When the Biden federal vaccine mandate first came into being, it was met with a great deal of predictable resistance, particularly among those who would be affected against their will. This, of course, included private employers with more than 100 people on payroll and all federally-contracted persons.
This meant that the military would be required to be vaccinated as well – something that hasn’t exactly gone over all that well of late.
But, in a small olive branch to those affected, the administration did provide an opportunity for some exemptions, largely down medical and religious lines.
As it turns out, that latter exemption has been nearly impossible to receive.
More than 12,000 military service members refusing the COVID-19 vaccine are seeking religious exemptions, and so far they are having zero success.
That total lack of approvals is creating new tensions within the military, even as the vast majority of the armed forces have gotten vaccinated.
The services, urgently trying to keep the coronavirus pandemic in check by getting troops vaccinated, are now besieged with exemption requests they are unlikely to approve. Meanwhile, troops claiming religious reasons for avoiding the shots are perplexed because exemptions are theoretically available, yet seem impossible to obtain.
Caught in the middle are chaplains, who must balance the desire to offer compassionate care and guidance to personnel with the need to explain a complicated process that may well be futile. They also must assess requests from those who may be using religion as an excuse to avoid a vaccine that, while credited with preventing needless deaths, has become politically charged.
As it remains impossible for many to receive this all-important exemption, one begins to wonder if there was any ever real sincerity behind the Biden administration’s offer.
