For the U.S. military, coronavirus vaccination is akin to body armor
Vaccine requirements for U.S. troops have existed for centuries — and for good reason
On Aug. 9, on the recommendation of President Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued a memo communicating to all Department of Defense personnel his intent to seek presidential approval to mandate coronavirus vaccinations for all military personnel no later than mid-September, or upon the Food and Drug Administration’s approval. In our highly polarized political climate, this decision may seem unprecedented or a possible violation of service members’ rights.
It is not.
It is a mandate supported by more than 200 years of history — and one that is integral to maintaining military readiness.
In 1775, smallpox and the British army both threatened the Continental Army. In danger from the British, civilians fled Boston in the middle of a smallpox epidemic and intermingled with Continental troops, putting them at risk. The soldiers, in turn, used a 70-year-old remedy, inoculation, to get immunity through a milder form of the disease. The Continental Army’s commander, George Washington, had opposed this practice. Washington had barely survived smallpox he contracted in Barbados when he was a young man, and he feared the disease would render the army ineffective.
In the 1980s, the military responded to [the] growing anti-vaccination movement by standardizing its vaccination schedule for inductees and opting to require further vaccinations based upon global deployments. Currently, as part of initial entry training, service members are mandated to receive chickenpox; hepatitis A; hepatitis B; seasonal influenza; mumps, measles and rubella; polio; diphtheria; tetanus; and pertussis vaccinations.
