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Three cadets from the Air Force Academy, who were initially told they would not be allowed to graduate because of their refusal to be vaccinated against coronavirus, will receive their diplomas this month, but will not receive commissions.
The board of the Academy conducted a “standard examination” and recommended that the three graduates receive bachelor’s degrees, according to a press release from the school.
But the academy also said it “will not be enlisted in the United States Air Force as long as it remains unvaccinated” and that Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall will determine whether graduates will have to “reimburse the United States for education instead of service.”
And while the graduates will receive their diplomas, they will not be allowed to attend the graduation ceremony on May 25.
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U.S. Air Force Academy cadets celebrate graduation as a team of F-16 Air Force Thunderbirds fly over the academy on April 18, 2020 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
“This has been confirmed and is petty, vindictive, disrespectful and unnecessary,” attorney Mike Rose, one of the unvaccinated cadets, told The Washington Times.
This comes after Air Force officials said earlier this month that four cadets could fail to graduate or be hired as military officers and could be forced to pay thousands for training. The fourth graduate chose to be vaccinated and will now graduate and become an Air Force officer.
The Pentagon announced a mandate last year for a vaccine for military personnel, including those in military academies.
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FILE – This Friday, August 10, 2007, a photo of the file shows the logo of the US Department of the Air Force at the United States Embassy in Berlin. A new report, published on Monday, December 21, 2020, on racial differences in the Air Force, concludes that black service members are much more likely to be investigated, arrested, disciplined and fired for misconduct. (AP Photo / Michael Sohn, file)
“To protect this nation, we need a strong and ready force,” Defense Minister Lloyd Austin wrote in August. note. “After careful consultation with medical experts and the military leadership and with the support of the president, I decided that the mandatory vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is necessary to protect the Forces and protect the American people.
The fairness of military vaccination exemption reviews has been called into question by members of Congress, the military and the public, and numerous lawsuits have been filed against the mandate, focusing mainly on the fact that very few religious exceptions have been granted.
The Marine Corps, Navy, Army and Air Force have released nearly 4,000 members of active duty for refusing to be vaccinated. The latest figures from the services show that more than 2,100 Marines, 900 sailors, 500 army soldiers and 360 pilots have been fired. At least 50 servicemen were fired during initial training.
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Air Force Recruitment Center near Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Google Maps)
Soldiers who refused the vaccine without asking for release are still being released, while the dismissals of those involved in court cases are being delayed amid legal battles.
The military said about 20,000 servicemen had asked for religious release and that thousands of such applications had been rejected.
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About 99% of the Navy and 98% of the Air Force, Marine Corps and Army have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
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