According to the Associated Press reported on December 11, Lieutenant Colonel Kings, deputy captain of the USS Churchill destroyer, was fired for refusing to receive the new crown vaccine. Previously, Kings also refused to accept the virus test, and the order to dismiss was issued by Colonel Anderson, the commander of the 14th Surface Squadron, on the 10th. The Associated Press reported that Kings was the first U.S. Navy officer to be fired for refusing to be vaccinated.
U.S. Navy destroyer USS Winston Churchill (DDG-81) file photo
On December 10, Lieutenant Colonel Fisher, spokesman for the U.S. Navy's Atlantic Surface Fleet, was interviewed by the media. Asked about Kings' dismissal, Fisher declined to give more details and exact reasons, citing privacy and confidentiality. Fisher responded only that the reason for the dismissal was that Commander Anderson believed Thatkins had not obeyed the order and had lost confidence in his ability to carry out his duties. U.S. media quoted sources from other informed officials as saying that Kings was fired because he refused to obey orders for vaccinations and testing.
The Associated Press mentioned in the report that because of the discussion of personnel issues, most of the U.S. military personnel interviewed asked for anonymity. A U.S. military officer said Thatkins had asked for a "religious exemption" for vaccinations, but was rejected by the U.S. military. Kings has appealed. In response to a reporter's question, Fisher said that Kings had been reassigned to other positions in the 14th Squadron, and that Kings' original post of executive vice captain would be temporarily replaced by Major Han Yi until the successor to the position was officially appointed.
The sacked Lieutenant Colonel Lucian Kins previously posted photos on social networking sites
Under the Pentagon's new rules, all active U.S. military personnel must be vaccinated, including U.S. Navy personnel who must be vaccinated by the end of November, or apply for so-called exemptions, including the "religious exemptions" that Kings has already proposed. The Associated Press reported that a large number of active-duty personnel of various branches of the US military have asked for "religious exemptions," but so far the "religious exemptions" have not been approved in any way.
According to Fox News in early November, more than 30 active duty personnel of the U.S. Navy's "Navy SEALs" filed a lawsuit accusing the U.S. military of violating the constitutional rights of military personnel under the U.S. military's order to demand vaccinations, including first amendment freedom and the Restoration of Religious Freedom Act. The soldiers who filed the lawsuit, who claimed to be believers in various Christian denominations, opposed the Pentagon's order to force COVID-19 vaccinations on the basis of "sincere religious beliefs." As the servicemen sought "religious immunity," the U.S. military identified them as "non-deployable."
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