By J.M. Phelps | World Net Daily
A former Space Force officer’s objection to the military’s Biden-era COVID-19 vaccine mandate still haunts him over three years later.
WorldNetDaily spoke to Joshua Zermeno, a former officer who dedicated part of his career to space superiority, having served in the U.S. military for 13 years.
In August 2021, Zermeno objected to then-Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s military COVID-19 shot mandate, questioning both its “efficacy and legality.”
For this, he received two Letters of Reprimand (LORs) and a “Do Not Promote” recommendation that blocked his promotion to major. He was also banned from government buildings and required to work from home.
With his career collapsing in front of him, Zermeno attempted to voluntarily separate from the military in October 2021, but was told his separation was “not in the best interest of the Air Force and Space Force.”
In the week following this statement, he said base leadership initiated Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) action against him.
Despite the rescission of the COVID-19 shot mandate in January 2023, he was passed over for promotion a second time. Seven months later, he was forced to separate from the military entirely.
Nevertheless, Zermeno would consider returning to Space Force, but has been offered “zero guidance” from the Department of Defense and the Air Force’s Total Force Service Center, which manages Space Force matters.
The former Space Force officer said stories like his are among “the most censored topics globally.”
He pointed out, “Many service members and veterans have turned to social media to share their experiences, but censorship limits reach, and account deletions risk erasing these stories.” Even his own X account has been “targeted and tagged with ‘Visibility limited: this Post may violate X’s rules against Hateful Conduct,’ despite its professional content.”
To counter the censorship, Zermeno published “DISOBEYING AN UNLAWFUL ORDER: A SPACE FORCE OFFICER’S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM” in June 2025.
It was written “to preserve history of military’s COVID-19 shot mandate permanently,” he said, adding that his desire is for the book to reach current and future military leaders to “study, learn from, and prevent such mistakes from ever happening again.”
He told WND, “Current and future military leaders must understand the mandate’s impact on service members, families, force readiness, and national security to learn from these mistakes.”
In the book, Zermeno reveals:
“This memoir is my raw, unfiltered reckoning: an exposé that dismantles the military’s false narratives, revealing a mandate that crushed free thinkers who dared to question right from wrong.
Its brutal side effect was a purge of some of the military’s sharpest minds, leaving shattered lives across every branch through coercion, public shaming and ruthless career destruction.
I was one of tens of thousands of individuals purged from service – skilled professionals whose training, experience and institutional knowledge can’t be replaced by new recruits, a loss that weakened our military’s readiness at a time when global threats demand strength.”
According to Zermeno, “The COVID-19 mandate ranks among the gravest errors in military history and must not be forgotten.”
He adds, “Service members, force readiness and national security continue to feel its negative impacts,” adding that “the mandate negatively affected tens of thousands of service members – hundreds of thousands including spouses and children.”
Because he continues to advocate for righting the wrongs associated with the mandate, it appears the attacks against Zermeno have not ended.
Ten days after publishing his book, his current employer was contacted by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) to initiate a supplemental information request about his eligibility for Top Secret clearance.
He recently wrote about the ordeal on X:
For Zermeno, the inquiry from the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency is not a coincidence. He continues to wait to hear more from DCSA, as his second career – one that requires Top Secret clearance – hangs in the balance.
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J.M. Phelps is a contributing writer for WND with a focus on threats to the U.S. military and national security. He also writes for the Epoch Times, American Family News and the Gateway Pundit. Follow him on X at @JMPhelpsLC
First published on World Net Daily
DISOBEYING AN UNLAWFUL ORDER: A SPACE FORCE OFFICER’S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM
By Joshua Michael Zermeno
Book Description:
A decorated Air Force and Space Force officer stood against an unlawful order, risking it all. Disobeying An Unlawful Order: A Space Force Officer’s Fight for Freedom is the gripping memoir of Joshua Zermeno, who defied the Department of Defense’s 2021 COVID-19 vaccine mandate—a policy later declared unlawful—while serving at the forefront of America’s space operations.
Zermeno began with years of experience in maintenance and aircrew operations, but his expertise soared as one of the first officers in the U.S. Space Force. At Vandenberg Space Force Base, he managed National Security Space Launch missions, developed and evaluated Western Range spacelift operations in support of the POTUS-directed Assured Access to Space Initiative, led mission assurance and fleet surveillance for SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launches, supported NASA’s Ascent Abort-2 mission, and ensured the success of the X-37B space plane’s recovery operations. Amid the 2020 pandemic, Zermeno developed remote launch operations that kept Vandenberg’s missions active, training an 81-member multi-agency technical team to execute them. Yet in 2021, the mandate struck. Facing reprimands, UCMJ punishments, and a “Do Not Promote” order, Zermeno refused to comply, prioritizing his principles and family.
Banished from government buildings for 20 months, Zermeno endured isolation and psychological warfare. Though the mandate was rescinded in January 2023, he was still involuntarily separated later that year after 13 years of service for punishments related to vaccine refusal. His fight found vindication in 2025 when Sec. Def. Pete Hegseth declared the mandate unlawful.
Through a searing account, Zermeno exposes the mandate’s toll on his family and national security. A story of courage and conviction, this memoir resonates with readers of military history, space exploration, and ethical debates. Step into the Space Force’s frontier and witness a battle for freedom. Get your copy today.
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