More than two dozen military service members reached out to The Epoch Times, saying they are discouraging their children from donning the uniform. This marks the end of a legacy for some families, and a tough decision for all.
Chris Collins served in the Coast Guard for nearly 12 years before “getting kicked out” in 2022 for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine, he said. And he now plans to “steer” his two children away from joining the military. “It has a lot to do with distrust and the current culture,” he told The Epoch Times.
“I actually convinced my brother to join shortly after he left high school,” Mr. Collins said. “He picked the Air Force as his branch, and I regret the decision to encourage him to join because it didn’t work out well for him.”
He and his brother shared many of the same concerns, which created distrust in the military.
“The vaccine was a huge thing for me,” Mr. Collins said. “The higher-ups of military leadership, the people I once trusted to have my best interest in mind, flat out ignored everything I said in opposition to the taking the vaccine.”
As a result, he was forced to decide to take the vaccine or leave over a decade of service behind.
One of the primary reasons he joined the Coast Guard was “for the comradery,” Mr. Collins said. “I didn’t think I would find that from any other job.”
“I was once part of a Coast Guard that harped on being family, always being there for each other. But I became inconvenient when I tried to get religious accommodation for the vaccine,” he said, adding that he learned “very quickly what the higher-ups in the Coast Guard were all about, and the whole family atmosphere that was promoted to me early on was all just a façade.”
While he doesn’t blame his immediate leadership for an abbreviated career, he said, “They didn’t stand up against the mandate.”
By J.M. Phelps
