Service members who refused COVID-19 vaccine say they face obstacles despite policy reversal

Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Caroline Crumbacker walks at Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy, on Jan. 12, 2022. Crumbacker, who refused the COVID-19 vaccine, said that despite a recent Defense Department reversal of the vaccine mandate, she is undecided about staying in the Navy past her enlistment end date. 

NAPLES, Italy — Some active-duty service members who refused the COVID-19 vaccine and faced expulsion from the military say a recent Defense Department announcement rescinding the mandatory inoculation order is a hollow victory.  

The action, which was announced this week by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and is required by the defense authorization bill passed last month, doesn’t address damage to military careers or restore the faith of service members sidelined by their refusal to take the vaccine, said Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Caroline Crumbacker.

“It feels like I should be able to take a breath and feel like I got the outcome I wanted,” said Crumbacker, who is assigned to Naval Support Activity Naples in Italy and isn’t certain whether she will continue her military career past her January 2025 enlistment end date. “But at the same time, I can’t let my guard down.” 

Crumbacker and other unvaccinated service members said they felt trivialized and ostracized because of their objections and were sidelined when it came to deployments, training and other opportunities. 

The Pentagon directive issued Tuesday lets commanders continue to decide whether unvaccinated service members are assigned or deployed to any country, including those with a vaccine requirement. Such restrictions may limit career progression.

“I feel like the next four years would be me trying to undo the past year-and-a-half, two years just to get back to the spot where I was already competitively (for advancement),” said Crumbacker, who at one time thought she would complete 20 years in the Navy. “Why would I want to stay in an organization that treated me like that when (I) was struggling?”

Although Austin rescinded his August 2021 mandate requiring troops to be vaccinated against COVID-19, he made it clear he believed the order was correct, saying the department would continue to promote and encourage the vaccinations. 

“All commanders have the responsibility and authority to preserve the department’s compelling interest in mission accomplishment,” Austin stated.

While the memo ended pending involuntary separations for unvaccinated service members who asked for waivers on religious, medical or administrative grounds, it didn’t help the thousands already pushed out of the service solely for refusing the vaccine. 

Austin said 96% of all active-duty and reserve service members combined are fully vaccinated.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says COVID-19 vaccinations are safe and effective in preventing disease and minimizing the risk of hospitalization or death in immunized people who contract the virus. 

A 2022 study found that mRNA vaccines were 90% effective in preventing death from COVID-19 in adults 60 days after they received a second booster shot, according to data on the CDC website.