Even though the U.S. military has rescinded the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, an attorney alleges that some service members who refused to get the shot are still facing retaliatory action.
Regarding service members who sought religious accommodation to the COVID-19 vaccine, Attorney R. Davis Younts, a retired lieutenant colonel, told The Epoch Times that many of his clients “are facing retaliation for their religious convictions and some commanders are using every administrative process possible to find ways to end their career or simply make continued service miserable.”
Younts says he is seeing a “disturbing trend” for those who previously objected to the COVID-19 vaccine for religious reasons and concerns about the vaccine’s efficacy. Over the past several weeks, he has become aware of at least eight members of the Air Force who have had their security clearances threatened.
In what he called an interesting example, Younts said that an airman “was picked for a random polygraph in early 2022.” It was the service member’s first polygraph examination in nearly seven years. Interestingly, it occurred 30 days before his separation from service, which was initiated before any protections offered by a federal injunction for any member of the Air Force seeking religious exemptions to the COVID-19 vaccine.
“He should not have been on the list [for polygraph examination],” Younts said. “Pulling his clearance was not based on failing the polygraph, but based on some of the things he said about the stress of getting kicked out of the military and his lack of trust in military leaders to follow the rule of law.”
Younts said of another airman who had his clearance pulled, “The only thing they could say is that they had a loss of trust in his judgment.”
He said a lack of judgment is a rare reason to lose one’s security clearance, although it does occur. “But it’s usually accompanied by allegations of other misconduct or a clear pattern of irresponsible behavior.”
According to Younts, “What was cited as justification for lack of judgment was a 2021 submission of information to [the airman’s] chain of command about why he was going to be seeking a religious accommodation [to the COVID-19 vaccine].”
The airman wrote “a very detailed letter” to his leadership, outlining why he was objecting to the vaccine and the potential risks of the vaccine.
The airman expressed sincere concern about the efficacy of the vaccine and shared scientific studies related to the body’s natural immunity. In response, his command wrote a memo that said that “he was providing inaccurate and misleading information.” Younts said the airman is appealing the decision to revoke his security clearance.
Younts said that he recently learned that an Air National Guard officer is also fighting to retain his security clearance. “His alleged misconduct was flying an Appeal to Heaven flag and an upside-down American flag from his personal flagpole at his private residence,” Younts said.
“His home is not located on or near any military installation, and the flags were flown as a symbol of distress during the lockdown period of the COVID pandemic.
“The act of flying this flag is now being twisted to challenge his trustworthiness, judgment, and loyalty.”
An Emerging Pattern
The Department of Defense and members of command are threatening to take security clearances from service members when there’s “no clear legal justification” for it, Younts said.“But what is clear is that there seems to be an emerging pattern targeting military members who were opposed to the vaccine mandate,” he said.
“Outside of the mental gymnastics it takes to suggest these service members disobeyed a so-called lawful order enforcing an illegal, experimental drug, these service members engaged in no misconduct.
“Yet commanders are starting to pull their security clearances.”
So far, the clearance issues Younts is aware of are isolated to the Air Force. But he said he remains concerned about other branches of service.
“Across the board, various administrative processes are continuing to purge from the military any individual who had strong religious reasons for opposing the vaccine,” he said. Pulling the security clearances of some of its members is just another way to do that.
“The careers of anyone who had the mental clarity and courage to think for themselves and do independent research are still in jeopardy,” Younts said. “In these examples, the loss of a security clearance means service members are potentially going to be forced to change career fields or be forced out [of the military].
“Sadly, there’s still a swath of people, some of whom are my clients, who are getting kicked out of the military even though there is no longer a mandate.”
Neither the Pentagon nor the Air Force responded by press time to requests by The Epoch Times for comment.
