In an ongoing saga that seems to rival the most convoluted of political thrillers, tens of thousands of military personnel and veterans are reeling from the fallout of past mandates concerning anthrax and COVID-19 vaccinations. Despite the best efforts of President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the quest for justice remains a Sisyphean endeavor.
Recently, engaged with Colonel (retired) Tom “Buzz” Rempfer, the mind behind Unyielding: Marathons Against Illegal Mandates. As a U.S. Air Force veteran and an advocate for those subjected to what he calls “illegal medical experimentation,” Rempfer is at the forefront of a movement to rectify the wrongs inflicted on service members.
Rempfer’s fervor was reignited by the rescinding of the 2021 COVID-19 mandate by former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, which he views as part of a broader “multi-decade cover-up” by deep-state bureaucrats within the Department of Defense (DoD). This cover-up, he argues, began with the controversial implementation of anthrax vaccines from 1997 to 2003, only to rear its head again with the COVID-19 vaccine mandates from 2021 to 2023.
Trump made attempts in 2018 to address the injustices stemming from the anthrax vaccine mandates. Fast forward to 2025, and Hegseth is echoing those sentiments, offering reinstatement with backpay and benefits to those unjustly removed from service due to the COVID-19 mandates.
Yet, Rempfer contends that Trump’s efforts were undermined not just once, but twice—first with the anthrax mandates and now with the COVID-19 injustices. He points out that in 2018, the DoD failed to adequately publicize their corrections memo, obscuring its intent and providing no outreach. In both cases, the DoD has been accused of dragging its feet, denying applications, and obstructing the President and Secretary’s intentions.
On June 2, a coalition including Stand Together Against Racism and Radicalism in the Services, Inc. (STARRS), the MacArthur Society of West Point Graduates, and the Calvert Task Group sent a letter to President Trump and Hegseth, advocating for “unconditional pardon and amnesty” for service members adversely affected by these mandates. The letter also urged the President to instruct the Secretary of Defense and Service Secretaries to expedite reviews of previously denied BCMR (Board for Correction of Military Records) cases.
For Rempfer, this letter marks a pivotal moment, suggesting a strategic avenue for Trump to counteract previous and ongoing attempts to undermine his authority as Commander in Chief. He elaborates that if Trump were to issue unconditional pardons for those affected, the BCMRs would transform from bureaucratic obstacles into essential mechanisms for delivering justice.
“The DoD’s violations were a thousand times more egregious than anything they falsely allege against our troops,” Rempfer asserts. He echoes the sentiments of STARRS’ Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Michael Rose, stating that it was indeed the DoD that grossly violated the law during both the anthrax and COVID-19 vaccine mandates, while those who resisted upheld their oaths.
He rightly questions the legitimacy of the BCMRs’ role in adjudicating cases, arguing that an Executive Order from the President for blanket pardons would reset the system, allowing BCMRs to focus solely on delivering justice without bias.
Take, for instance, the case of Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Brandon Budge, a Black Hawk helicopter pilot facing separation from the Army due to his objection to the COVID-19 mandate. A presidential pardon would not only restore his service record but also salvage his 21-year military career.
Moreover, Rempfer highlights a recent BCMR decision that favorably upgraded a discharge from the anthrax mandate era to fully honorable status. He notes that after thousands of wrongful actions stemming from the illegal anthrax vaccine mandate—deemed illegal by federal courts in 2003—this upgrade marks only the third correction in over two decades, all occurring during Trump’s administration. The momentum was abruptly halted under Biden’s DoD.
Both the anthrax and COVID-19 mandates, Rempfer argues, saw the DoD blatantly flout laws designed to protect military personnel, particularly 10 USC 1107 and 1107a. These laws were put in place to ensure that troops are informed of their rights regarding consent for unapproved medical products.
The most recent corrections regarding the anthrax vaccine mandate affirm that the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness acknowledged in 2005 that the anthrax vaccine was the first Emergency Use Authorized shot—essentially an “unapproved, experimental medical product” that could not be mandated. Yet, despite this acknowledgment, the DoD persists in delaying and denying justice for service members wrongly impacted.
“At a minimum,” Rempfer insists, “the DoD must proactively reach out to anthrax-era veterans to assist in upgrading their discharges, just as they are actively doing for COVID-era veterans.” However, he reiterates his preference for the STARRS-recommended approach: a blanket presidential pardon for all affected service members, along with procedural changes to ensure remedies are awarded retroactively and unconditionally, without the need for cumbersome applications—an intent clear since 2018.
