The United States Military Academy, better known as West Point, re-imposed restrictions on its unvaccinated cadets, despite the Department of Defense rescinding the military's Covid-19 vaccine mandate.
Throughout the past semester, West Point was no longer enforcing the policy that prevented the unvaccinated from traveling for sports or other events. However, the academy recently decided to take up enforcing the previous measure.
As reported by Just The News, the cadets attempted to file several requests for religious accommodations and medical exemptions, with the intention of being exempted from the vaccination requirement, but were denied. Since then, military lawyer R. Davis Younts has been speaking out and insists that there doesn't seem to be any justification for the policy change. "Is there suddenly a crazy spike in Covid deaths in West Point, New York," or is it because there isn't "anything left to coerce [the cadets] into compliance? "he said.
The measure would have been reinstated after the Pentagon lifted the vaccination mandate and just at a time when Congress is evaluating legislation that seeks to compensate military service members who were discharged for not getting vaccinated.
West Point reimposes travel ban on unvaxxed cadets, despite repeal of military vax mandate
Reversal comes as Congress considers bill seeking redress for military's discharged vaccine refuseniks.https://t.co/3MWz27RjZt
— Real America's Voice (RAV) (@RealAmVoice) January 30, 2023
The legislation not only calls on the Department of Defense to reinstate military members who were discharged by the mandate but also to pay them for any benefits lost during the time they were demoted or let go.
It would also prevent another policy on Covid-19 vaccination from being issued unless it has first been approved by Congress.
The proposal indicates that we must "make every effort to retain service members not vaccinated against Covid-19 providing them with professional development, promotion, and leadership opportunities equal to that of their peers; and provide a Covid-19 vaccine exemption process for service members with natural immunity, a relevant underlying health condition, or a sincerely held religious belief inconsistent with being vaccinated."
