Air Force Brig. Gen. Melissa S. Cunningham was sworn in at the Pentagon on October 23 after being discharged in August 2022 for declining the military's mandatory COVID-19 vaccination.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth conducted the ceremony and said: "Not only did you take a private stand in a very principled way as a warrior of conscience, but you led the way for others."
Cunningham's reinstatement follows Executive Order 14184, signed by President Donald J. Trump, which directed the secretaries of war and homeland security to reinstate all military members, active and reserve, who were discharged solely for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine and who requested reinstatement. Hegseth implemented the one-year reinstatement policy and then extended it an additional year in March.
Between 8,000 and 8,700 service members were discharged or separated for vaccine refusal between August 2021 and January 2023. Since Trump's executive order, 608 of those service members have returned to active duty, Hegseth said.
Cunningham, a 26-year veteran, said after her swearing-in: "We need leaders, those courageous warriors of moral conscience, to return."