Post on X by Navy Surface Warfare Officer Levi Beaird – @leviathanatos02 – who describes his experience with the Covid vax mandate:
I was in Newport, RI, going through Dept. Head school when the mandate officially came out. In the early stages I was quite optimistic that my RAR would be approved – I’ve been a believer for 30+ years of my life, led worship in high school and college, and attended Bible college to be a pastor. I was too optimistic.
It was DEC and we were awaiting the arrival of our 4th, expected Christmas Day. On or about 2DEC, I received an email, no phone call, no sitdown chat with my chain of command, and was informed my RAR was denied. I believe this was a Friday. The email also stated I had 5 days to make a decision or submit an appeal. I emailed back to inquire about the timeline, bc CNO’s denial stated business days – the command did not honor that, Friday was day 1/5.
NAVADMINS were released regularly to inform commands how to deal with us, how to begin processing us out, informing us that bonus recoupment would begin, etc. I was on the hook for $200k in bonus and education costs – I had not received my latest scheduled bonus payment.
Christmas rolled around and our 4th was born. It was hard to enjoy Christmas, all I could think about was how I was going to pay back $200k, where I’d work next to provide, and that this was my second time being in the Navy in Newport – and also being separated by the Navy while in Newport.
I originally joined the in Navy in 2009. My lifelong dream was to fly jets. I was raised in Ft. Worth, TX. My dad and grandfather had worked at General Dynamics and Lockheed, on special occasions they opened the warehouse up to guests to see production, and watching the jets play was a daily occurrence. I once gave a presentation on thrust vectoring in the F16 – when I was in the 3rd or 4th grade. I was selected to attend OCS in 2009 as a pilot select. I was then medically separated for a tibial fracture 6mos later.
In 2012, through many years of applying to the Marines, being selected to be a special agent with the USSS and signing my benefits package – to it later being denied bc sequestration, I received a random phone call from my old NRD in Dallas – “I found your package in my office, do you still want to be an officer? You’ve been selected to be a SWO or go Supply.” I had no idea what either was. I was directed to watch Midway and have a response within a few days. I chose SWO.
I received my appeal denial the first or second week of January. I was informed that this was it. Nothing else could be done. No further appeals. Shortly after I was given my Letter of Misconduct/Reprimand and served my Notice to Show Cause. My administrative separation had begun. The only way to stop it and be invited back into the fold was to take the shot. I never once met with the XO or CO to personally discuss any of this.
“It is neither right nor safe to violate one’s conscience.” This was my hill to die on. “To him who knows good and does not do it – is to sin.”
I stood my ground and rejected their offer to take the shot, receive my bonus, and continue on in my career and financial security – trading it for uncertainty and high financial loss.
Around this same time the Navy Seals/First Liberty had an ongoing lawsuit against the mandate. As a result, NAVADMINs were updated regularly, as directed by the courts. It’s because of this mandate that I was able to continue on in the school I was in and graduate.
Upon graduation, I lost my orders and was sidelined. My peers continued on and I stayed at the school house for what turned out to be almost an additional year and a half. I’m still behind my peers and Navy has no desire to catch me back up.
Some time had passed (and without really going back through documents, the timeline in this thread is a little bit fuzzy) and I stumbled upon an article written by @BethBrelje. I commented on that article. Beth commented back.
Shortly after, I gave a phone interview to Beth. I was terrified. I’m not a rule breaker. I’m not a trouble maker. Putting my name and face into the public would make me easily targetable by Navy leaders above me and the general public. But, I had to. The majority of the public had no idea how we were being treated.
Some were being reported as AWOL bc they weren’t being let into their workplaces (bc they didn’t have the shot).
We lived under HPCON C measures for well over two years – only allowed to go to work and home, stopping for gas and groceries, only. Violation was punishable under UCMJ. Others were being segregated on ships, based upon their vax status, etc.
The DoD had lost its mind and the institution we loved had betrayed us all. The peers we entrust with our lives had turned against us.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg WRT how we were being treated.
Beth published her article. It brought enough attention to the atrocities that First Liberty found me. I became their only named plaintiff in the lawsuit. Behind the scenes I gathered stories from many others and fed them to the court to show Navy was not upholding their end of the bargain. I assisted in drafting much of what went up to the courts and fed them the latest guidance to the fleet.
Then I went on Fox News. I got to speak for about a minute and a half. If the Navy hadn’t seen Beth’s article, then they probably saw my face there.
Then @tedcruz heard about my story. He spoke about it on his podcast and how the mandate was damaging the military. He then invited me to the State of the Union. I obliged. I made eye contact with them CNO that night.
I had the opportunity to speak with him and @chiproytx in Ted’s hideaway room. We shared a Shiner and I told them both about how we were being treated and what I thought were best steps forward – How Navy was violating RFRA, and how they were treating their sailors. We were later invited into the drafting/revision of the NDAA. I was fortunate to read, edit, and provide feedback on the parts of the NDAA that killed the mandate.
Shortly after the mandate was repealed I negotiated a new set of orders, spoke at God Over Government for @RonDeSantis, and the rest is history.
What I don’t think I can ever flesh out – is quite how terrified I was stepping out publicly. It needed to be done, but the risk was – I lose it all. I get a more detrimental discharge and it harms my future hirability. The anxiety still lingers. Some that know my story, that disagree with my actions, still let me know they disagree. But, the lesson in all of it – many of us were just waiting for someone to step up. We needed someone to step up and be our voice. No one was coming to save us.
The heavy hitting leaders in the fight – @RobGreen1010 worked tirelessly for the cause, he wrote a book, went on podcasts and live news and better articulated our struggles, the illegality of the mandate, and provided so much guidance to me and others behind the scenes. @samosaur, ran his TerminalCWO and brought attention to far more atrocities afflicting the military than just the mandate. @JohnFrankmanFL, became a huge voice and gathered a lot of public attention for the cause.
@RealChapAmerica continues the fight for the Chaps Corps, to this day. There are several others to be named, @rempfer_thomas, etc- I’m just drawing a blank right now. I’m in bed with a 102 fever…
None of us wanted this fight. None of us wanted to take it on. None of us wanted to thrust our families into the mix and wager it all. But, NO ONE ELSE was going to do it.
We need accountability and restoration. It isn’t just for us – it’s about the voices we represented and restoring TRUST to the whole. So many sailors approach me and thank me for making a stand. They held as long as they could, but they didn’t want it – for various reasons. They, too, are morally injured.
1/2 – I was in Newport, RI, going through Dept. Head school when the mandate officially came out. In the early stages I was quite optimistic that my RAR would be approved – I’ve been a believer for 30+ years of my life, led worship in high school and college, and attended Bible… https://t.co/aQR7iraw3D
— Levi Beaird (@leviathanatos02) August 28, 2025
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