The United States Marine Corps has begun to dismiss members for failure to comply with the military COVID-19 vaccine mandate, the latest of the major military branches to do so.
A total of 103 marines were dismissed Thursday, according to a report from Politico. The Marines are being dismissed with a general discharge under honorable conditions, the lowest possible grade of discharge that would not cost the Marines their post-military benefits.
The Marine Corps has the highest number of unvaccinated members in all the major branches of the armed forces. The Washington Post reported on November 21 that up to 10,000 of the 183,000 active-duty Marines were not fully vaccinated. The Corps deadline to be fully vaccinated was November 28, coinciding with the date imposed by the Navy, which has jurisdiction over the Marine Corps. Politico reports that just over 1,000 exemptions have been granted, while another 3,100 are still being processed.
Politico also reports that the Army has dismissed six unit leaders, including two officers with command positions, for refusal to comply. The six leaders ranged in rank from sergeant to lieutenant colonel. The two ranking officers also had command posts in active-duty battalions. The Army has another 4,000 soldiers who have refused the vaccine, Politico reports.
The two commanding officers, who the Army refused to name, are the highest ranking officers to be discharged for refusing the vaccine, joining Navy Commander Lucian Kins, executive officer of the destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill.
The Navy and Air Force have already begun to dismiss members of their branches who failed to comply with the vaccine mandate, which was issued on August 10. The Daily Wire reported:
According to a report from Politico Wednesday, the Navy has about 5700 sailors still unvaccinated, and officials admitted that more than two weeks after the November 28 deadline that those members will remain unvaccinated in violation of the military order.
“If a sailor gets their shot, we will honor that and make every effort to retain them,” said Rear Admiral James Waters, Director of Military Personnel Plans and Policy. “On the other hand, those who continue to refuse the vaccine will be required to leave the Navy.”
Under Navy regulations, officers and enlisted sailors who still refuse the vaccine, if eligible to retire or resign by June 1, 2022, will be allowed to leave the service with an honorable discharge. Those who are not eligible to be dismissed by that date “will be processed for separation on the basis of misconduct for refusing the lawful order to be vaccinated,” but will still be honorably discharged, said Waters. Soldiers with more than six years of service “will be processed with the least favorable characterization of service, being general, under honorable conditions, barring other misconduct,” he said.
The Politico report follows a report from The Associated Press Tuesday that the Air Force had discharged 27 airmen over their refusal to take the COVID shot. The Air Force’s deadline was November 2nd, and to date, more than 1,000 airmen have refused the vaccine, with another 4,700 seeking a religious exemption.
The Daily Wire also reported that the Department of Defense is currently considering mandating a COVID booster for members of all four major service branches.