Marines have claimed in a brand new report that they’re being “crushed” by the Defense Department’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, with the army department declining to approve a single religious exemption utility. 

Several active-duty Marines spoke to Fox News Wednesday and alleged that among the Corps’ “best and brightest” had been being pressured out because of the requirement.

One lieutenant colonel advised the outlet the Pentagon was seeking to discharge members “as fast as they can and as brutally as they can, damaging every Marine as much as they can on the way out.” 

The officer claimed they had been warned by a colonel: “Tread very carefully, this is political, you will be crushed like an ant.”

“Do I want to continue serving in an institution that crushes people for bringing up reasonable points in defending their faith?” they requested.

A serious with over 17 years of energetic service within the Marines known as the vaccine mandate “an unconstitutional edict” that’s “targeted as a political purge.”

United States Marines line as much as obtain the Moderna coronavirus vaccine at Camp Hansen on April 28, 2021.Carl Court/Getty ImagesThe Marine Corps reported in November that 5 % of its 180,000-strong active-duty power had been unvaccinated on the deadline.Carl Court/Getty Images

“The louder I speak, the tighter the screws are turned against me,” a grasp sergeant additionally alleged.

As of final week, 169 Marines had been discharged from service for refusing the vaccine. Members of the Corps had till Nov. 28 to get at the least one COVID-19 vaccine dose until they filed for an exemption.

In late November, the Marine Corps reported that 5 % of its 180,000-strong active-duty power had been unvaccinated on the deadline, a complete of roughly 9,000.

According to a brand new report, 169 Marines had been discharged for not getting the mandated COVID-19 vaccine.Getty Images

As of Dec. 23, 3,192 religious exemption requests have been made and three,080 have been processed and denied, Marine Corps spokesman Capt. Ryan Bruce advised The Post.

While Marines are allowed to use for such concerns, Bruce mentioned that “no religious accommodations have been approved for any other vaccine in the past seven years.”

Some Marines who spoke with Fox News claimed their religious exemption functions have been declined with out consideration. Eight rejection letters offered to the outlet cited “military readiness” as the explanation behind the denial.

A Marine spokesperson mentioned that 3,192 religious exemption requests have been made and three,080 have been processed and denied.Carl Court/Getty Images

Others claimed that some Marines have submitted as much as 30 pages of fabric to again up their utility, solely to obtain a generalized rejection. 

“On the religious side, this is absolutely a travesty what’s happening,” a chief warrant officer mentioned. “People are getting blanket denials, they’re not addressing the individual concerns or beliefs of Marines who are submitting for religious accommodations, and I think that’s just horribly wrong. I honestly believe that they’re not really reading the packages.”

The Marine Corps says that the requests are finished on a case-by-case foundation “to ensure Marines receive due consideration,” in response to Bruce. The course of consists of evaluations from a three-member Religious Accommodation Review Board, well being providers and authorized consultants.

Some Marines have submitted 30 pages of proof of why they can not obtain the vaccine, solely to be rejected with a generic response.Carl Court/Getty Images

A provision within the lately enacted annual protection invoice ensures that service members who refuse the vaccine obtain both an honorable or basic discharge. However, some Marines who spoke to Fox worry they may face a court-martial, a declare Bruce denied Wednesday.

“If the sole basis for judicial action is refusal of the COVID-19 vaccine, that process [will] be handled administratively and will not rise to the level of a court-martial proceeding,” the spokesman mentioned.

“The Marine Corps has always recognized the threats posed by the COVID-19 pandemic as a readiness issue, which is why we have consistently emphasized the importance of receiving the vaccine,” Bruce added. “We are still ready to fight and win our nation’s battles should we be called.”



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