An Army officer decided to resign instead of taking the COVID vaccine ordered by the military.
Fox News' Lt. Col. Paul Douglas Hague stated that he had received all the other vaccines but not the COVID one.
The CDC and other medical professionals have argued that COVID vaccines work well and are safe.
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After 18 years of service, a US Army officer decided to quit rather than receive the COVID shot. However, that's not his only complaint.
"I don’t want the COVID vaccination, and I don’t plan to get it," Lt. Col. Paul Douglas Hague stated to Fox News' Sean Hannity Wednesday. "I have had all of the Army vaccines. I've had eight anthrax shots. I have had the smallpox vaccine. They all came out of my system.
He continued, "So it's not really about whether I get the shot."
Hague stated, "This is about freedom for the American people." The right to choose your medical procedures. The right to choose what is going into your body and not. This is a natural human right we cannot take away. I took an oath to defend and protect the Constitution that gives these rights to Americans.
The US military does not have the right of refusing to receive mandated vaccines, but they can still serve. These requirements were based on military experience, which shows that infectious diseases can pose a danger to troops just as much as the enemy. Nevertheless, certain religious exemptions are available.
Hague's decision comes only two years before retirement and will affect his pension and other benefits. His wife posted his resignation letter via Twitter last week.
Katie Phipps Hague (@AtTheHague) September 9, 2021
Hague's letter was a partial response on the Pentagon's COVID mandate. It stated that Hague could not "submit myself to the unlawfully unethical, immoral and tyrannical command to sit still and permit a serum be injected into me flesh against my will and better judgment."
In late August, Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Defense, sent a memo directing military personnel to obtain the vaccine only after it had been approved by FDA. He stressed that this was essential for a "healthy force ready to fight."
He stated, "After careful consultations with military leaders and medical experts, and with the support from the President, I have determined mandatory vaccination against coronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID-19), is necessary to protect and defend the Force and the American people."
Hague, in his resignation letter, also lamented the lockdowns that were implemented in response to the virus. He said he felt a "complete lack" of confidence in the Biden administration following failures in Afghanistan and criticised what he considers a "Marxist takeover" of the military.
The COVID vaccines created by Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson have been divisive in the US. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and outside medical experts continue to advocate for them to help reduce the spread and severity of the virus, which currently claims more than 2,000 lives per day, mainly among the unvaccinated.
The CDC stresses that COVID-19 vaccines "are safe and effective," and notes that millions have been vaccinated. They encourage everyone from 12 years old and older to get the vaccine.
