4 years later, then-Secretary of Protection Lloyd Austin’s COVID-19 shot mandate nonetheless stirs feelings from all these affected. Whereas there at the moment are avenues for some service members to be reinstated, few have expressed curiosity when in comparison with the tens of hundreds now not serving.
After inspecting the COVID-19 reinstatement course of for service members affected by the now-rescinded shot mandate, Stuart Scheller took to social media to share his observations. Scheller at the moment serves as Senior Adviser to the Workplace of the Beneath Secretary of Protection for Personnel and Readiness.
This week I examined the COVID-19 reinstatement course of. Right here’s what I realized.
First, individuals want to know the distinction between involuntary and voluntary separation. If a service member refused the shot and was compelled out by way of administrative separation it was involuntary.…
— Stuart Scheller (@stuartscheller) July 26, 2025
Within the July 26 put up, one of many feedback Scheller wrote has been an ongoing matter of concern…and debate. He stated:
…many who exited the service due to poor therapy over the shot refusal need retribution. I get tagged every single day with posts questioning when commanders at each degree of the army can be thrown in jail for “illegally imposing the COVID vaccine.” That’s not going to occur. Time to maneuver ahead.
On July 28, J.M. Phelps reached out to Scheller, providing him the chance to make clear his feedback. A public assertion has not been returned.
Moments in the past, I despatched a letter on to Mr. Stuart Scheller. Concerning a few of his latest public statements, I’m merely searching for clarification for the tons of of service members I do know personally who had been adversely affected by the COVID-19 shot mandate. https://t.co/XGXNehuPRV pic.twitter.com/TlRseIlxhr
— J.M. Phelps (@JMPhelpsLC) July 28, 2025
A number of present and former service members had been additionally bowled over, having strongly advocated for the previous few years that many senior army leaders be held accountable for forcing the shot. Dr. Chase Spears, a retired U.S. Military public affairs officer, author, and host of the Discovering Your Backbone podcast, was a type of who pushed again.
I admire Stu’s work and transparency.
That stated, with out accountability, I stay unable to suggest army service to younger individuals who ask.
Why? As a result of the machine will outlive individuals like Stu, Hegseth, et al. If they permit lawbreaking commanders to stay, those self same… https://t.co/HrK6MeVzpq pic.twitter.com/gKXrxYpHRo
— Chase Spears (@DrChaseSpears) July 26, 2025
Dr. Spears’ put up resonated with many who agreed. And after a number of exchanges of opinion on the subject, Timothy Parlatore, the founder and managing accomplice of Parlatore Legislation Group, chimed in. One among his posts initiated a debate concerning the relationship between army commanders and army legal professionals, because it pertains to the earlier enforcement of the COVID-19 shot mandate.
Whereas I perceive your anger, legally it’s extra complicated. Whether or not an order was a lawful order or not, GOFOs must depend on the TJAGs recommendation. If, as right here, the TJAGs advised them it was lawful, the GOFOs don’t have a selection. Their reliance on that authorized recommendation would lead to…
— Timothy Parlatore (@timparlatore) July 28, 2025
Air Drive Col. (Ret.) Rob Maness took a powerful objection to Lawyer Timothy Parlatore’s protection of commanders, expressing in an opinion piece Commanders Should Face Accountability for the Illegal Vaccine Mandate.”
Maness, a former bomber squadron commander, host of the Rob Maness Present, and signer of the Declaration of Navy Accountability, spoke to The Gateway Pundit. “Once I noticed Mr. Parlatore’s remark concerning the authorized recommendation being required to be adopted by commanders, I couldn’t imagine it,” he stated. “That’s not even near the reality and is the alternative of what most commanders ought to imagine and is the alternative of what the fact is.”
“Commanders resolve, legal professionals advise,” he shared, saying “that’s the fact we’re taught as commanders.”
For that reason, he wonders why generals and admirals didn’t query the misguided recommendation supplied by Choose Advocates Basic (JAG) to pressure the COVID-19 shot on service members.
The mandate was “illegal as carried out,” and, in accordance with Maness, “searching for accountability for its illegal enforcement is what service members—previous and current—need in the beginning.” And for him, those that violated the best of service members should be “held accountable in a significant means.”
A scarcity of accountability is “very disappointing on knowledgeable degree,” Maness admitted. “On a private degree,” he stated, “it’s maddening to see a career that the majority American individuals view as probably the most honorable and moral career within the nation ignoring the illegality of the mandate for free of charge to those that enforced it.”
“It’s not like RFRA (Spiritual Freedom Restoration Act) was created out of complete material,” he stated.
It’s fascinating to notice that non secular lodging requests had been blanketly denied throughout the board.
“I’m not a type of calling for individuals to go to jail, however I’ve known as for a number of people within the [senior] ranks to be checked out very intently for a court-martial course of, as a result of they clearly violated the rights of service members” he admitted.
“As a result of accountability doesn’t imply we ship all people to jail, I additionally advocate for grade willpower,” Maness shared. Grade willpower includes the method of figuring out the very best rank, or grade, at which a service member served satisfactorily, which impacts retirement pay and advantages.
Brad Miller, a former U.S. Military lieutenant colonel and outspoken supporter and signer of the Declaration of Navy Accountability, agreed with Maness.
On X, he posted:
“The connection between army commanders & authorized advisors is evident. Commanders command. Poor authorized recommendation doesn’t absolve commanders of their command duties & tasks,” whereas additionally providing a 48-minute video to specific his ideas.
The connection between army commanders & authorized advisors is evident. Commanders command. Poor authorized recommendation doesn’t absolve commanders of their command duties & tasks. I share a number of ideas within the video under. https://t.co/fFgFCjjq9F
— Brad Miller (@BradMiller1010) August 2, 2025
In October 2021, Miller was relieved of his battalion command inside the one hundred and first Airborne Division for refusing the COVID-19 shot. Providing his perception to The Gateway Pundit, he agreed with Maness, saying, “There’s a well-established command maxim within the army that authority will be delegated whereas accountability can’t be.” He defined, “That signifies that a commander can delegate authority over sure mission necessities, however the commander nonetheless retains the general accountability for the accomplishment of these necessities.”
“There’s an intricate relationship between accountability and accountability. As a result of commanders are liable for what their items obtain or fail to realize, they should be held to account for each successes and failures,” Miller added.
“By absolving commanders of accountability, Parlatore can also be diminishing command accountability.” And in accordance with Miller, “This not solely weakens the function of the commander but additionally violates the precept that accountability can’t be delegated.”
“JAGs are extremely educated and specifically credentialed, and their authorized recommendation is essential, however their function stays that of an advisor,” Miller shared. “Final accountability for command selections—together with the lawfulness of their orders—stays with the commanders.” In spite of everything, “Commanders resolve, legal professionals advise.”
Why ought to all this be a precedence for the Protection Division? There are various causes to think about holding those that violated the legislation to account, as a result of the issues prolong far past the COVID-19 period without end.
“If we don’t deal with the accountability piece now, then future enforcement and overreach goes to proceed and can worsen, and it’s already beginning to occur proper earlier than our eyes,” Maness shared. “From what I can inform, non secular lodging requests for the flu shot are being denied much like the COVID charges.”
“I left the Air Drive in December 2011, a commander in three completely different positions, and by no means as soon as punished anybody for not taking a flu shot,” Maness shared. “So why are we doing it now, ignoring non secular lodging requests and medical exemption requests?”
“If we don’t put some accountability on this course of for trampling on the rights of service members,” he stated, “we’re going to proceed to see the freedoms of service members crushed, they’ll proceed to be purged from the army, and our readiness can be additional destroyed.”
