- About 40,000 National Guard soldiers and 22,000 reservists have still not been vaccinated
- The deadline for all guard soldiers to get immunized was June 30
- They will no longer be allowed to participate in federally funded drills
- 13 percent of guard soldiers and 12 percent of reservists still have not received their shots
- There have been 30,000 requests for religious and medical waivers from the requirement, but none have been granted
- The announcement comes as most ‘weekend warriors’ prepare for summer drills
More than 60,000 unvaccinated Army National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers will be barred from performing their military duties and have their pay and benefits cut because they refuse to get their shots, officials announced on Friday.
‘Soldiers who refuse the vaccination order without an approved or pending exemption request are subject to adverse administrative actions, including flags, bars to service, and official reprimands,’ according to a statement from the Army.
There are about 40,000 National Guard soldiers and 22,000 Reserve soldiers how have not been vaccinated.
New York National Guard soldiers shown here administer and receive Covid-19 vaccination
The announcement to bar unvaccinated soldiers from drills comes as most guardsmen and reservist prepare to partake in summer drills
The announcement comes as many of the so-called ‘weekend warriors’ would be taking time off to perform their compulsory two-week training drills for their units.
The military branch has raised the stakes for anti-vaxxer soldiers and promised to go one further and discharge their personnel if they continue to resist immunization.
‘In the future, soldiers who continue to refuse the vaccination order without an exemption may be subject to additional adverse administrative action, including separation,’ an Army representative said.
Across the military, the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps have discharged as many as 4,000 active duty service members for refusing the vaccine