(The Center Square) – The Illinois National Guard says is has “open arms” for about 2% of the state’s service members who were barred from attending drills for not complying with President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate now that the mandate has been rescinded.
Unless there’s a change of U.S. law, those 313 guardsmen for Illinois shouldn’t expect back pay.
The Department of Defense late last week disseminated guidance to the National Guard on rescinding the military’s vaccine mandate. The move follows congressional approval of ending Biden’s mandate.
“This guidance … directs all DoD Component heads to formally rescind any policies, directives, and guidance implementing those vaccination mandates as soon as possible, if they have not already done so,” the DoD said in a statement.
A spokesman for the Illinois National Guard Wednesday said to date one Illinois Air National Guard individual was discharged by the U.S. Air Force for refusing the vaccine. There were no discharges from the Illinois National Guard by the U.S. Army.
“Now that the federal COVID-19 policy is rescinded and all federal administrative actions initiated solely for COVID-19 refusal are rescinded as well, the Illinois National Guard has reached out to those service members and requested that they return to weekend training and annual training effective Jan. 10, 2023,” Illinois National Guard Public Affairs Director Brad Leighton told The Center Square in an email Wednesday.
For the Illinois National Guard’s 13,000 members, 20 airmen and 293 soldiers did not submit an exemption request for religious or medical reasons and were barred from attending weekend or annual training between July 1, 2022, and Jan. 9, 2022.
“The U.S. Department of Defense prohibited unvaccinated service members who were not seeking an exemption from performing duty,” Leighton said. “Those that submitted exemption requests were allowed to continue attending training and get paid for that training until their exemption requests were adjudicated through the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force.”
How many exemption requests were filed, accepted or denied wasn’t immediately available.
“With that prohibition now lifted, the Illinois National Guard is working with these Soldiers and Airmen to return to a drilling status,” Leighton said. “These individuals will be welcomed back into our formations with open arms.”
