoculations begin upon entry into military service, and later vaccines depend upon troop specialties or assignments to different geographic areas of the world. Courts have upheld the legality of military mandatory vaccination orders. For example, in United States v. Chadwell,82 two U.S. Marines refused to be vaccinated against smallpox, typhoid, paratyphoid, and influenza because of their religious beliefs.83 In upholding the convictions, the Navy Board of Review court (now the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals) stated that religious beliefs were not above military orders and that “to permit this would be to make the professed doctrines of religious belief superior to military orders, and in effect to permit every soldier to become a law unto himself.”84 Federal courts do not appear to contradict this reasoning. One district court, in reviewing a denial of a discharge decision of the Commandant of the Marine Corps under an “arbitrary and capricious standard,” noted the lawfulness of the military’s anthrax vaccination program, and noted military commanders’ “overriding responsibility to protect the health and safety of American military personnel by administering appropriate vaccines when faced with the growing threat of biological and chemical weaponry.” 85 Likewise, the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld a Department of Defense policy of using unapproved, investigational drugs on military members in combat situations without their consent.86 Finally, in two recent cases the plaintiffs were discharged from the military for refusing to receive anthrax vaccinations. They brought claims challenging the Secretary of the Air Force’s denial of their requests to correct the disciplinary records on the matter from their files. In both cases, the District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the decision of the Board for the Correction of Military Records was not arbitrary and capricious.
Meh. It’s like a flu shot now. Which are also required for all coast guard. Those prevent spread and serious illness about the same as the covid vaccine. If he was getting fired over the flu shot how would you feel? The same? I doubt it. This is just a politically charged issue now and it’s such a shame.
i never argued against vaccine mandates In general. What we know about anthrax and measles hasn’t changed in the last 2 years. As I said it was the best decision at the time based on what was accepted consensus at the time and expected benefits of The vaccine. That has evolved into what is accepted now and that is the vaccine is very effective in preventing severe Covid. Not trying to change anyones mind, just an shame that the policy hasn’t evolved and technician second class loesch will Be discharged.
If the unvaccinated guy gets long COVID that disables him for years, should the government have to pay him disability and pay his medical bills?
It will anyway, the disability system is one of the easiest scams out there, and who do you think pays unpaid hospital bills? We do through higher costs!
Sure agreed but when I was in the military at 18-20 and healthy I would have balked at an experimental, largely untested injection for a minor illness that common sense says will be endemic like many other mild illnesses. This isn't a vaccine that's been tested for decades. Do you believe that soldiers should blindly trust the government that all it's injections and drugs are good? What if they decided to give soldiers syphilis and fake medication to see how it progresses untreated? Just follow orders? Btw you don't have to follow orders, there's always the choice to not do so and face consequences. You'd hope the consequences wouldn't be to discharge some of our best and brightest for not wanting an experimental vaccine for a cold but if that's the decision.
How much questioning of authority in the military is healthy? Since you’ve served, why don’t you tell me?
There's plenty of instances in history where the military authority has been wrong. Being a soldier doesn't require blindly following all orders. There's a difference between being ordered to move to a position under fire or pull 24 hour staff duty and injecting an experimental cocktail with no real benefits and unknown side effects. Do you hold the position that all military orders throughout history have been good and should be followed? Odd take but ok. Edit to add- for a more direct answer, you should question it when there is no objective benefit and distinct possibility of unknown harm to yourself and/or others. If you're told to remove your gas mask because you're following safety air testing protocol and you're the lowest rank there's a clear objective and benefit. If you're told instead to walk into a room and inject something with no benefit to anyone and unknown side effects you should probably question it.
