Chicago, April 2021: Soldiers prepare new batches of the COVID-19 vaccine at the United Center Community Vaccination Center in Chicago. (Army photo by Sgt. Tanis Kilgore)
By: FEDweek StaffUnvaccinated soldiers stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky who entered facilities there while unmasked will face punishment.
Army Times reported July 19 that the installation’s senior commander, Maj. Gen. John Evans, and other commanders on the post plan to issue 40 General Officer Memoranda of Reprimand (GOMORs) to the soldiers. Their actions violate an order issued in May, which mandated mask-wearing for soldiers who have not been vaccinated for Covid-19.
The reprimands are among the first of their kind – singling out soldiers for disciplinary action because of failure to adhere to pandemic-related vaccination protocols – in the Army. The report noted that GOMORs are considered “career killers” when included in permanent records, but added that officials at the Kentucky base did not specify that this would happen. The possibility remains that the GOMORs could be removed once each soldier transfers to a new post.
The soldiers’ violations were discovered during random inspections earlier this month.
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