A former army officer who misplaced his profession on account of the COVID-19 shot mandate might now lose his second profession over his objection to the so-called vaccine.
Joshua Zermeno, a former Area Pressure officer, served within the U.S. army for 13 years. In August 2021, when the Division of Protection (DoD) issued the COVID-19 shot mandate for all service members, he instructed The Gateway Pundit, he questioned its efficacy and legality—and selected to not comply.
Inside months, he acquired two Letters of Reprimand (LORs), a “Do Not Promote” advice that blocked his promotion to Main, and was banned from authorities buildings, pressured to telework.
In October 2021, Zermeno mentioned, the Division of the Air Pressure launched a voluntary separation choice for individuals who refused the shot. He utilized together with his squadron commander’s approval, however base management and the Director of the Secretary of the Air Pressure Personnel Council denied it, citing it was “not in the very best curiosity of the Air Pressure and Area Pressure.”
Seven days later, base management initiated Uniform Code of Navy Justice (UCMJ) motion in opposition to him, a course of that lasted 11 months. In January 2023, former Secretary of Protection Lloyd Austin rescinded the mandate and ordered the elimination of all punishments and correction of information. Nonetheless, Zermeno’s chain of command didn’t comply, passing him over for promotion a second time as a result of his refusal of the shot. Seven months later, he was involuntarily separated, a call disguised as a “failure to advertise” regardless of documentation exhibiting his refusal as the only purpose.
When President Donald Trump introduced the reinstatement of service members separated for refusing the COVID-19 shot, Zermeno admitted he instantly drove to Vandenberg Area Pressure Base to inquire about reinstatement. However in line with him, “Not a single workplace might present steering, main me to contact the Air Pressure’s Complete Pressure Service Heart, which handles Area Pressure issues.”
“In addition they reported having ‘zero steering’ from the Division of Protection however opened a ‘ticket’ to observe up, [and] for 2 months, weekly calls yielded the identical response,” he shared.
“In April 2025,” Zermeno mentioned, “the Air Pressure launched reinstatement steering that contradicted Trump’s govt order, requiring a four-year dedication, lowering again pay by civilian earnings, mandating MEPS (Navy Entrance Processing Station) clearance—which is now getting used as a software to disclaim reinstatements, and providing no safety from those that punished us initially.”
Regardless of the hurdles he’s confronted, the previous Area Pressure officer would proceed to ponder reinstatement, however “it’s important for Protection Secretary Hegseth to know only a few will return till the reinstatement course of is overhauled and people who issued illegal orders are held accountable.”
Whereas making an attempt to select up the items after the lack of his army profession and transferring previous the hurt it induced his household to entertain the concept of reinstatement, Zermeno wrote a e-book. Disobeying An Unlawful Order: A Space Force Officer’s Fight for Freedom particulars his expertise with the DoD’s COVID-19 mandate.
What follows factors to nothing lower than retaliation in opposition to him. On June 2, 2025, the e-book was revealed. Ten days later, “on June 12, 2025, the Protection Counterintelligence and Safety Company (DCSA) contacted my employer to provoke a supplemental info request concerning my Prime Secret clearance eligibility,” he shared on X.
On June 2, 2025, I revealed a memoir detailing my expertise with the DoD’s COVID mandate. On June 12, 2025, the Protection Counterintelligence and Safety Company (DCSA) contacted my employer to provoke a supplemental info request concerning my Prime Secret clearance… https://t.co/mymLedcWKo pic.twitter.com/XRri6NJ1Oh
— Joshua (@JoshuaZermeno) June 17, 2025
On the helm of DCSA is David Cattler, a Biden holdover who took the place of director for the safety company on March 24, 2024. Might Cattler’s company be retaliating in opposition to Zermeno?
“It’s exhausting to imagine the timing of this request is a coincidence,” mentioned the previous Area Pressure officer. “I’m now standing by to seek out out what the ‘developed info’ is that they’re speaking about within the memorandum they supplied to my employer, and whether or not or not they plan to drag my Prime Secret clearance, which might presumably consequence within the lack of my civilian job” — with the DoD.
As he awaits extra info, Zermeno fears his opposition to the “illegal as applied” shot mandate might now jeopardize two (emphasis added) careers.
Whereas he’s grateful for the efforts of the President and Protection Secretary Hegseth to revive the army, he identified, “The present reinstatement course of for service members impacted by DoD vaccine-related punishments is flawed, failing to align with President Trump’s January 27 govt order.” As many others have identified to the writer of this text, “It’s obstructed by people immune to reinstating affected personnel.”
“I suggest pausing this course of throughout all branches and establishing a dedicated task force to supervise reinstatement, restitution, and accountability for all DoD vaccine-related punishments, together with ongoing purges of certified service members as a result of varied vaccine mandates,” Zermeno provided. “The duty power should exclude those that enforced unlawfully applied vaccine mandates to make sure impartiality.”
He argued, “It needs to be led by a retired four-star basic, vetted for opposing vaccine mandates, alongside a former army JAG lawyer and a civilian medical researcher, each verified to have resisted vaccine enforcement.” In his opinion, “These leaders would pretty course of claims and examine illegal orders.”
“The duty power would come with impacted service members and patriots, devoted to restoring the army’s power, in addition to vetted civilian monetary analysts and constitutional legislation advocates,” Zermeno recommended. “This workforce would handle reinstatement, present restitution (e.g., again pay, medical prices), maintain accountable those that issued illegal orders, and reform insurance policies to guard present service members from vaccine-related punishments.”
“Working underneath the Underneath Secretary of Protection for Personnel and Readiness,” Zermeno mentioned, “this activity power would ship justice, rebuild belief, and improve army readiness with out bureaucratic bias. By addressing all DoD vaccine-related punishments, it could strengthen our forces, stop future injustices, and guarantee a army guided by equity and honor.”
