Page 19 - The April 30 2026 Edition of The Fayetteville Press Newspaper

The Fayetteville Press April 30, 2026 Edition Page 9b
MILIT
MILITARARYY
MILITARY
MILIT
MILITARARYY

NEWS
NEWS
NEWS
NEWS
NEWS

Pentagon Ends Military Flu Vaccine Requirement

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, U.S. Sec- your faith, your convictions are not negotiable.”
retary of War Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum Secretary Hegseth called the new policy
that no longer requires military service members guidance a step to “restore freedom and
or War Department civilians to receive the flu shot strength” to the U.S. military by discarding
“effective immediately.” “overreaching” mandates such as the universal
Liberty Counsel represents military clients flu vaccine.
with religious objections to vaccines, including the “A notion that a flu vaccine must be manda-
flu shot. For instance, a U.S. Marine Corps First tory for every service member everywhere in
Lieutenant faces an administrative discharge after every circumstance at all times is just overly
being denied a religious accommodation to be ex- broad and not rational,” stated Secretary
empt from military vaccine policies. Liberty Coun- Hegseth.
sel has already won a legal victory on this officer’s Secretary Hegseth stressed that the policy
behalf and many others when it litigated against the change allowing service members to decide for
Pentagon’s COVID-19 shot mandate in Navy SEAL themselves what is in the best interest for their
1 v. Austin and Colonel Financial Management Of- convictions and health was a “common sense ap-
ficer, et al. v. Austin obtaining multiple restraining proach” to rebuild trust.
orders and injunctions, including a class-wide in- stain from the shot and forced more than 8,300 service Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat
junction that led to the rescinding of the unconsti- members to be involuntarily discharged for objecting and Staver said, “The Pentagon’s significant policy
tutional mandate. refusing to take it. shift on the flu vaccine establishes stronger in-
According to military medical researchers, the “Our men and women in uniform were forced to formed consent and religious freedom for our
first flu vaccine mandate was implemented in 1945 choose between their conscience and their country even brave military heroes. By moving to a voluntary
after the devastation influenza caused in World War when those decisions posed no threat to military readi- system, the Department of War aligns itself with
I and due to the threat of biological warfare from ness,” stated Secretary Hegseth. constitutional and religious freedom safeguards
enemy nations. In his video announcement on X, ensuring that military members are no longer
Secretary Hegseth signaled the move is part of a “No more. That era of betrayal is over,” he declared. forced to choose between their faith and their
larger effort to change the military’s vaccine poli- “Our new policy is simple. If you, an American warrior convictions.”
cies after the harmful and experimental COVID-19 entrusted to defend this nation, believe that the flu vac- For media interviews,
shot. The Pentagon uniformly denied most of the cine is in your best interest, then you are free to take it, please email media@LC.org.
36,500 religious accommodation requests to ab- you should. But we will not force you because your body,

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