In one of the first stations in military life, right after the buzz cut but even before they hand you a uniform, you'll stand at near-attention while medics, or at least medical specialists, shoot vaccines into your arms. Nobody asks your permission. You're in the Army now.
The armed forces of the United States doesn't do this to hassle the recruits, although it's certain the drill instructors don't mind that. But vaccines are a must to keep the military at the ready. Especially since there is so much close contact in barracks and foxholes. The brass calls it "readiness." You can't have a flu bug knock out the Army when it needs to deploy.
You lose a lot of rights when you volunteer to join the United States military. And only volunteers are taken these days. ("Son, there ain't no draft no more."--Sgt. Hulka) One of the rights you give up is the right to refuse vaccines. Unless you have religious reasons. But those are few and far between.
It turns out four cadets at the Air Force Academy may not graduate this month because they have refused the covid vaccine. This is a news story because it is rare: West Point--the Army's top academy--says there are no members in the 2022 class of cadets who have refused the vaccine.
Because by the time a kid is a senior at one of the service academies, he or she is used to taking orders. And serving the greater good. And trying to fit into the system, not buck it. The Associated Press says the Air Force Academy is the only military academy where cadets are in danger of missing graduation because of a vaccine refusal.
To put too fine a point on it: The secretary of defense made covid-19 vaccines mandatory for service members last year. And why not? Service members are required to get as many as 17 other vaccines, and boosters when they are deployed overseas. This is just something you deal with as a member of the military. Like shining your boots.
The AP story says the four cadets aren't the only kids at the Air Force academy who have refused the vaccine. They are only the seniors.
"In addition to those four, there are two juniors, one sophomore and six freshmen at the academy who have also refused the vaccine."
The cadets could be looking at repaying a lot of money--hundreds of thousands of dollars--if they are booted as upperclassmen. That might be a petty punishment for the brass to hand down. Especially considering the military budget, and how much $200,000 could hang around the neck like a stone, especially for a kid without a job or degree.
But that doesn't mean the academies have to roll over. They can kindly ask the cadets to find another line of work. Unless they can prove a religious reason. (According to reports, religious objections to vaccines prior to covid-19 were indeed rare.)
This can't be considered picking on the kids. Across the military, the armed forces have discharged thousands of members for refusing the vaccine. The courts have several cases involving religious exemptions, so those will have to play out. But in the meantime, the military must keep up its readiness, for lack of a better word.
You're in the Army now, kid. Or the Air Force. Or the Navy. Or the Marines. You don't get to decide which vaccines you take, as if you were at a medical cafeteria.
If you're going to stand up to the man, you should do it in another line of work.