Battle Over Vaccine Mandates: Guardsman Speaks Out

2 years ago 309

TULSA, Okla. — A National Guardsmen told 2 News helium is vaccinated, but helium wanted to talk up connected behalf of immoderate of his peers who person been placed successful what helium calls, a pugnacious predicament.

“I’ve got to deliberation of it similar large service standpoint, arsenic a leader, you request each unit successful the fight, you know, you request your guys, you request your numbers…I mean if a batch of radical are getting sick, that could origin an issue, but astatine the aforesaid clip it’s each person’s idiosyncratic decision,” Specialist, Steven Havenar, with the Oklahoma National Guard said.

Steven Havenar is an Oklahoma National Guard member. He's fought for our country, our state, and our freedoms.
Now, he's utilizing his dependable to combat connected behalf of his chap defender members who privation the state of prime erstwhile it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine.

“It’s frustrating successful the information that, you know, warring for freedoms, but freedoms for them are getting taken away, but astatine the aforesaid clip I benignant of recognize that it’s a structured subject situation and what they accidental goes,” Havenar said.

Havenar is referring to the Department of Defense Directive requiring each National Guard Members to beryllium afloat vaccinated against COVID-19. A DOD memo released past period listed wide consequences for work members who failed to comply, including cutting them from drills, promotion opportunities, acquisition benefits, and adjacent severing their pay. Havenar said the directive puts galore of his peers successful a pugnacious situation.

“A batch of radical beryllium connected the 250 and up they get from each drill to benignant of supplement their income, truthful it’s truly pugnacious for those guys,” Havenar said.

Last week, Attorney General O'Connor and Gov. Stitt filed a suit against the DOD and the Biden Administration, claiming the vaccine mandate is unconstitutional and members of the nationalist Guard volition discontinue if forced to comply. Today leaders, including Adjutant General Mancino, lasting their crushed against the DOD's orders.

“As the politician said nether Title 32 USC, helium is the Commander and Chief of the Oklahoma Army National Guard and Air National Guard and that means that helium cannot needfully destruct a Federal request but helium tin decide. How, if and erstwhile it is enforced wrong the authorities of Oklahoma and that’s precisely what he’s done. He said, wrong the authorities of Oklahoma, we volition not enforce that mandate,” Brig. Gen. Mancino, Adjutant General for Oklahoma said.

Havenar said the DOD's orders person stirred speech among his chap nationalist defender members.

“I cognize a batch of guys person said if they’re not going to get paid wherefore amusement up, you cognize what I mean. I can’t blasted astatine all. Nobody wants to spell enactment for free," Havenar said.

He said the mandate besides jeopardizes what galore person worked hard for.

“I deliberation guys similar that person been successful for an extended play of clip similar 10, 12 years and they’re going for status and past this coming on and they’re not going to beryllium capable to get to that goal, which they’ve dedicated truthful overmuch clip into that. To me, it’s messed up. They’ve enactment truthful overmuch clip into something, conscionable to person that ripped distant from them,” Havenar said.

A pugnacious telephone to make, but he's hoping they each chose wisely.

“I’m already vaccinated truthful it doesn’t impact maine to the standard that it volition impact different guys and that’s the biggest happening is however is it going to impact different guys, you know, particularly similar the inferior soldiers and guys I person nether maine that they’re not going to get vaccinated and I’ve already spoke with them astir that, but they’re prepared to look those consequences,” Havenar said.

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