Unvaccinated Soldier Who Was Barred From Official Travel Says Career ‘Basically at a Halt’

Unvaccinated soldiers affected by a U.S. Army order restricting their official travel have told The Epoch Times that their careers have been severely impacted.

According to U.S Army fragmentary orders (FRAGOs) published by Fox News, the U.S. Army has barred unvaccinated soldiers from official travel without the under secretary’s approval.

The directives also apply to those in the process of learning the fate of their request for religious accommodation from the vaccine mandate.

One FRAGO dated June 16 read: “UNVACCINATED SOLDIERS ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR OFFICIAL TRAVEL WITHOUT PRIOR-APPROVAL FROM THE UNDER SECRETARY OF THE ARMY.”

The soldiers’ units are responsible for submitting requests to the under secretary. And unless they can obtain “prior approval” from the under secretary, it appears a line has been drawn in the sand, demanding that unvaccinated soldiers get vaccinated or risk promotion to a higher rank, career advancement, and other valuable training opportunities.

Chief warrant officer (CW2) Michael Davenport, a 16-year veteran of the Army, told The Epoch Times that he considers his career “basically at a halt.” Having once served as a U.S. Army infantry soldier with the 1st Ranger Battalion, Davenport assumed a role akin to copilot of an Apache advanced attack helicopter in 2019. As a result of the Army’s travel restrictions, Davenport is unable to partake in temporary duty travel to attend military schools and training that would advance his career. “If I can’t progress in education and training,” he said, “I’m going to fall far behind and potentially not be promoted at the next promotion board.”

As “a fairly new pilot,” Davenport said, he is not yet a pilot in command (PIC). His religious objection to the military’s vaccine mandate since September 2021 may cost him the PIC designation. Because he is unvaccinated and unable to travel, he has been

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