Navy

Are You a Sailor Booted Because You Refused the COVID Vaccine? The Navy Wants You Back

BY Guy D. McCardle

You didn’t cave when it counted, and now the Navy’s quietly admitting it needs warriors like you back in the fight.

A masked sailor receives the jab. Image Credit: US Navy

Did you used to be in the Navy but stuck to your guns and refused the jab? Good for you. Guess what? The Navy wants you back.

Advertisement

The U.S. Navy is calling its lost sheep home. Not the slackers or the shipwrecked, but the ones it pushed out during the COVID hysteria. Executive Order 14184, signed by President Trump in January, cracks the door open for discharged sailors to return to active duty with full rank, back pay, and benefits. If that sounds surreal, it is. But it’s real—and it’s happening.

Executive Order 14184: A Giant Middle Finger to COVID Mandates

This executive order is a direct shot at the Pentagon’s pandemic-era policies. Thousands of service members were thrown out for refusing the vaccine—sailors, soldiers, Marines—all booted like trash for bucking the system. EO 14184 changes that. It’s a reversal, a reckoning, and a quiet admission that the brass might’ve overplayed their hand.

Here’s the deal:

Advertisement

  • If you were discharged only for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, you can apply to get back in.

  • Your rank will be restored.

    Advertisement

  • You’ll get the money you lost.

  • No bureaucratic strings—just a formal application and a decision process already in motion.

The Pentagon didn’t exactly shout this from the rooftops, but the memo’s out there, and so is the path back in uniform. Click here for a copy of the form you need to fill out and sign to get the ball rolling.

Advertisement
navy memo
The memo in question.

The Navy’s Other Play: The Targeted Reentry Program

Running alongside the executive order is a standing policy called the Targeted Reentry Program—TRP for short. This one isn’t new, but it matters more than ever now. It lets commanding officers tag high-performing sailors who’ve recently separated and invite them back with fast-track paperwork.

There are two flavors of this ticket:

  • Golden Ticket: Reentry within one year of leaving, guaranteed.

  • Silver Ticket: Two-year window, but depends on the Navy’s needs.

We’re not talking about everyone who left. TRP is for sailors who are sharp, steady, and worth keeping. Enlisted E-4 to E-6, and officers O-3 to O-4 with no more than 14 years in. You had to finish your service honorably and walk away clean.

Two Roads Back to the Fleet

Now we’ve got two on-ramps to rejoin the Navy: one for those shoved out during the pandemic madness and one for the ones who left voluntarily but still have gas in the tank. They’re separate—but they’re converging.

The Navy doesn’t exactly have the luxury of overflowing ranks these days. Recruiting is in the gutter, retention is shaky, and the global situation isn’t getting calmer. China’s rattling cages in the Pacific, Russia’s off the leash in Europe, and Iran is testing boundaries in every direction. The fleet needs warfighters. And whether they admit it or not, they need some of the ones they kicked to the curb.

For Sailors Thinking About It

So what do you do if you’re one of them?

  • You didn’t bend the knee during COVID. Now the Navy’s holding out a hand. You can get your job, your rank, and your paycheck back.

  • You left without drama but want back in. You might have a Golden or Silver Ticket sitting in your file. Time to call your old CO.

But this isn’t a free ride. The Navy’s not doing this out of nostalgia or warm feelings. This is about cold strategy. If you were good at your job, they want you. If you were a mess, don’t bother.

No Apologies, Just Orders

Don’t expect a mea culpa or a parade in your honor with banners and floats. The Navy isn’t saying “we screwed up.” It’s saying, “we need you now.” That’s it. No brass bands or renaming streets in your honor. Just an open door and a chance to finish the job you started.

This isn’t about politics anymore—it’s about warfighting, manpower, and making the numbers work. Whether you see this as a second chance or a government trying to clean up its own mess, one thing’s clear:

The ship’s coming about, and there’s room on board for you.

Advertisement

What readers are saying

Generating a quick summary of the conversation...

This summary is AI-generated. AI can make mistakes and this summary is not a replacement for reading the comments.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR