Four cadets at the Air Force Academy may not graduate or be commissioned as military officers this month because they have refused the COVID-19 vaccine, and they may be required to pay back thousands of dollars in tuition costs, according to Air Force officials.
It’s the only military academy, so far, where cadets may face such penalties. The Army and Navy said that as of now, not one of their seniors is being prevented from graduating at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, or the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, due to vaccine refusals. The graduations are in about two weeks.
Military leaders have argued that troops for decades have been required to get as many as 17 vaccines in order to maintain the health of the force, particularly those deploying overseas. Students arriving at the military academies get a regimen of shots on their first day — such as measles, mumps and rubella – if they aren’t already vaccinated. And they routinely get regular flu shots in the fall.
According to Maguire, the four cadets — who are not named — have been informed of the potential consequences, and have met with the academy’s superintendent. In addition to those four, there are two juniors, one sophomore and six freshmen at the academy who have also refused the vaccine. Last month, a federal judge in Texas barred the Navy from taking action for now against sailors who have objected to being vaccinated on religious grounds.
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4 Air Force cadets may not graduate due to vaccine refusalWASHINGTON (AP) — Four cadets at the Air Force Academy may not graduate or be commissioned as military officers this month because they have refused the COVID-19 vaccine, and they may be required to pay back thousands of dollars in tuition costs, according to Air Force officials.
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4 Air Force Cadets May Not Graduate Due to Vaccine RefusalThe cadets may also be required to pay back thousands of dollars in tuition costs, according to Air Force officials.
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4 Air Force cadets may not graduate for refusing COVID-19 vaccineIt's the only military academy, so far, where cadets may face such penalties.
Read more »
4 Air Force cadets may not graduate due to vaccine refusalIt's the only military academy, so far, where cadets may not graduate for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.
Read more »
4 Air Force Cadets May Not Graduate Over Vaccine Refusal
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