Some background from X on what’s been happening regarding reinstatements back to the military.
From STARRS General Counsel Mike Rose, who leads our Operation Rescue & Restore: Please scan through the communications below showing dramatically the need for STARRS, the MacArthur Society, the Calvert Task Group, the academies AOG, Congress, and others to press the highest levels of the DOW/Pentagon/White House to change the systems to implement timely and effective remedies, i.e., Operation Rescue and Restore. The suffering by innocent victims described below is disgraceful and heartbreaking.
Kayla Martin @Kayla3Martin
August 5th I was contacted by a SMsgt to start the process of a waiver, to get back in Security Forces. I was denied by the career field manager because the VA labeled me with an adjustment disorder. A week later this SMsgt called me to confirm if I want to go ahead with the wavier, I said yes.
On September 11th I was approved for reinstatement. Nowhere in my reinstatement says anything about my AFSC. I didn’t worry because I was getting a waiver. Then the end of September I called and asked for an update. An answer wasn’t given, just asked to email my approved reinstatement.
Told (end of last week)that he would have to email the BCMR and some higher ups on Tuesday (today). Yesterday I figured why wait till Tuesday. So I emailed the higher up yesterday.
Today I received an email from this higher up, that a waiver was never routed up! This email was cc to the SMsgt and BCMR.
20 minutes after that email, the SMsgt called me. Saying that there is no process for this waiver. I would have to resubmit a DD149 with all my documents and evidence that I am mentally fine to be it back in security forces. And it would go against the denial from the career field manager. So my word against theirs!
So if there is no waiver process, why was I contacted in the first place by this SMsgt. Why was my information routed to him. And if something changed why wasn’t I informed. I’ve been waiting for nothing. I could have selected another AFSC by now and have orders!
Also if I go through the BCMR process again, it would take months. And apparently SECAF is being bombarded with people wanting reinstatement if they only get Hickam AFB (an example given).
Why am I (we) getting punished! All we ever wanted to do, is to do our job and be left alone. All of us asking for reinstatement were/ are the back bone on the military. This is THE WAR on WARRIORS!!!
@PeteHegseth, @SecWar, @SecAFOfficial, @matthewlohmeier, @SeanParnellASW, @USW_PR_HONTata, @KacyJDixon, @JordanLkarr, @MCBashaw
Last edited 12:01 PM · Oct 7, 2025 17.1K Views
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Under Secretary of War Anthony J. Tata @USW_PR_HONTata
· Oct 7
I am discussing w my team right now. Unacceptable.
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Jordan Karr @JordanLkarr
· Oct 7
COVID REINSTATEMENT:
I am so frustrated. It’s been 9 months since POTUS signed his EO. 3 reinstatements have occurred (all within the last month). That is abysmal!
The above testimony is what almost every member is dealing with. Unanswered questions, unknown timelines, too many cooks in the kitchen that don’t know what they are doing. Now her timeline is messed up because she was told a waiver was being routed, only to be told that it isn’t!
If a Task Force was established, these issues would be handled efficiently and effectively @SecWar! But no TF has been established. Instead, we have mediocre policy updates every couple months. @DoD_USD_PR
At what point will someone in a position of authority say “ENOUGH!”?
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John Frankman @JohnFrankmanFL
One year ago today, I met President Trump & asked him how he would repair the military from the damage done by the COVID shot mandate & hold leaders accountability. He said he wanted troops to be reinstated with back pay & would hold leaders accountable by “firing their assess.”
One year later, the number of reinstatements is abysmal and there is no accountability for senior leaders who carried out unlawful orders against their subordinates. In this video and others it is clear Trump & @SecWar intend to bring as many service members back as possible. The sabotaged reinstatement process is overly tedious & complicated. The linguistic framing of reinstatement policies is Orwellian Biden-era lies. Benefits promised to SMs are withheld, & no senior leader was explicitly fired or held accountable for COVID tyranny.
Under the current policy, SMs aren’t receiving full back pay as the pay they should receive is deducted from anything they earned as a civilian from the date they were kicked out to their reinstatement date.
The current policy language fails to acknowledge all were coerced by the mandate & distinguishes between the involuntarily & the “voluntarily” separated which precludes those who were coerced, punished, & left rather than wait to get kicked out from receiving backpay.
Language such as “separated solely for not getting the shot” is used rather than inclusively considering everyone who would still be serving if not for the shot.
Returning SMs need to go through the MEPS (military entrance processing station) & the BCM/NR (board of corrections for military/naval records) process & submit W-2s to show how much they earned as a civilian since being forced out. Even if they return to service, there is no establish guidance or policy to help them get their careers back on track.
What’s more, bc there has been zero accountability, they have to return to work for the same “leaders” who punished them thru carrying out an unlawful order.
Under the current guidance, I would receive nothing and am considered “voluntarily” separated as I didn’t leave “solely” for COVID shot refusal even tho I lost out on deployments, team time, & the career opportunity to teach at West Point for not getting the COVID shot & left rather than wait to get kicked out.
Yesterday @USW_PR_HONTata published new guidance that failed to implement anything dozens of us affected by the mandate recommended to him in a “listening” session last month.
He stated, “We’re fully committed to supporting our warfighters impacted by the COVID vaccine mandate. Last month, we held a reinstatement listening session to better understand their concerns.”
His memo outlines the actions @DoD_USD_PR took to address them & next steps. It’s not just ignoring what we said, it’s running out the clock and disenfranchising the thousands of service members of conscience @SECWAR wants to return to formation. The only saving grace is the reinstatement of COL @KevinBouren.
If courageous & bold actions aren’t taken, tens of thousands of troops who left bc of the mandate will never return, the damage will go unrepaired, leaders who carried out the mandate will continue to shape the military culture, and this WILL happen again.
Last edited 5:56 PM · Oct 4, 2025 · 221.5K Views
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Andrew Masters @AndrewPMasters
President Trump has promised reinstatement of service members who were separated for disobeying the unlawful COVID-19 vaccine mandate as far back as 3 years ago during his announcement for his 2024 campaign run.
He promised it consistently over the next 2 years, leading up to his election on 5 November 2024. He promised it again on Inauguration Day, 20 January 2025. Seven days later, on 27 January 2025, he signed Executive Order 14184: “Reinstating Service Members Discharged Under the Military’s COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate.”
“Promises made, Promises kept” has been thrown around a lot since Inauguration Day, and by and large this is a fair statement for many of the President’s actions. For those actively pursuing reinstatement though, “promises kept” has been an uphill battle.
Over the almost 9 months since EO 14184 was signed, there have been no less than 10 memorandums directing policy by the DOW, 3 “listening sessions,” with high-level leaders, countless OPS FLASHs from the respective branches, thousands of emails between those seeking reinstatement and HR, DOW, recruitment, etc… and what looks like only 3 service members reinstated from start to finish via this current policy. A couple of Officers and an NCO. (If someone wants to aCkShUaLlY me on that number, feel free to correct the record.
For perspective, the President signed Proclamation 10886: “Declaring a National Emergency at the Southern Border of the United States,” on Inauguration Day and within weeks, days even, troops had largely secured the border, and by July encounters were down by nearly 100% from the previous year. Promises made, Promises kept.
The issue here isn’t that reinstatement is too complex, the issue here is POLITICAL WILL.
When the system and the individuals that were responsible for kicking service members out are left in charge to bring them back in, what did leadership expect would happen? Sincerity doesn’t lead to results – decisive action does. And decisive action is exactly what this reinstatement process has been missing since 27 January 2025.
We don’t need our leaders to surround themselves with people who are easily tossed back-and-forth by the waves and blown around by the wind – people who quickly scrub their bios of any mention of DEI and their involvement in the purge that took place from 2021-2024.
@POTUS, @SecWar, @USW_PR_HONTata
God has given each one of you this moment. Romans 8:31. DON’T STOP.
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Thomas Rempfer @rempfer_thomas
· Oct 5
We’re witnessing a courageous crew of covid-era Vets continuing to provide candid feedback to our leaders until full and fitting relief occurs. Hopefully @SecWar & @USW_PR_HONTata are still listening and will get it right.
@PeteHegseth recently affirmed, “Every day we are working to undo the wrongs of the unlawful COVID Vax Mandate. Much more to be done, but we won’t stop.”
Despite significant progress compared to historic inaction in correcting the injustices of the illegal anthrax-era mandate, the current half measures rightly frustrate covid-era veterans who recognize the existential implications of an acknowledged unlawful order without aggressive and timely corrections and accountability, especially after requesting these veterans assistance.
Hopefully our leaders will continue to strengthen their policy, direct a strategic reset, include these subject matter experts in the process, and also fix the unfinished zero-cost anthrax-era discharge upgrades as well.
Much more to be done — don’t stop!
Citations:
Defense Secretary Orders Additional Remedies, More Clarity on COVID-19 Reinstatements… https://share.google/KFJOQrwg0lJSUROXd
@SecWar post-listening session quote…
https://x.com/PeteHegseth/status/1963724411942604903?s=19
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Jordan Karr @JordanLkarr
· Oct 4
It’s been 9 months since the EO was signed and there’s been maybe a handful of people reinstated. The first 2 (Travis and Kevin) occurred just this week. “Personnel is policy” seems to be accurate.
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Under Secretary of War Anthony J. Tata @USW_PR_HONTata
We’re fully committed to supporting our warfighters impacted by the COVID vaccine mandate. Last month, we held a reinstatement listening session to better understand their concerns. Yesterday, we released a memo outlining the actions we’ve taken to address them & next steps.
This memo designates senior leader POCs at each of the Services & describes the special-category VIP treatment we’ve implemented at MEPS. It also highlights our efforts to begin evaluating broader remedies for our affected warriors & to conduct a review of COVID policy decisions.
Change doesn’t happen overnight, and we know there’s more we’ll need to do to remedy this situation for our impacted warriors. We’re going to continue to evaluate & improve our COVID reinstatement efforts. Rest assured that we won’t stop until we’ve made things right.
12:58 PM · Oct 3, 2025 · 12.3K Views
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