More than a year ago, on January 27, President Donald Trump enacted an Executive Order to reinstate service members who had been discharged from the military for refusing the COVID-19 shot.
As of January 16, over 3,000 Army soldiers are requesting reinstatement, with a total of 10 confirmed reinstatements completed so far and an additional 65 in progress.
It’s GO Time!!! We had a monumental week this week. On Tuesday, 13 Jan 2026, the @USArmy COVID Reinstatement & Reconciliation Task Force (R2TF) became FULLY OPERATIONAL.
On Wednesday, the R2TF launched our new reinstatement and reconciliation process which fulfills @SecWar… pic.twitter.com/77imgw3HI8
— Kevin Bouren (@KevinBouren) January 17, 2026
In a January 30 article for RedState, Dr. Chase Spears admitted, “Great strides are being made to streamline that process now, but it took a full year before such attempt was made by Army officials.”
The Gateway Pundit spoke to Spears, a retired U.S. Army public affairs officer, writer, and host of the Finding Your Spine podcast. Numerous individuals, Spears among them, perceive the speed at which these injustices are being addressed as a sham, or perhaps, a deliberate delay.
“The fact that—after a year—there have only been 10 reinstatements in the Army is an unqualified failure. The war department has essentially committed mutiny when it comes to President Trump’s executive order directing reinstatement and restoration of those unlawfully drummed out by Lloyd Austin’s COVID policies,” he shared.
Executive Order 14184, signed on January 27, 2025, directed the military to reinstate, offer full back pay to all willing veterans forced out under COVID policies, and report back to the president within 60 days. “Neither the spirit nor letter of that order is being carried out,” Spears said. “The few who returned to duty endured an administrative gauntlet fiercer than first-time recruits and had their civilian earnings deducted from back pay calculations.”
“We don’t deduct military pay for soldiers who grow a business on the side, or work a job on the weekend,” he noted. “Only those punished over illegal COVID policies face this continuing discrimination.”
As noted in his article, Spears said, “Anthony Tata, the Assistant Secretary of War for Personnel and Readiness, is the key figure behind the reinstatement mission.” He pointed out, “[Tata] expresses his support for it on Twitter, yet his actions seem to align with the Biden appointees in his office who contributed to Lloyd Austin’ s undermining of morality, conscience, and the rule of law during the prior administration.”
These factors beg the question: How much longer will this overt disobedience continue?
“What’s more, if the same leaders who unlawfully forced thousands out of the Army remain in leadership, how can they be expected to treat fairly those soldiers who might be reinstated?” asked Spears. “The trust has been shattered, and it won’t be restored until these leaders are held accountable for their actions.” To date, no one—neither the President, the War Secretary, nor any senior Pentagon official—has shown even the slightest interest in holding anyone responsible, he added.
“Taking into account the ten Army soldiers who were reinstated and those still in the process,” he noted, “they will return to military service at the same rank or a lower one, and will remain behind their peers as a result.” According to him, “This is a complete affront to those who have earned their rank or were previously selected for a higher rank.”
Spears admitted his support of President Trump and War Secretary Hegseth, yet he maintains that the system is failing soldiers. He insisted that without accountability and bolder efforts to rectify the mistakes of previous years, nothing is going to change.
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