Coast Guard Reinstates 56 Members Discharged Over COVID Vaccine

60 minutes ago

Originally posted by: Children's Health Defense

The U.S. Coast Guard reinstated 56 service members who were discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Tuesday.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the members will receive back pay and their records will reflect no break in service.

“This is a victory for religious, personal, and medical freedom for all Americans — both in and out of uniform,” Noem said in a statement.

She called the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate “unconstitutional, un-American, and a gross violation of personal freedom.” President Donald Trump is “righting these wrongs,” she said.

Pam Long, director of the Children’s Health Defense (CHD) Military Chapter, disputed Noem’s characterization.

“Americans are getting feel-good press releases and half the story on the military reinstatements after the unlawful experimental COVID vaccine mandate,” she said. “There is much-needed public pressure to get true accountability and restoration in the military.”

Thousands of service members forced out over vaccine mandates

The dispute began in August 2021, when then-U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered all service members to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The Coast Guard adopted a similar policy days later. Both mandates were rescinded in January 2023.

During the policy’s enforcement, the Coast Guard discharged 274 enlisted members solely for refusing the vaccine, according to DHS board records.

The U.S. Department of War, formerly the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), reported that the military discharged more than 8,000 service members across all branches over the vaccine.

Long said an additional 96,000 service members left during that period under what were labeled voluntary separations. However, she said many felt pressured to resign.

“They were coerced out. They were punished,” Long previously told The Defender. “They were given a general letter of reprimand. And a lot of them were not allowed to be promoted or were taken out of command, which is career-ending.”

‘Why would they return to an institution which betrayed them?’

On Jan. 27, 2025, Trump signed Executive Order 14184 directing the military to facilitate reinstatement for service members discharged over the mandate.

On Feb. 12, 2026, a three-member panel of the Coast Guard’s Board for Correction of Military Records voted to reinstate 56 members. Board documents state that Noem asked the panel in May 2025 to correct the records of members discharged solely for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.

Of the 274 discharged Coast Guard members, 69 had already been reinstated before the latest vote. The Coast Guard said its “Return 2 Service” team contacted the remaining 205 to offer reinstatement “at their previously held rate and rank.”

According to Long, 149 have refused to return. “Why would they return to an institution which betrayed them?” she asked.

Military offering ‘apology’ but ‘no guarantee it would not happen again’

Long also questioned whether the reinstated members will receive full compensation.

“Thus far, reinstatements include restoration of rank and seniority in grade, but back pay is not guaranteed,” she said. “Most members will be disqualified from backpay if they were paid in civilian employment after discharge.”

The Associated Press reported in April 2025 that wages in civilian jobs are deducted from any military back pay.

While Noem said the 56 members “have finally been reinstated with back pay,” the DHS press release states that members “may be entitled to back pay and allowances … as determined by the Coast Guard.”

Reinstatement efforts have moved slowly across the military.

Col. Kevin Bouren, who leads the Army’s COVID Reinstatement and Reconciliation Task Force, wrote on LinkedIn that the Army had completed 10 reinstatements as of January 2026.

For Long, the pace reflects a larger failure of accountability.

“Little progress has been made on reinstatement across branches because the branches are offering an ‘apology’ only and return to the same chain of command that illegally discharged members,” she said.

While most discharged service members received honorable discharges, more than 4,000 were classified as general — one step below honorable, the War Department reported. Nearly 900 have since been upgraded, but more than 3,000 cases remain under review.

In a December 2025 memo, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth directed the military to review cases and “facilitate appropriate discharge upgrades” where appropriate.

But more needs to be done, according to Long. She compared the situation to a private-sector employer firing a worker just short of retirement eligibility and later offering reinstatement without guarantees.

“Imagine if your employer ended your career just short of full retirement benefits, with a felony-like characterization (less than honorable discharge), and then offered you an ‘apology’ and to return to your old job, with no guarantee it would not happen again,” she said.

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Service members ‘still being discharged’ for refusing vaccines

Vaccine-related discipline didn’t end with the COVID-19 mandate, Long said. She pointed to ongoing flu vaccine mandates as evidence.

In May 2025, the Pentagon revised its flu vaccine policy for certain reserve members, who are no longer required to get the shot unless called to active duty for 30 consecutive days or more. Active-duty service members must still receive the flu vaccine.

“Healthy service members are still being discharged for influenza vaccine refusal,” Long said. She called for ending the flu mandate, reforming the religious accommodation process and reexamining policies that treat unvaccinated members as contagion risks.

Several lawsuits continue to challenge military vaccine policies.

In December 2025, CHD sued the DOD, alleging unlawful denial of religious exemptions. And in October 2025, a federal appeals court revived a separate religious discrimination lawsuit tied to the COVID-19 mandate.

Long said the Coast Guard announcement should not be viewed as a sweeping victory. She said:

“Kristi Noem says these reinstatements … are a ‘victory for religious, personal, and medical freedom.’ I wish I could celebrate this as a victory, but I know that military members and cadets at military academies are currently still being denied religious accommodations for the influenza vaccine.

“Members near 20 years of service are being forced out and losing the retirement they earned serving and defending this country. This is shameful, not something to celebrate.”

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