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U.S. Navy servicemen seeking religious exemptions from the Department of Defense’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate face dire living conditions and, in some cases, while awaiting dismissal from the military, according to court documents. , can’t leave.
First Liberty Institute in November filed a lawsuit As first reported by Fox News Digital, it is seeking religious exemption from service on behalf of 35 active-duty SEALs and three reservists. The lawsuit has since been amended and expanded into a class action lawsuit involving all Navy personnel seeking religious consideration.
In March, the Supreme Court blocked a Texas lower court order that would have forced the Navy to stop implementing the vaccine order. Shields who have not, and other sailors who have not yet been laid off by the U.S. government, are stuck, relegated to less-than-desirable alternative housing. Banned from movement by the military or off base.
In a court filing that First Liberty filed in June with the Northern District of Fort Worth, Texas, sailors spoke of the deplorable state of large U.S. vessels and said they were awaiting a verdict on the lawsuit. increase.
The Admiral, who said sealing the bunker would pose “imminent harm” to the Navy, admitted it would not affect combat operations.
One seafarer, currently participating in the class action lawsuit, said in a court-filed declaration that he “cannot leave the area” after seeking dismissal from the military for religious objections to the service. I couldn’t,” and was transferred to USS Dwight-D. The berthed barge of the aircraft carrier Eisenhower, the situation is “deplorable”.
“I couldn’t leave the area, so I moved to Eisenhower’s mooring barge. The condition of the barge is dire, as is the USS George Washington, which is moored at the same shipyard. It has mold and has a barge toilet leaking back in. Water leaks out the bottom of the toilet and collects near my rack and out in the hall.On a bad day it goes into the opposite bunk. It looks like sewage, see Attachment C (water wiped from under rack)”
Lawsuit Filed on Behalf of Navy Seals Facing Intimidation for Exemption from Religious COVID-19 Vaccine
“Stagnant water in the toilet bowl and some kind of worms breeding on the floor in the leaking water around the bottom of the toilet. Needless to say, I do not feel comfortable or safe in this environment and I called psychiatry, health services many times,” the sailor continued.
“I desperately want to separate from the Navy as soon as possible, but I’m having a hard time withdrawing my request as it may somehow indicate that my religious opposition is not genuine. Abandon my convictions to force the Navy to pull me away,” they continued.
Another naval engineer, who has been with the Navy for more than nine years, said in written testimony that performance ratings began to decline after he submitted his religious exemption.
“Before the vaccine mandate, I was consistently rated ‘promotion required’ on performance reviews. This year, she was given “elevated” status because she had submitted religious considerations and was planning a separation. My skills as a sailor seem to be degenerating. I was told my separation was approaching due to…accommodation,” they said.
“To this day, I still can’t break up. I feel my work environment is very toxic over the vaccine issue and it’s causing a lot of stress for my wife and I. Sincere religious opposition I will not receive the COVID-19 vaccine because of this.I no longer want to serve in the United States Navy because of the difficulties and stress this process has caused my family.”
Another Navy sailor testified under oath that the Navy was “refusing” to remove them from service despite the imminent arrival of their second child.
“In anticipation of my separation, my wife and I sold our home and my wife and our one-year-old son moved to another state. My wife is pregnant with our second child, due in 2022. It’s August, and I couldn’t join her and my son, or start a new job, because the Navy told me I wouldn’t be allowed to leave the Navy because of this lawsuit.”
A Navy spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment about the Fox News Digital lawsuit and living conditions for seafarers, or whether they have since improved.
According to another recent filing by First Liberty, the Navy has not granted a single religious exemption to mandates, with 4,244 currently pending.
The military is well aware of unfavorable living conditions for active duty officers.
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A former active-duty soldier told Fox News Digital that there have been many examples over the years of undesirable living quarters for military personnel.
He gave the example of the Army’s Fort Bragg in North Carolina. At Fort Bragg, the barracks had a series of problems: plumbing, mold infestation, asbestos, and water leaks. The barracks, built in the 1970s, became problematic and soldiers had to move.
Additionally, there have been a series of toxic water lawsuits against Camp Lejeune in North Carolina on behalf of current and former military personnel that may have exposed more than a million military officers since the 1950s.