{"id":65850,"date":"2022-02-11T02:56:35","date_gmt":"2022-02-11T02:56:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/02\/11\/judge-extends-temporary-ban-on-punishment-for-officers-refusing-covid-vaccine\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T12:49:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T12:49:48","slug":"judge-extends-temporary-ban-on-punishment-for-officers-refusing-covid-vaccine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2022\/02\/11\/judge-extends-temporary-ban-on-punishment-for-officers-refusing-covid-vaccine\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge extends temporary ban on punishment for officers refusing COVID vaccine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Editor\u2019s note: This <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/news\/military\/2022\/02\/10\/in-tampa-hearing-military-officers-voice-religious-objections-to-vaccines\/\" target=\"_blank\"><i>story<\/i><\/a><i> was first published in the Tampa Bay Times.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">TAMPA \u2014 A Navy commander and a Marine lieutenant colonel who have resisted a military-wide vaccine mandate took the witness stand Thursday in a Tampa federal courtroom, describing their religious reasons for refusing to be inoculated against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/coronavirus\" target=\"_blank\">COVID-19<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pair testified anonymously, with a judge\u2019s consent, to protect their identities. Both described themselves as practicing Christians who believed that receiving vaccines would introduce impurities into their bodies. Each also expressed concern about fetal cell lines, which are used in the research and development of various vaccines and many common medicines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"6000\" height=\"4000\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22031587545862.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-99516\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22031587545862.jpg.jpg 6000w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22031587545862.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22031587545862.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22031587545862.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22031587545862.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22031587545862.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 6000px) 100vw, 6000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks during a meeting with Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at the Pentagon in Washington, Monday, Jan. 31, 2022. (Andrew Harnik\/AP, Pool)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The military denied each of them a religious exemption to the vaccine requirement. Both could face discharge if they don\u2019t comply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI cannot knowingly put something in my body that I believe is a toxin,\u201d said the Navy commander, who leads some 320 sailors aboard a guided-missile destroyer based in northern Virginia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFor me, it would be a sin,\u201d said the lieutenant colonel, who serves as a diversity and inclusion officer with the Marine Forces Special Operations Command. \u201cBecause it would defile my body. Because my body is a temple of Jesus Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The officers are now at the center of a lawsuit brought by the Liberty Counsel, a religious organization that has fought against the military\u2019s mandate. They obtained a small victory last week when U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2022\/02\/04\/judge-temporarily-bars-military-from-punishing-two-officers-over-vaccine-refusal\/\" target=\"_blank\">issued a temporary order barring the military from disciplining the pair<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/2022\/02\/04\/judge-temporarily-bars-military-from-punishing-two-officers-over-vaccine-refusal\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21362666705962.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Judge temporarily bars military from punishing two officers over vaccine refusal<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The military must temporarily halt stripping two officers who refused to take the COVID vaccine of their commands, a federal judge in Florida ruled.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the conclusion of the daylong hearing, Judge Merryday extended the temporary order until Friday, Feb. 18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Amy Powell, an attorney for the Department of Justice, said the government\u2019s position is that service members must take the vaccine or face discipline. She noted that most service members had been vaccinated. Some have received exemptions for medical reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe would rather people not be in the military than place other service members at risk,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Navy officer, an 18-year veteran, testified for more than an hour. Sitting straight-backed in formal attire, he spoke softly, his voice at times cracking with emotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI am a practicing Christian,\u201d he said. \u201cI believe my body is a temple.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He expressed a belief in keeping his body free of impurities, and said that extends to things he eats, listens to or watches. He cited portions of the Bible, including the books of Daniel and Romans, to assert a commitment to safeguarding his body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said he avoids medications. He received vaccines as a child, but has grown to regard them with skepticism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The lieutenant colonel voiced similar beliefs. She holds a biology degree, she said. When vaccines started to become widely available, she did her own research and concluded they were not in line with her beliefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She was held back from a planned deployment to Bahrain after refusing to get one. She tested positive for COVID-19 in January and spent time recovering, but still came into the office when a boss asked for her help with a project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She expressed particular concern about the use of fetal cell lines to develop some vaccines. While the vaccines do not contain aborted fetal cells, some of their testing and research involved the use of fetal cell lines, which were derived from cells that are decades old. She was asked if she would get a vaccine that did not use fetal cell lines if one was available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNo,\u201d she said, noting that she also didn\u2019t trust vaccines that use messenger RNA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t believe this messenger RNA is clean,\u201d she said. \u201cThat is something that the spirit rose up in me and said \u2018this is unclean.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Amid a series of questions directed to the Navy commander, Judge Merryday noted it is not his responsibility to determine the validity of a person\u2019s religious beliefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2022\/02\/09\/air-force-approves-first-religious-exemptions-to-covid-19-vaccine-for-9-troops\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1000w_q95-4-2.jpg-2.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Air Force approves first religious exemptions to COVID-19 vaccine for 9 troops<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">For weeks, the Air Force said it granted no religious exemptions. Now it&#039;s approved the most in the military so far.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Navy commander described at length how his ship has continued to operate since the pandemic took hold. His destroyer has continued overseas deployments amid mask-wearing and other efforts. When personnel aboard the ship tested positive for the virus, they would be escorted off and isolated until healthy again. The ship personnel also did contact tracing and quarantines for those who\u2019d been exposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over nearly two years, the commander said, about 170 to 180 of his ship\u2019s personnel have come down with COVID-19 at some point. None have become seriously ill, he said. And the pandemic has not impeded their ability to carry out their missions, though at one point they had to borrow personnel from other ships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the commander, he is in charge of reviewing all orders given to the sailors under his authority. Those include orders regarding the vaccines. Out of the personnel aboard his ship, 17 claimed a religious exemption to receiving the COVID-19 vaccines. A chaplain investigated each and determined 16 were legitimate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He mentioned one man who simply refused to comply with the mandate. It was the commander\u2019s duty to carry out the administrative separation process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe was one of my best sailors,\u201d he said, his voice trembling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He submitted his own religious exemption request in September, but it was denied. The 16 sailors on his ship who also claimed religious exemptions were also denied accommodations. His appeal of the decision was also denied in late January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One day in early November, the commander said he started to lose his voice. He consulted a nurse, who said that wasn\u2019t a common symptom of COVID-19. He went about his duties but was later told by a superior officer to take a coronavirus test to be sure. It came out positive. He spent two weeks out of service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He described experiencing hostility from his superior officers, who warned him he needed to receive the vaccine within five days. If he did not, he could be discharged from the Navy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Powell, the government attorney, alluded to concerns of the commander\u2019s superior officers that he wasn\u2019t taking serious measures to prevent the spread of the virus. She said they\u2019ve lost trust in his judgment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On cross-examination, he acknowledged a responsibility to set a good example for his sailors. He also acknowledged he\u2019s not a doctor and that if too many people fell ill, a ship could be taken out of service, which impact the mission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Navy commander and Marine lieutenant colonel testified Thursday about the reasons for resisting a military vaccine 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By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Judge extends temporary ban on punishment for officers refusing COVID vaccine - Air Force TImes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A Navy commander and Marine lieutenant colonel testified Thursday about the reasons for resisting a military vaccine mandate.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Judge extends temporary ban on punishment for officers refusing COVID vaccine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A Navy commander and Marine lieutenant colonel testified Thursday about the reasons for resisting a military vaccine mandate.\" \/>\n<meta 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