More than 200 active and retired service members have signed an open letter calling for U.S. military leaders to be held accountable for the enforcement of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
The vast majority of active-duty troops in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps got the vaccine when the mandate was instituted in August 2021 after the Pfizer vaccine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The Department of Defense said some 98 percent of active-duty troops had been vaccinated by December 2022.
However, the mandate forced more than 8,400 troops out of the military for refusing to obey a lawful order when they declined to get the vaccine. The vaccine mandate was formally dropped early in 2023.
In the letter, which was posted on X, formerly Twitter, on January 1, the signatories said they would “do everything morally permissible and legally possible to hold our own leadership accountable.”
Newsweek has contacted Brad Miller, the former Army officer who organized the letter, for comment via LinkedIn. The Department of Defense has been contacted for comment via email.
At 4am EST today (a few min ago), senior military leaders received an email with a letter attached called the Declaration of Military Accountability. I know because I sent the email. I sent it on behalf of myself & 230 other signatories of the letter. The letter is not addressed… pic.twitter.com/jFkF3FmcA8
— Brad Miller (@BradMiller1010) January 1, 2024
The letter said that “while implementing the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, military leaders broke the law, trampled constitutional rights, denied informed consent, permitted unwilling medical experimentation, and suppressed the free exercise of religion.
“Service members and families were significantly harmed by these actions. Their suffering continues to be felt financially, emotionally, and physically. Some service members became part of our ever-growing veteran homeless population, some developed debilitating vaccine injuries, and some even lost their lives.”
It accused military leaders of “continuing to ignore our communications regarding these injuries and the laws that were broken.”
Service members who were discharged for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine were not reinstated after the mandate was rescinded. A memo signed by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in January 2023 said those who were discharged for refusing the vaccine received either an honorable discharge or a general discharge under honorable conditions. Anyone who was discharged can petition their military service to request a change in the “characterization of their discharge” in their personnel records, the memo said.
The letter sent on Monday named several top commanders, some now retired, that “enabled lawlessness and the unwilling experimentation on service members.”
They include Gen. Mark Milley, who stepped down as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff last year, and Gen. James McConville, who was chief of staff of the Army from 2019 until last year.
Soldiers file paperwork before being administered their COVID-19 vaccinations on September 9, 2021, in Fort Knox, Kentucky. More than 200 active and retired service members have signed an open letter calling for U.S. military leaders to be held accountable for the enforcement of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
Jon Cherry/Getty Images
“They betrayed the trust of service members and the American people,” the letter said. “Their actions caused irreparable harm to the Armed Forces and the institutions for which we have fought and bled.
“These leaders refused to resign or take any other action to hold themselves accountable, nor have they attempted to repair the harm their policies and actions have caused.”
The letter said that its signatories would work to “recall from retirement the military leaders who broke the law” and “convene courts-martial for the crimes they committed.”
Among the signatories are some military veterans who are running for Congress in 2024, including Cameron Hamilton, a former Navy SEAL running in Virginia’s 7th congressional district.
“It was an easy decision to sign this. I am committed to defending liberty and ensuring accountability within our government,” Hamilton, a Republican, wrote on X.
Chris Coulombe, a veteran running in California’s 2nd congressional district, said he was “proud” to be among the signatories.
“The vaccine mandate isn’t just about policy—it’s about the profound impact on our troops, our institutions, and the principles that guide our country,” Coulombe wrote on X.
“We’re calling for real accountability, seeking to repair the trust and uphold the values at the heart of our military.”
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