“The Soldier will remain flagged until they are fully vaccinated, receive an approved medical or administrative exemption, or are separated from the Army.” “I authorize commanders to impose bars to continued service…for all soldiers who refuse the mandatory vaccine order without an approved exemption or pending exemption request,” Wormuth wrote in the memo. This flag will bar them from being promoted, reenlisting, continuing to receive enlistment bonuses, attending service-related schools, or receiving tuition assistance. 16 memo, signed by Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, says troops’ service records will be flagged the day they make their final vaccine refusal, which follows a meeting with a medical professional and a secord order to get vaccinated. The new directive applies to active-duty troops as well as reservists and National Guardsmen, including those serving in states whose governors do not require the vaccine. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.Soldiers who refuse to get the COVID-19 vaccine and have not requested an exemption will no longer be allowed to re-enlist or be promoted, effectively ending their military careers. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at for further information. KASLER: In the meantime, Governor Mike DeWine says there's so much uncertainty with the surge that he hasn't decided if or when he'll try to deploy more Guard personnel.įor NPR News, I'm Karen Kasler in Columbus.Ĭopyright © 2022 NPR. Our soldiers - our part-time soldiers have until then, and some of them are just going to wait close to the deadline. The Department of Defense has issued a deadline. JOHN GOHEEN: For much of the American public, getting vaccinated is a choice. John Goheen with the National Guard Association of the United States says he isn't sure why the vaccination rate here remains so low. And it's lower still than the National Guard's national average of just over 61%. KASLER: The 56% vaccination rate for the Ohio Army National Guard is just below the state's vaccination rate of 59%. We're going to continue to push that with our troops. So look, we're not happy with where we are. The best way for you to be protected is to get the vaccinations. DeWine says he's frustrated with the number of unvaccinated Guard troops.ĭEWINE: Some of our testing places - 40- to 45% of the people are testing positive, so this is a high-risk operation. KASLER: While Ohio's Republican governor opposes mandates, he's also been a strong supporter of COVID vaccines. I am disappointed that there is so much conflicting information that makes it a very difficult decision. HARRIS: I certainly don't want to vilify the people who aren't taking the vaccine. Harris has moved up the vaccine deadline for his troops to March 31, but he won't criticize those who are waiting. KASLER: The vaccination rate among the Ohio Air National Guard is around 93%, but their vaccination deadline was last November - not this coming June. And this medical readiness is the exact same thing. JOHN HARRIS JR: I would never put a soldier or airman in harm's way without the best protection we could put on them - body armor, helmets. Ohio National Guard Adjutant General, Major General John Harris Jr. ![]() That means nearly half of Guard members aren't available. But the Ohio Army National Guard's vaccination rate is just 56%. And though some Ohio hospitals have suspended COVID vaccine requirements for their own employees, Guard personnel must have those shots to be deployed on hospital missions. The Pentagon has set a June 30 COVID vaccination deadline for all National Guard members. JOHN PALMER: So they're really focused in three areas with medics and clinical support, with the non-clinical support in the areas of food service, environmental services and then transportation, helping to get patients around the facility. KASLER: John Palmer with the Ohio Hospital Association says the troops will join around a thousand others already called up to go to more than 35 hospitals and other health care facilities. ![]() ![]() KAREN KASLER, BYLINE: Days after announcing a second round of 1,250 Ohio National Guard personnel deployments to hospitals, a fully masked Governor Mike DeWine and his wife Fran greeted dozens of Guard members today as they showed up at a Columbus facility to learn where they'll be sent. As Karen Kasler reports, turns out not all Ohio Guard members are available for that mission. Guard personnel are now being deployed to hospitals in five states including Ohio, which has the fourth highest COVID hospitalization numbers in the country. Across the country, National Guard troops have been deployed since early in the pandemic at food banks, COVID testing sites and at makeshift hospitals.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |