Could 14, 2022 — 4 seniors on the U.S. Air Drive Academy is probably not allowed to graduate as a result of they’ve refused to take a COVID-19 vaccine, The Related Press reported.
The Division of Protection mandated final yr that every one army service members, together with army academy college students, be vaccinated in opposition to COVID-19 until they’re granted an exemption. Service members are also required to take a bunch of different vaccines.
Air Drive Academy spokesperson Lt. Col. Brian Maguire stated the scenario could change as a result of “there are nonetheless two weeks till commencement, so their standing might change because the cadets weigh their choices,” The Related Press stated.
Commencement is scheduled for Could 25 on the Air Drive Academy campus in Colorado Springs, Colo. Maguire additionally stated two juniors, one sophomore, and 6 freshmen have refused to take the vaccine.
One attainable consequence for the Air Drive cadets is having to repay the federal government for tuition prices. The U.S. army academies typically require college students to repay these prices, which might be as a lot as $200,000, in the event that they go away throughout their junior or senior years, The Related Press stated.
The U.S. Army Academy at West Level, N.Y., and the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md., say none of their seniors will miss commencement due to vaccine refusal, The Related Press stated.
Mike Rose, a lawyer representing three of the senior cadets, stated they may graduate late and be commissioned as officers in the event that they went forward and obtained a dose of vaccine, however “they’ve obtained a restricted period of time to make that call, they usually’re working out of time,” The Colorado Springs Gazette stated.
Gordon Klingenschmitt, an Air Drive Academy graduate who leads an evangelical ministry, stated the 4 seniors objected to the vaccine on spiritual grounds, in response to the Colorado Springs Gazette. “That’s why they received’t take the vaccine,” he stated. “It’s not as a result of they hate all vaccines.
