A 16-year veteran and former Air Force major who voluntarily left the military after she refused to receive the COVID-19 vaccination under President Biden’s 2021 executive order commended Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Trump administration’s actions to undo the effects of the controversial mandate.
Kacy Dixon, a former intelligence officer and judge advocate officer (JAG), was pregnant at the time the Biden administration issued the executive order mandating active duty service members to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
“I’ve spent my whole adult life in the military,” Dixon told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. “I’ve gotten tons of vaccines, you know, smallpox, anthrax, without really a second thought. But because of my pregnancy, I had second thoughts about [the COVID-19 vaccine].”
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While the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommended the vaccine for pregnant women, Dixon said her doctor at the time told her that “because the vaccines had been produced so quickly and were still under emergency use authorization, pregnant women had not been included in the clinical trials.” She ultimately decided against getting the shots.
The vaccine mandate, which lasted until January 2023, cost the U.S. military an estimated 8,700 service members just months before Russia invaded Ukraine. Many members of the military applied for exemptions, but few were granted. Most service members were honorably discharged, generally discharged, or discharged under other than honorable conditions (UOTHC).
“This mandate devastated our military in many ways. In terms of morale, there were many service members who were aware of this legal issue, who knew that this was an unlawful order,” Dixon explained. “You don’t follow unlawful orders. You have an affirmative duty not to follow unlawful orders, and service members who tried to uphold their oaths and do that lost their livelihoods, lost their careers.”
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In the first week of his presidency, Donald Trump signed an executive order to begin the process of reinstating military service men and women. During President Trump’s inaugural speech, he pledged “full payback” for those who were forced out of the U.S. military.
Hegseth delivered remarks last week on the continued effort to enforce the president’s executive order.
“We all know that the previous administration issued unlawful orders on mandatory vaccines on an experimental vaccine, COVID-19,” Hegseth explained. “We’re doing everything we can, as quickly as we can, to reinstate those who are affected by that policy.”
Hegseth signed a memorandum last week “that directs the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to provide additional guidance to the boards that are reviewing these cases.”
Kacy Dixon applauded Hegseth for recognizing the “unlawful” nature of the military mandate.
“It has been very heartening to have the secretary speak so candidly about this issue to acknowledge that these vaccines were experimental when used on our service members,” Dixon told Fox. Noting that the attitude of the DOD “has been a big morale boost.”
U.S. lawmakers also weighed in on the administration’s efforts to provide support for the thousands of service members whose lives were upended as a result of the mandate.
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“The Biden military vaccine mandate was a destructive mistake that ruined troop morale, negated force readiness, and destroyed the lives of so many of our best and bravest — and their families,” Congressman Darrell Issa, R-California, told Fox News Digital. “Secretary Hegseth is demonstrating true leadership and working to repair the damage that was done. At this crossroads moment, he is choosing duty, honor, and country over divisive, partisan politics.”
While the wheels are in motion to reverse the damaging effects of the mandate. Dixon pointed out that service men and women who decide to reenter the military will now be years behind in rank from their former colleagues. Additionally, the logistics of reinstating military members may also be a challenge for the DOD.
Andrew Cherkasy, co-founder of Golden Law, Inc. and former Air Force JAG, told Fox News Digital that “Secretary Hegseth is trying to undo one of the greatest political attacks on our troops in America’s history.”
“I’ve seen countless outstanding service members be discharged after COVID refusals,” Cherkasky added. “The most difficult challenge for Hegseth will be reversing the discharges of those that were kicked out not directly due to the vaccine refusal but rather for misconduct surrounding their refusal.”
Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News Digital covering breaking news. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston
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