'If in their heart and their mind, they say this is God’s will for my life, and if the answer is no, it’s going to shatter that faith because there’s no balance,' one Army chaplain said.
The provision was introduced by former Army doctor Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas, who said the measure is intended to ‘prevent Joe Biden from dishonorably discharging service members for choosing to not get the COVID vaccine.’
About 97% of active-duty Air and Space Force members have been vaccinated so far, but more than 1,000 have refused and another 4,700 have religious exemption requests pending.
Defiance of the jab mandate has led to concern the military could experience a significant depletion of its combat-ready forces, weakening its ability to respond to geopolitical threats.
The letter warns that the choice imposed on military servicemen facing the jab mandate is ‘between keeping their spiritual sovereignty or serving the nation.’
Two active duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces on Aug. 17 filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on behalf of themselves and 220,000 active service members who are being forced to get a COVID vaccine despite having had COVID and acquired natural immunity to SARS-CoV-2.