Members of the military who were forced to reveal to commanders their COVID-19 vaccination status in order to keep their jobs see a double standard in Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin hiding his hospitalization from his boss, colleagues, and the American public for nearly a week and facing no consequences.
At a press conference Thursday, Austin repeatedly said he did not tell the commander in chief or colleagues due to his desire for privacy.
“I was being treated for prostate cancer. The news shook me, and I know that it shakes so many others, especially in the Black community. It was a gut punch, and frankly, my first instinct was to keep it private. I don’t think it’s news that I’m a pretty private guy,” he said.
He added, “But I’ve learned from this experience. Taking this kind of job means losing some of the privacy that most of us expect.”
RELATED VIDEO — Biden Completely Clueless on His Own Cabinet? Lloyd Austin’s Mea Culpa for Hiding Cancer Procedure:
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He later mentioned his privacy again, saying, “Cancer, period, is — is very private,” and argued that his race was a factor.
“Among the black community though, it’s — it’s even more a — a thing that — that people want to — want to keep private,” he said.
However, those who were forced to share their vaccine status and medical history or face being punished or kicked out of the military see a double standard.
Austin in August 2021 ordered every single member of the military and reserves to be vaccinated or else face discharge. Those who did not want to take the vaccine for religious reasons had to not only defend those beliefs, but have chaplains certify those beliefs. Similarly, those who did not want to take it for medical or other reasons had to explain why. In the end, the vast majority of those requests were denied.
And if troops did not want to be vaccinated, they were often separated from other service members or forced to wear a mask, which some say was not only publicly humiliating but revealed to their fellow service members their vaccination status and violated their privacy.
More than 8,000 service members were kicked out of the military for refusing to follow Austin’s orders or for having their requests denied.
RELATED VIDEO — Dem Rep. Moulton: I’d Fire Austin “in About Five Minutes”:
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Jordan Karr, an Air Force intelligence officer, was one of them.
She told Breitbart News that she actually supported Austin’s right to medical privacy, but that she wished military leaders “had extended the same grace to the service members whose rights were violated under Austin’s leadership.”
Karr added that those defending Austin’s right to medical privacy were silent when service members were being “abused, coerced, threatened, and ultimately discharged.”
She added, “As a government servant in the direct line of Presidential succession, the American people deserve to know the severity of his diagnosis.”
Nick Kupper, a candidate for Arizona’s House of Representatives, who recently retired from the Air Force after fighting the mandate, posted on X:
If only service members could have enjoyed this same lack of scrutiny when choosing to not take an unapproved experimental shot that Secretary Austin illegally forced on us.
John Frankman, a Green Beret whose career was also ended by Austin’s vaccine mandate, said that Austin’s failure to notify his commander in chief was “inexcusable” and would be “grounds for someone of a less rank to be considered AWOL.”
“Lloyd Austin’s recent unaccounted for absence is just one of many abject failures of his time serving as defense secretary for which our elected leaders must hold him to account,” Frankman told Breitbart News.
Outside of the vaccine mandate issue, others have pointed out the double standard Austin applied to himself versus the military rank and file he leads.
Matthew Cothron, a Marine veteran and host of podcast Barstool Sports, wrote in a January 8 blog post:
My friends, if ANY other leader did that, there would be hell to pay. If any company commander, battalion commander, brigade commander, regiment commander, or division commander failed to disclose a hospitalization, they would be fired in a second for loss of faith and confidence.
Tom Rogan, a columnist for the Washington Examiner, wrote:
Moreover, what message do Austin’s choices send to his subordinates in the vast Defense Department organization? Hide the truth? Accept extreme risk in terms of unpreparedness for contingencies? Keep your commanding officers and subordinates alike in the dark?
Austin has to go.
At Thursday’s press conference, NBC News correspondent Peter Alexander said to Austin that “anyone else within the military chain would have faced reprimand or even dismissal,” and asked him, “Why shouldn’t that same standard apply to you, sir?”
Austin did not answer his question, but instead said, “Well, let me just say that — thanks for the question — that — that we didn’t get this right. And as I said, I take full responsibility for — for the department’s actions.”
Little signs of immediate accountability are forthcoming for Austin.
The Pentagon is conducting a review of what happened, but has not committed to disclosing all of it publicly. The Pentagon inspector general is also investigating what happened, but a final report could come in months or even years.
And Austin has said that Biden responded to him with “grace and a warm heart” and told him he has his “full confidence.”
On Thursday, Austin would also not commit to attending a hearing requested by House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL), only saying he would “stay in touch with Chairman Rogers’ office…as things play out.”
Frankman and others argue that compared to Austin’s other failings as defense secretary, it would be ironic if he was finally held accountable for his authorized absence.
“Though I urge congressmen to hold him accountable for this, I encourage them to not lose sight of his other policies and failings which have had a more strategic impact and hurt our military’s readiness,” Frankman said.
Joe Kent, retired Army Special Forces Chief Warrant Officer 3 and U.S. House candidate for Washington state’s 3rd congressional district, posted on X:
Considering Austin’s track record as SECDEF (Afg w/drawal, vax mandate, extremist witch hunt) & as a General (Syrian moderate rebels), he’s getting off easy if taking an unauthorized vacation is what he finally gets held accountable for.
“Just zero out his pay & impeach him,” Kent added.
Austin also did not answer key questions at Thursday’s press conference — such as why members of his staff did not inform Biden or the White House for him, or why an assistant had asked an ambulance dispatcher to be subtle when approaching his residence, citing the need to wait for the Pentagon’s review to come out.
“I’m not sure, at this point, what exactly happened. But I think details will — will play out as a review is conducted,” he said.
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