A coalition of retired senior military officials and advocates recently reached out to President Donald Trump with a letter articulating their concerns regarding the compulsory COVID-19 and anthrax vaccinations for service members.
The signatories, which include 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, sent their missive on June 2. The letter was also directed to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, other cabinet members, and a selection of congressional representatives.
Since its publication on X, the letter has garnered over 20,000 views, indicating a significant level of public interest.
The leadership of STARRS, MacArthur Society and Calvert Task Group sent the following letter to President Trump (@POTUS @realDonaldTrump) today:
Mr. President:
We are grateful for the precedent set by your unconditional pardon on May 28, 2025, of Lieutenant Mark Bashaw for… pic.twitter.com/A0TjrPhawA
— STARRS (@STARRSmission) June 2, 2025
Michael Rose, Executive Vice President and General Counsel for STARRS, articulated to that the letter presents a compelling case for the President to “issue full and unconditional pardons and amnesty, along with necessary remedies to rectify the injustices faced by service members due to vaccine mandates.”
In the correspondence, it was noted that “Mandatory COVID shots from 2021 to 2023, along with the earlier anthrax vaccinations from 1997 to 2003, were officially deemed ‘unlawful as implemented’ and ‘illegal,’ respectively” by federal authorities. Rose emphasized that “there are thousands of military personnel who have experienced adverse effects from refusing those unlawful vaccines and continue to suffer.” He further lamented that “the remedies are not being delivered swiftly enough.”
According to Rose, the Boards for Correction of Military/Naval Records (BCM/NR)—which service members depend on to rectify legal mistakes or injustices in their military records—are “sluggish” and “ineffective.” He stated that requests can take years to resolve, which is a disservice to those who have served the nation in uniform.
“We must expedite the process of reinstating those unlawfully dismissed from the military and protect those being discharged unjustly,” Rose asserted.
“The President wields the authority to grant pardons and amnesty. If the courts recognize that individuals have been wronged, why not extend pardons or amnesty to them?” he queried.
“Individuals merit pardons or amnesty for all alleged injustices stemming from, or connected to, the illegal vaccines—not solely for actions directly resulting from these mandates,” Rose insisted. “The government’s illegal actions are significantly more reprehensible than the alleged transgressions of military members who opposed the vaccines.”
For instance, former 1st Lieutenant Mark Bashaw was discharged from the Army in 2023 after being convicted in a 2022 court-martial for refusing to comply with the COVID-19 vaccination requirements, testing, and masking protocols. He publicly expressed his gratitude for President Trump’s pardon on May 28.
I just received a Presidential Pardon from President Donald J. Trump. I am humbled, grateful, and ready to continue fighting for truth and justice in this great nation.
Thank you, Mr. President @realDonaldTrump and to your incredible team, WRWY
Special shout out to… pic.twitter.com/wxiM3u1YF6
— Mark Charles Bashaw (@MCBashaw) May 29, 2025
Given the multitude of cases akin to Bashaw’s, Rose and the other letter signatories urge the President to contemplate broad pardons or amnesty, effectively “wiping the slate clean” for those penalized or discharged from military service due to their objections to the COVID-19 or anthrax vaccinations. “He possesses the authority to declare pardons or amnesty.”
As the discussion unfolds among decision-makers, Rose highlighted an essential element that he hopes will resonate with President Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth: “It’s crucial to recognize that directives state that military personnel, both past and present, should receive remedies if their sole reason for discharge was their refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.”
Rose explained, “For many of those punished, the rationale has been obscured by different terminology. For example, many were unable to advance due to negative performance evaluations, leading to subsequent discharges.” The crux of the issue, he argues, is that “this ignores the reality that their inability to advance was rooted in their refusal to comply with the vaccine mandate.” Thus, the primary cause of their expulsion from service was their opposition to an experimental vaccine, rather than poor evaluations.
Rose characterized the actions taken against these service members as “a thousand times worse than an individual declining a shot or wearing a mask.” He stated, “They were the ones violating the law according to federal courts and the admissions of the Secretary of Defense.”
“Consequently,” Rose concluded, “service members deserve amnesty or pardons, even if the actions taken against them were a consequence of the unlawful vaccine mandates.” In his view, the most viable solution rests in the President’s hands, enabling the issuance of widespread pardons or amnesty to address the situation affecting thousands.
