Despite having an approved retirement, a member of the Coast Guard was recently separated at 19 years due to his objection to the military vaccine mandate for religious reasons. The separation occurred months before the member was to hit 20 years of service when he would have been entitled to a lifelong pension.
Former Petty Officer First Class (E-6) Chris Harkins considers his family “patriotic,” as his grandfather served in World War II, an uncle in the Vietnam War, and another uncle participated in Operation Desert Storm. Respect and honor for God and country were “ingrained” in him as early as he can remember. Based on personal convictions grounded in his Christian faith, he chose the Coast Guard in 2003. “The idea that the Coast Guard was a life-saving service versus a life-taking one was something that definitely spoke to me,” he told The Epoch Times….