WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The Department of Homeland Security has announced that 56 members of the U.S. Coast Guard who were dismissed from service for refusing to take the Covid-19 vaccine have been reinstated with back pay.
'56 members of the United States Coast Guard who were kicked out of the service over the COVID-19 vaccine have finally been reinstated with back pay - this is a victory for religious, personal, and medical freedom for all Americans - both in and out of uniform,' said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
'The last administration's vaccine mandates were unconstitutional, un-American, and a gross violation of personal freedom. It was no way to treat the men and women who put everything on the line to keep our country safe. President Trump is righting these wrongs and returning those unjustly removed members to service. This decision to reinstate these members of the Coast Guard is a major step in the right direction,' he added.
On August 21, 2021, the then Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had issued a mandate forcing all service members to take a Covid-19 vaccine. The mandate was rescinded on January 10, 2023. The Coast Guard then implemented a similar mandate which was rescinded on January 11, 2023.
On January 27, 2025, President Donald Trump had issued an Executive Order, which made reinstatement available for all service members who were discharged for refusing the vaccine.
As a result of that Executive Order, a three-member panel of the Board for Correction of Military Records of the Coast Guard voted upon Secretary Noem's recommendation to reinstate 56 members of the Coast Guard who were discharged because of their refusal to take the vaccine.
The Coast Guard will now retroactively reinstate these 56 members effective upon the date of their discharge, the Department of Homeland Security said in a press release.
This will ensure the service records of each member reflect a period of unbroken and continuous active service between the date of their vaccine-related discharge and their reinstatement to Coast Guard duty.
In accordance with the President's executive order, these Coast Guard members may be entitled to back pay and allowances, bonus payments, rank, and/or seniority in grade, as determined by the Coast Guard, DHS said.
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