The Department of Homeland Security announced that 56 U.S. Coast Guard members discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine under the Biden administration have been reinstated and will receive back pay.
"[Fifty-six] members of the United States Coast Guard who were kicked out of the service over the COVID-19 vaccine have finally been reinstated with back pay — this is a victory for religious, personal, and medical freedom for all Americans — both in and out of uniform," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said.
"The last administration's vaccine mandates were unconstitutional, un-American, and a gross violation of personal freedom. It was no way to treat the men and women who put everything on the line to keep our country safe," she said.
"President Trump is righting these wrongs and returning those unjustly removed members to service. This decision to reinstate these members of the Coast Guard is a major step in the right direction," Noem added.
The decision follows President Donald Trump's Jan. 27, 2025, Executive Order, which directed reinstatement for service members discharged solely for refusing the vaccine.
According to the Coast Guard’s Board for Correction of Military Records, the service discharged 274 enlisted members solely for refusing the vaccine during the mandate period, which lasted nearly 15 months.
The board's final decision in February granted relief to 56 members in the current group application after reviewing 59 potential cases.
The Coast Guard will retroactively reinstate the 56 members effective on the dates of their discharge, ensuring their records reflect continuous active-duty service with no break.
Under the executive order, reinstated members may be eligible for back pay, benefits, bonus payments, restoration of rank, and seniority as determined by the Coast Guard.
Former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued the military-wide vaccine mandate in August 2021. It was rescinded in January 2023.
In his executive order, Trump described the mandate as an unfair and overbroad burden on service members and said federal redress of wrongful dismissals was overdue.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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