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Former military personnel who lost their jobs for refusing to take a Covid-19 vaccine will receive special “white glove” VIP treatment if they return to their jobs.
The Pentagon announced the special measures on Thursday, following criticism on social media about how returning military personnel have been treated at intake facilities.
A memo signed by Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Anthony Tata instructed military leaders to make changes at Military Entrance Processing Stations, where recruits undergo medical screenings, aptitude tests and other final checks before being brought into military service.
“As these efforts continue, the Military Departments are directed to prioritize special-category VIP treatment for affected former service members,” Tata wrote.
That special treatment includes accepting late arrival, priority processing, and a “trained escort to expedite screening,” the memo states.
Intake processes at military facilities are notoriously long-winded.
Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement the changes to intake procedures would accompany a review of the Pentagon’s Covid-19 vaccine policy that would examine “what occurred, why, and what the Department will do to ensure that it never happens again.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has made a priority of reinstating personnel kicked out over the military’s vaccine mandate.
At present, however, only a tiny fraction of those were dismissed have returned.
By May, just 13 out of 8,000 personnel removed from service had returned.
The Pentagon began mandating vaccination against Covid-19 in 2021. The mandate was retracted in 2023, after Congress required its removal.
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