Restoring Honor: Navy Reinstates Sailor Discharged Over Vaccine Refusal

Under Secretary of War Anthony J. Tata announced Thursday that a former U.S. Navy serviceman discharged for refusing the COVID vaccine has been reinstated.

Devin Berry has been reinstated to the U.S. Navy and promoted to Petty Officer Third Class, becoming a high-profile success story in the military’s efforts to reverse COVID vaccine mandate separations. Berry, an Aviation Boatswain’s Mate, was involuntarily discharged in July 2022 after refusing the vaccine.

The then-Department of Defense ordered all service members to receive a COVID vaccine beginning August 24, 2021. More than 17,000 service members declined the shots, citing safety fears related to the vaccine’s rapid development, questions about messenger RNA technology, and objections tied to the use of fetal cell lines in testing, according to a 2023 report from Air Force Times.

After President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14184 to offer reinstatement to service members involuntarily separated due to the vaccine requirement, Berry collaborated with the Navy’s reinstatement team to rejoin the fleet, receiving full back pay and three years of active-duty credit.  Tata lauded Berry’s return, quoting the sailor’s desire to finish his career in what he called “the best job in the Navy.”

Pleased to share the story of another brave warrior impacted by the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, Devin Berry.

E3 Berry, an Aviation Boatswain’s Mate, was involuntarily separated in July 2022 after refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine. After @POTUS signed EO 14184, he contacted the… pic.twitter.com/XYP2ETwo8k

— Under Secretary of War Anthony J. Tata (@USW_PR_HONTata) February 12, 2026

Berry’s case is part of a broader federal initiative to restore the honor of thousands of service members impacted by the 2021 vaccine mandate. Between August 2021 and the mandate’s rescission in January 2023, an estimated 8,000 service members were involuntarily separated. The Marine Corps saw the highest number of discharges, at more than 3,700, followed by significant numbers in the Navy, Army, and Air Force. Thousands more in the Guard and Reserve faced suspensions, and some chose to resign or retire early rather than comply.

The controversy surrounding the mandate centered on the military’s low approval rates for religious and medical exemptions, prompting numerous lawsuits and claims of violations of religious freedom. While many service members were discharged “honorably,” roughly 4,000 received “General (Under Honorable Conditions)” discharges, a designation that can limit access to GI Bill education benefits and hinder their transition to civilian life.

The tide turned after President Trump returned to office in early 2025. Executive Order 14184 authorized the reinstatement of all service members separated under the mandate, and the War Department moved to restore rank, back pay, and lost service time. A December 2025 review began automatically upgrading “General” discharges to “Honorable,” restoring GI Bill benefits for nearly 900 veterans.

While the return rate was initially low — with only 43 individuals rejoining in the first year after the mandate ended — the new incentives and formal apologies from leadership have aimed to improve those numbers. Returning service members are generally required to commit to a new four-year service obligation.

For Berry and others like him, the policy shift marks a second chance to complete the military careers they once thought were over.