Penalties rolled again for Marines searching for COVID-19 vaccine exceptions

Abigail Adcox

September 16, 01:00 PM September 16, 01:00 PM

The Marine Corps has rescinded some penalties put on assistance associates who have sought a religious exemption from a prerequisite to get the COVID-19 vaccination, this kind of as promotion delays and administrative separations.

The interim steerage walks again certain steps that could be taken in opposition to company users who sought a religious exemption, have been denied, and have due to the fact appealed the choice after a federal decide in Florida issued a preliminary injunction previous thirty day period blocking the Marines from imposing these types of actions.

"Maritime Corps will not enforce any purchase to take COVID-19 vaccination, administratively independent, or retaliate in opposition to Marines in the class for asserting statutory rights below the Religious Liberty Restoration Act," the interim guidance signed on Sept. 14 reads.

The assistance stipulates that the Maritime Corps simply cannot retaliate or administratively individual support associates that are "asserting their statutory rights" less than the Spiritual Flexibility Restoration Act, which prohibits any governing administration agency or section from "burdening" or proscribing a person's work out of religion. It also directs those people in demand to pause all administrative steps, these types of as an involuntary separation, for individuals relevant provider customers.

COVID-19 vaccination status can also not be "deemed or referenced" in health reports or other effectiveness evaluations.

Past thirty day period, U.S. District Court docket Decide Steven Merryday ruled that all those effectively going through the appeals course of action for religious accommodations could not be penalized. In the lawsuit, which was filed by energetic-responsibility and reserve support users, Merryday criticized the Division of Defense and Marine Corps for refusing to grant religious accommodations. Merryday cited that out of 3,733 Marines who requested spiritual lodging, only 11 ended up granted to persons who experienced now begun the retirement approach, in accordance to Center Sq..

The COVID-19 vaccine has been a resource of competition between some service associates and the Pentagon. Secretary of Protection Lloyd Austin has mandated that all services members and reserve element members obtain the pictures alongside with other demanded vaccinations, stipulating that individuals who refuse could experience repercussions, such as loss of spend.

Roughly 98% of lively-responsibility company associates have gained the COVID-19 vaccine, the Pentagon claimed final December. A group of Republican lawmakers has argued that the mandate is continue to harmful and is avoiding around 45,000 members of the Countrywide Guard from "critical training" because of their vaccination standing, pushing Austin to rescind the get.

"Our military services has been crippled by the restrictive COVID-19 procedures that the Division of Defense below the Biden Administration have implemented,” explained Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL). "Our military services could get rid of hundreds of hugely qualified, specialized, and qualified energetic service customers that our country has invested tens of millions into training if this mandate is not lifted.”

Brother of Marine killed in Kabul airport bombing commits suicide year soon after attack

Brady Knox

August 14, 04:46 PM August 14, 04:46 PM

The brother of 1 of the 13 U.S. company associates killed in the Kabul airport bombing fully commited suicide at his memorial, practically one particular 12 months just after the attack.

Law enforcement claimed that Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui's older brother, Dakota Halverson, 28, died on Aug. 9. Their mom, Shana Chappell announced the heartbreaking news the very same day.

"The thirty day period of August has been very tricky so considerably with the a person yr coming up. I seem at my youngsters as robust and like they can manage something. That was my oversight. My son Dakota has been chatting a lot recently about how he just wishes to be with Kareem, how substantially he misses him, etc.... We all really feel that way so I didn't see the signals. This early morning my son Dakota went to be with his brother Kareem," she wrote in a Facebook put up.

City Corridor senior writer Julio Rosas (previously of the Washington Examiner) shared a connection to a GoFundMe web page established up by the mother. Far more than $24,000 was elevated as of press time.

Assistance Users Wounded IN KABUL AIRPORT BLAST Back again IN US FOR Care

Law enforcement presented few aspects apart from confirming Dakota's death. The physique was found in Peak Pikes Park at 7:09 in the morning and the time of death was sometime right away, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Section in California. Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) exposed on Saturday that the 28-calendar year-old's demise had taken location at a memorial for his deceased brother.

"The older brother of just one of the 13 KIA in Kabul lately killed himself at his minor brother’s memorial. Make sure you pray for his family. There Should be accountability for this continued carnage," he tweeted.

On Aug. 26, 2021, Nikoui was standing atop a concrete website traffic barrier on the outskirts of Hamid Karzai Intercontinental Airport, furnishing safety for other U.S. service members and Afghan civilians fleeing imminent Taliban rule, when an suicide bomber 30 ft absent detonated a vest loaded with explosives and ball bearings, killing Nikoui together with 12 other servicemen and women of all ages and around 170 Afghans, in accordance to the Washington Submit. It truly is approximated that 45 other U.S. servicemen and ladies were wounded.

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Nikoui's mother has been a vocal critic of President Joe Biden and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley's handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 yrs of war, indicating they unnecessarily place her son in a unsafe problem that obtained him killed. She also has expressed the belief that the Pentagon lined up their mishandling of the evacuation of Afghanistan and airport bombing, with an investigative report contradicting a lot of eyewitness testimonies of the servicemen on the floor who survived the bombing.

Any one who is possessing thoughts of suicide or is familiar with a person who is getting them is recommended to get hold of the National Suicide Avoidance Lifeline at 988.

Chicago Law enforcement Section seeks to recruit US Marines amid officer shortage

Asher Notheis

June 27, 02:05 PM June 27, 02:05 PM

Chicago police are seeking to employ previous U.S. Marines as they test to come across 1,300 new officers they need to operate.

Chicago Police Deputy Main Migdalia Bulnes went to Camp Pendleton in the vicinity of San Diego, California, the place 9,000 Marines develop into civilians just about every year, to replenish the city's police pressure, and took 6 former Marines who are now officers to help in the recruitment, she explained Thursday. The division has lately employed 50 new officers but nonetheless requirements more to function absolutely, according to CBS.

"The fact is that we will need to fill the gaps speedily," Bulnes said.

5-Month-Outdated Female FATALLY SHOT IN CHICAGO

Qualifications checks, drug screens, and published tests had been specified instantly on-site to the 19 Marines who utilized for positions in the law enforcement force. The system normally normally takes a number of months to full but is now compressed to only three weeks.

In achieving out to former U.S. Marines, Bulnes acknowledged that one particular of the major challenges in recruiting new officers is "the negativity that goes all over it," as police departments throughout the nation are battling to retain officers soon after the demise of George Floyd in 2020. Law enforcement resignations are up by a lot more than 40% since 2019, and retirements amplified by virtually 25% in the course of the very same interval, in accordance to a current survey of 172 law enforcement departments done by the Police Govt Investigate Discussion board.

A new policy Chicago unveiled Tuesday, which will go into impact by the end of the summer time, prohibits officers from pursuing suspects of minor offenses, these as parking violations, driving on a suspended license, consuming in community, or if individuals simply just operate away. Officers will even now be permitted to go after those suspected of committing a severe website traffic offense, these types of as driving below the affect or street racing, along with individuals suspected of committing a Course A misdemeanor these types of as domestic battery or a felony.

Ken Griffin, a hedge fund billionaire worth almost $29 billion and Chicago's richest resident, declared last week he experienced moved his $22 billion business Citadel Securities from Illinois to Florida. Whilst not said in a letter to personnel, Citadel officials reportedly claimed criminal offense was a important aspect in the choice to go.