This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Although the U.S. military's mandate that service members receive the COVID-19 shot, implemented under the Biden administration, has been widely deemed "unlawful as implemented," and while many calls have since emerged for pardons or amnesty for those service members negatively impacted, these urgent requests have largely been ignored.
On June 2, 2025, representatives from Stand Together Against Racism and Radicalism in the Services, Inc. (STARRS), the MacArthur Society of West Point Graduates and the Calvert Task Group signed on to a letter sent to President Donald Trump.
The letter accurately stated that "mandatory COVID shots from 2021 to 2023, as well as the earlier anthrax vaccinations from 1997 to 2003, were formally declared by federal officials to be 'unlawful as implemented' and 'illegal,' respectively."
For this reason, the seven signatories respectfully requested that President Trump "order full and unconditional pardons, amnesty and remedies for all Service Members negatively impacted, in any way, by the military's anthrax and COVID mandates."
Regarding the letter, WorldNetDaily interviewed three top people from the STARRS organization. Air Force Col. (Ret.) Ron Scott, president and CEO of STARRS, confirmed that the letter was sent via certified mail with a return receipt requested.
Army Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Joe Arbuckle, STARRS vice chairman-at-large of the board, noted "it has been over five months since our letter was sent to the president requesting that he grant pardons and/or amnesty to those who refused the unlawful Covid and anthrax vaccinations," and to date, there has been no response.
Mike Rose, STARRS executive vice president and general counsel, asserted the president should grant pardons or amnesty to everyone penalized by the military for not receiving the COVID-19 shot, which the government now acknowledges was unjust and illegal as implemented. He argued, "The failure to give pardons/amnesty prolongs the irreparable damage caused by the illegal military COVID mandate, and the failure to even answer requests for pardons/amnesty makes military members feel no one cares to remedy timely the harms the government illegally caused."
To assess the interest in pardons or amnesty among service members themselves, this reporter recently conducted a small-scale, informal survey. All participants were active members of the U.S. military, representing all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.
When asked whether President Trump and War Secretary Hegseth should consider amnesty or pardons for service members whose records were adversely impacted by the COVID-19 shot, 65 out of 66 respondents, or 98.5%, answered "Yes." The reason for their answer hinges largely on the fact that 58 out 66 respondents, or 88%, also believe the shot was unlawful – and many informed their chain of command of this while requesting accommodation or exemption for the shot.
About 70% of the respondents who answered the question referred to a pertinent law, 10 U.S. Code § 1107a, in their requests for religious accommodations and/or medical exemptions, declaring the shot mandate illegal.
10 U.S. Code § 1107a states that individuals must be informed of their right to accept or decline the administration of a product. In the case of a product authorized for emergency use, like the previously mandated COVID-19 shot, only the president can waive this federal regulation. The code was not waived by former President Joe Biden.
The Department of Defense clearly ignored the law. Will Secretary Pete Hegseth's Department of War right the wrongs?
Taking a step in that direction, Arbuckle pointed out that the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Personnel and Readiness is in the process of forming two task forces to "address some of the vaccination remedy issues" through the review of policy development and implementation of the military's now-rescinded COVID-19 shot mandate.
Arbuckle also added there is "good news and bad news" coming from the Department of Veterans Affairs. On the positive side, he said, "899 cases have had their discharges upgraded to honorable, allowing them GI Bill benefits from the VA." However, he argued, "it appears this is happening based upon individual service members going through the appeal process using the sluggish Boards for Correction of Military Records (BCMR) process.
