Former Troops Discharged Over Covid Vax Mandate Seek Billions In New Lawsuit

Former members of the United States armed forces are taking legal action against the federal government after the Biden-led Department of Defense imposed a COVID-19 vaccine mandate on service members in recent years, leading to thousands of service members either being kicked out of the military and thus losing pay and benefits. There are between 80,000 and 100,000 service members who were impacted by the mandate.

Attorneys Dale Saran, Andy Meyer, and Brandon Johnson are representing the former service members, who were either kicked out of the military or told to stop drilling, in a class action lawsuit filed in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in order to recover billions in damages. "It's worth billions. That's just flat-out. That's what it is in backpay. It's billions of dollars," Saran told Breitbart about the lawsuit. "They were basically [without] the benefit of any due process. No boards were held. They didn't hold any administrative separation boards; they didn't hold any hearings. They didn't do any federal recognition boards; none of the administrative or judicial procedures were used. They just flat-out did it. And then…they got the Coast Guard to follow along, and they got a bunch of Coasties too."

Saran also explained that many of the service members who were discharged for not taking the vaccine were also forced to pay back their enlistment bonus. "Say you enlisted for five years, you got a bonus and $50,000…And then, now, they're like, 'Hey, we're gonna inject you with this.' You're like, 'Yo, that's experimental. Like, that's not actually licensed. And the defense secretary's order was we'd only have to take licensed vaccines — that says experimental,'" the attorney said. "And they throw you out. Now it's like, 'Well…now you didn't fulfill your obligation; give us back the grant.'"

"We got a bunch of those clients, too, guys getting money taken back," he said. "So not only did they throw them out — unceremoniously [and] wrongfully — now they're…without a job instantly, no separation pay, none of that. And instead, they're standing out in the cold, and worse yet, here comes the government…here comes the debt collectors. Now, you owe us money."

As former service members take action to get the pay that they deserve, the Biden administration is begging them simultaneously to come back amid a recruitment crisis. As previously reported by the D.C. Enquirer, a number of letters have gone out to former service members who were discharged from the armed forces for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine. The letter encourages service members to go to the Army Discharge Review Board or the Army Board for Correction of Military Records to change their personal records. 

The letter, signed by Brigadier General Hope C. Rampy of the U.S. Army Director of the Military Personnel Management Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, states, "As a result of the rescission of all current COVID-19 vaccination requirements, former Soldiers who were involuntarily separated for refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccination may request a correction of their military records from either or both the Army Discharge Review Board (ADRB) or the Army Board for Correction of Military Records (ABCMR)." 

While it is positive that service members will be able to change their records and potentially reenlist, many of them lost tens of thousands of dollars following their discharge from the military. Hopefully, those participating in the class action lawsuit will be able to get what they deserve.

You can learn more about the lawsuit here.

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