EJECTOR SEAT

U.S. Air Force Ditches Dozens of COVID Vaccine Holdouts

The 27 airmen are the first servicemembers known to have been dismissed for their vaccine status.

The U.S. Air Force has discharged 27 people for refusing to take a coronavirus vaccine, making them the first servicemembers known to have been dismissed for failing to comply with a vaccine mandate. According to The Guardian, Air Force spokesperson Ann Stefanek said in a statement that all 27 airmen were discharged for failure to obey a lawful order, and none of them had applied for religious or medical exemptions to the mandate. Every discharged airman was in their first term of enlistment, according to Stefanek, meaning that they were all likely to be young and lower-ranking personnel. The Pentagon ordered active-duty Air Force members to get vaccinated by Nov. 2, and around 97 percent were reported to have complied as of Dec. 7. However, more than 1,000 Air Force and Space Force members are listed as having refused a vaccine, making it highly like that there will be more dismissals in the future.