remember when rosé said “getting married and getting a house, why is that the status quo of being happy? some people have miserable experiences there and sometimes i feel like i’m so happy being a single girl” girlie was spilling facts
The fall out from the DoD COVID VAX mandate destroyed careers & hurts service members to this day. Here is how the Air Force treated a pregnant airman & hurt her career.
"I'm a Master Sergeant in the Air Force Reserves. I joined in 2010 and have served for almost 15 years. My first job was Security Forces. I deployed in 2010. Currently, I work in Services.
In May 2021, I learned I was pregnant. That month, I also applied to become an officer in the Air Force by means of the Deserving Airman Board. Around June or July 2021, the unit commander called me. I had been chosen for an officer slot. An email announced the selections base-wide. Next, I needed medical clearance. My VA disability required some issues to be resolved. My Secret Service medical history could have helped. However, my pregnancy paused the process. It would resume after maternity leave in May 2022.
In the fall, the COVID mandate began. My doctor gave me an exemption, which the base medical unit recorded. In October 2021, I got a letter of reprimand. It was due to declining the vaccine and went into my permanent record. I submitted a rebuttal. Air Force rules (AFI 48-110 2-6a) state that medical exemptions cover vaccine contraindications. Doctors decide exemptions based on the patient's health and the vaccine.
When I returned in May 2022, I tried to continue the medical process. I was told my officer slot was gone (they took it away from me) since I didn't get the vaccine. I filed an IG complaint to remove the reprimand from my record, which is needed to advance. I learned they told the new unit I never continued the process. They lied and didn't mention my maternity leave. Congressional help failed. They don't handle such issues. I applied for a religious exemption. By then, the mandate had ended.
Today, there's no fix. I reopened my IG case since the reprimand was removed. However, they haven't addressed taking my slot. They want me to reapply. Base leaders at the time said I could restart the process where I left off. New leadership has ignored the issue."