Col. Allen West: Trump Ended Biden's Tyranny Against Heroic Veterans
by Victoria Manning
Under Trump, servicemembers are flocking back to the Armed Forces, with the Army boasting its highest recruitment figures in 15 years.
The Biden administration kicked out over 8,000 military servicemembers for refusing to inject an experimental COVID shot into their bodies—not including those who left voluntarily or retired early. President Trump is now welcoming back these same troops—so much so that in January the U.S. Army reported its best recruiting numbers in 15 years.
On August 24, 2021, then-Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin mandated every member of the military take the COVID-19 vaccine. While the FDA technically gave its consent to administering the shot, the average approval period for past vaccines was over 8 years. The Pfizer COVID vaccine was approved in just 9 months. Unsurprisingly, this fast track alarmed those being forced to be guinea pigs for an untried vaccine.
In December 2022, Congress used a political maneuver to overturn the vaccine mandate by including it in a defense spending bill, but Sec. Austin wouldn't to allow those who refused the shot to return. Austin asserted the COVID shot was necessary for military readiness but didn't oppose having transgender troops who were nondeployable due to their elective medical treatments.
Retired Army Col. Allen West is the Executive Director of the American Constitutional Rights Union (ACRU) and the Committee to Support and Defend. The ACRU was one of the first organizations to sound the alarm on the unjust military COVID vaccine mandate. West is also a former U.S. Congressman who served on the House Armed Services Committee.
Col. West told Restoration News he is pleased with President Trump's executive order reinstating servicemembers to their prior rank and providing back pay to those discharged solely for refusing to take the COVID shot. West is a strong defender of the nation's servicemembers, telling Restoration News:
"These are men and women who took an oath to support and defend our Constitution, only to have their constitutional rights violated by a tyrannical, and dangerous, mandate . . . Members of our military know that there are many preventative shots they must take to protect them from known diseases in certain regions. However, the Covid shot was not in that category . . . President Trump's recognition of this overreach will go a long way in restoring the trust and confidence in leadership, and that means a boost to our recruiting and retention efforts."
If there are military members having trouble getting reinstated, Col. West suggests they reach out to their Senators or Congressmen.
Col. West believes the COVID vaccine mandate undoubtedly harmed military recruitment and retention. In May 2023, the Defense Department reported abysmal recruitment numbers. The Army, Navy, and Air Force all fell short of their already reduced recruiting goals. In 2019 the Army exceeded its goal of 68,000 soldiers, but in 2023 only attained 25,000 of its 37,000-person goal. The Navy similarly failed with attaining only 14,081 sailors in 2023, compared to 39,000 recruits in 2019.
President Trump has signaled his support for America's troops and that he won't abandon them like the previous administration—recruiting numbers are already on the rise. With Pete Hegseth at the helm of the Defense Department eliminating woke ideology, America's military is set to be great once again.
