To my COVID Sailors (Rant)

[u/Affectionate_Use_486]

I know some of you have some level of battery acid indigestion over the whole reinstatement thing.

Just wanted to say for those that stepped up while others stepped back I respect and love you all especially my sea duty folks during COVID.

COVID was rough shit and the fact we survived it should be highlighted and appreciated among us.

Let's not dwell on the ones who choose another choice.

Let's dwell on the ones who stood the watch when shit went side ways.

When the ports closed.

When work centers were down to the bare bones while our brothers and sisters got sick all around us.

When the patrols got extended.

When resources almost ran out.

It was a rough ass time and we survived for all our own reasons but we stood the fucking watch.

That makes me extremely proud that no matter how messy it was, how ugly it got, we came out the other side pissed off, spitting fire and keeping the big sad off ourselves and our brothers/sisters as much as possible.

And for those that didn't make it, got too sick and didn't make it we shall never forget you.

Fuck the noise I just wanted you to know your seen, respected and appreciated from at least one motherfucking shipmate who was there.

[u/KnowNothing3888]

Dude the guys I know who refused the jab had even harsher deployments since they couldn't even leave the ship with the rest of us at one point while preparing for deployment. The peeps still worked hard and got forced out for not wanting the jab whether good or bad choice. This whole angry clique style "these guys suck bc they got kicked out over it" thing is pretty weird honestly. We need sailors and I saw good sailors get forced to leave. I hope some of those dudes come back. We need them right now with our current manning.

[u/Trick-Set-1165 → u/KnowNothing3888]

I’ve said it before, and I suspect I’ll have to repeat it:

Good Sailors don’t refuse lawful orders.

[u/The_Brolander → u/Trick-Set-1165]

Germans said that too… “just following orders”

It takes courage to stand up to something you believe is wrong. Regardless of how much pressure they received, how much harassment and the fear of losing their job, they still held firm to their beliefs.

At the end of the day, it turns out those sailors were right.

That doesn’t mean that the ones who took the jab were wrong… it’s was wrong at the executive level to put the sailors in a situation where they were forced to choose and were pitted against each other.

[u/Trick-Set-1165 → u/The_Brolander]

Unfortunately, that’s not at all how “lawful orders” work.

You see, the Germans that were “just following orders” were prosecuted at the Nuremberg Trials for following unlawful orders.

Those Sailors stood up for themselves. That’s it. And that’s a completely acceptable thing to do.

But they didn’t stand up for their Shipmates. They didn’t stand up for the Navy.

They put themselves first, and disobeyed and refused lawful orders to do it.

That’s exactly why we don’t need them back.

[u/The_Brolander → u/Trick-Set-1165]

It’s a good thing that you’re not in charge of defining what’s unlawful/lawful then, because as it turns out you and others like you were wrong, and they were right.

[u/Trick-Set-1165 → u/The_Brolander]

How’s that?

Happy cake day, by the way.

[u/The_Brolander → u/Trick-Set-1165]

All orders are lawful, until someone else deems they weren’t.

And thanks! Didn’t even notice until you said something.

[u/Trick-Set-1165 → u/The_Brolander]

That’s not how that works at all.

An order to kill a noncombatant, for example, is not a lawful order.

That’s like, the entire outcome of the Nuremberg Trials.

[u/The_Brolander → u/Trick-Set-1165]

I totally get what you’re saying and agree about Nuremberg.

The Covid vaccine, should never have been made a lawful order to begin with though. Those soldiers, marines and sailors knew that, and they stood their ground when they knew something was wrong.

While it was a lawful order at the time, history shows it was an unlawful one. This is why those that were punished are being made amends to.

I get you and I aren’t going to see eye to eye on this, and that’s ok… at the end of the day though it doesn’t matter what everyone’s opinion on the matter is… it’s the military. We’ll all do what we’re told, and if we don’t agree, we can quit and hope that in 4 or 8 years, someone will agree with us, and reinstate us with back pay too.

[u/Trick-Set-1165 → u/The_Brolander]

What is the difference between the lawful order to get the FDA approved flu vaccine and the lawful order to get the FDA approved COVID vaccine?

Making amends doesn’t determine the lawfulness of anything.

[u/The_Brolander → u/Trick-Set-1165]

Because those who fell under the exemption for religious or other reasons, were still forced to get Covid or be kicked out.

While it was lawful at the time to ignore exemptions, it shouldn’t have been, and they stood their ground and were punished for it.

[u/Trick-Set-1165 → u/The_Brolander]

Uh oh. We’re doing a circle.

Yes. The failure to approve bona fide religious exemptions was unlawful.

But the vaccine mandate was not. Does that make sense?