EXCLUSIVE: Marine Corps Recruiters Trying To Get Members Booted Over The COVID Vaccine Mandate To Rejoin, Texts Show
Marine Corps recruiters reached out to former members who may have left the active or reserve forces over the COVID-19 vaccine mandate in a bid to persuade the former Marines to return, texts obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation and confirmed by a Marine Corps recruiting official show.
The Marine Corps officially rescinded the mandate on Jan. 18.
“It was individual Marines taking initiative to share information that former Marines may not have been aware of,” Jim Edwards, deputy director of communications at Marine Corps Recruiting Command, told the DCNF.
Marine Corps recruiters are sending out texts to former members who left active or reserve duty over the COVID-19 vaccine mandate asking if they would like to rejoin now that the Secretary of Defense has overturned the mandate, screenshots of the texts obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation show.
Corps recruiters reached out to Individual Ready Reserve Marines — “men and women who had left the active or reserve forces” — alerting them that the COVID-19 vaccine mandate has officially been repealed, a Marine Corps Recruiting Command spokesperson confirmed. The recruiters then ask if the members would like to discuss options for returning to service if they were among the thousands discharged for refusing to take the required vaccine against COVID-19, multiple screenshots of the messages obtained by the DCNF show.
“You think that after getting belittled for over a year by commands, the amount of paperwork I had to do to get an honorable [discharge], and still getting forced out the second they take that requirement away I’m running back?” one of the former members responds to a prior service recruiter (PSR), the screenshot shows.
“They could implement [the mandate] again tomorrow, there are no future protections for anyone,” the member continued. (RELATED: Troops Discharged For Refusing The COVID Vaccine Are Fighting For A Second Chance. For Many, It’s Too Late)
The Corps discharged 3,717 Marines for refusing to take the vaccine as of the latest update on Dec. 5, with close to the same number of exemption requests pending approval. No data was available regarding the number of members who transferred to the IRR for reasons related to the vaccine mandate.
The Department of Defense formally rescinded the COVID-19 vaccine mandate on Jan. 10, and the Corps issued updated guidance on Jan. 18 rolling out the mandate repeal according to DOD’s directive.
“I am reaching out to officially spread the word that [sic] the Marine Corps has officially repealed the vaccine mandate. If you happened to be one of the Marines that left due to this change in policy, now is the time to come back,” a gunnery sergeant, whose responsibilities include advising a commanding officer on employment and training, says in a text to a second former member.
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