Image: Wikimedia Commons (Released by the United States National Guard)
President Donald Trump has expressed a great desire to reinstate service members once separated from the military for refusing the COVID-19 shot. But who’s still eligible once they’ve opened up to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) about their health? Equally restraining are the current rank restrictions for prior service applicants.
Consider the story of Gehlen Liebetreu, a former U.S. Army Sergeant First Class who dedicated over 20 years of his life to service of the country in both Reserve and Active Duty. The Gateway Pundit spoke to the combat arms soldier who represents one of the thousands forced out of the military as a result of former Defense Secretary’s now-rescinded 2021 COVID-19 shot mandate.
Liebetreu was adamantly opposed to the so-called vaccine and this decision was met with “persistent coercion and intimidation” by both command and colleagues at the 101st Airborne Division Headquarters. Pressure to take the shot was daily par for the course. In a survey conducted by the author in 2023, almost 73 percent of the 229 participants said they were coerced into receiving the shot.
Despite the pushback, the Army moved the unvaccinated single father of two to Arizona for a final assignment prior to retirement. He purchased a home to prepare his family for the future, but his life would soon take an unexpected turn. Having mere hours before he could be protected for retirement sanctuary by U.S. Army Human Resources Command, in February 2022, Liebetreu was not expecting to be questioned whether he had taken the COVID-19 shot.
Approximately 10 hours before he was officially eligible for retirement eligibility under sanctuary, his orders were revoked. And on February 26, 2022, he was given discharge orders. The retirement he had rightfully earned through two decades of service was stripped away in an instant.
“I had to scramble to look for a way to have income to keep food on the table for my two children,” he lamented. “I filed for VA disability and while waiting [for compensation], I began teaching a course at Fort Huachuca [in August 2022].” Interestingly, later that fall, the Army installation was one of two Department of Defense installations to bring back enforcing a mask mandate at the time.
“I refused to wear a mask because I was a civilian contractor, no longer a soldier,” he admitted. “I also expressed concern that wearing a mask was problematic for my Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).” For this, he was “kicked off” the base and let go from his contractor position as an instructor for Jacobs Technologies. “Since then,” he said, “I have been unable to get work in my field, [likely because] I have this reputation of refusing the vaccine and mask mandates and warning others of their dangers.”
As then president-elect Trump began making promises to reinstate involuntarily discharged service members, Liebetreu understood that according to his discharge paperwork he would be eligible to return to service with backpay. Backpay being just one of the several promises made by Trump.
And on January 27, President Trump signed an executive order to “make reinstatement available to all members of the military (active and reserve) who were discharged solely for refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and who request to be reinstated.” The following week, Liebetreu was surprised to receive a call from U.S. Army Human Resource Command, directing him to “go to a recruiting station.”
Sadly, once again, his efforts were met with opposition. “I was told by the recruiter that my rank as a Sergeant First Class would prevent me from being reinstated, because there simply is no process for senior ranking service members to reenlist.” Additionally, he stated, “I’m treated like I’m trying to enlist for the first time, but have medical and rank issues preventing me,” he explained. “There is no policy guidance for me to move forward with reinstatement in light of my medical records now revealed.”
“There are things that are now in the system indefinitely, to include Veterans Affairs medical records,” he explained. “After being erroneously discharged from the military, they now have all my disability ratings, which disqualify me for reenlistment, reinstatement not really being understood.”
“Now that I have disability ratings with the VA, I can’t return to a job wearing a uniform I wore with pride and honor, despite the best intended efforts of our President,” Liebetreu opined. “It’s clear,” he argued, “no one is recognizing a difference between reinstatement and reenlistment.” In addition, he said, “many of the recruiters are unwilling or unable to provide any guidance or assistance, claiming it is a waste of time when I am permanently disqualified.”
“Unless President Trump and [Defense Secretary] Pete Hegseth addresses this problem, medical and rank issues could be preventing a lot of people like me from returning to service,” he shared. “I’m more than capable of performing my job, and performing it well, if given the opportunity, but maybe there is a different way that service members like me can still give back and serve our nation. There are many of us in the same position as me, and we are ready to share our knowledge with the next generation.”
“Many of the leaders who enacted and enforced the draconian COVID mandates have not only remained in the service, but have since been promoted,” Liebetreu pointed out. “Until the injustices committed against service members by their own chain of command is fully addressed, few service members who were was illegally discharged will submit themselves to the same leaders who persecuted them before.”
“It would be like an abused spouse returning to the abuser, only the next time when they get struck, it kills them,” warned Liebetreu, sharing the sentiment of many of the tens of thousands service members who were discharged and separated.
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