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Military branches restore flu shot requirement after virus swept through base

arstechnica.com

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Re: Military branches restore flu shot requirement after virus swept through base

#111

Post by runjake »

hammock wrote: post #83
astura wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>he has been adamant that vaccines are incredibly important for the military and the policy changes have really angered him, specifically because of the damage it does to readiness. Your friend knows his history; disease has been the leading cause of death in warfare, historically, killing more soldiers than actual combat.

Did we ever get a vaccine for trench foot?

No, because trench foot is something not treatable by vaccines.

However, we did receive a lot of training in how to avoid and treat it, along with better equipment. Does that count as a “vaccine”?

Re: Military branches restore flu shot requirement after virus swept through base

#112

Post by runjake »

annzabelle wrote: post #20
dqv wrote: post #14

> Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said that the Pentagon had granted exceptions to Hegseth’s optional flu shot policy to the Army, Navy, Air Force, National Security Agency, and the Defense Health Agency. So which ones are still exempt from the vaccines? Space Force, USMC, Coast Guard, who else?

There are a few obscure ones. Uniformed Health Service (the reason the Surgeon General is a General), which I'm certain is vaccinated. NOAA also has uniformed personnel.

These do not fall under DoD or SECDEF and are not military.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniformed_services_of_the_Unit...

Re: Military branches restore flu shot requirement after virus swept through base

#113

Post by sandworm101 »

jemmyw wrote: post #109
sandworm101 wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The covid refusal also became a scam. If you refused then you couldnt be deployed. But it tool months to kick people out. So people who didnt want to deploy would refuse and then agree to get the shot at the last minute. So it kept them home for up to six months while thier buddies went overseas..

The US has a volunteer army, if you don't want to do army things why be there in the first place?

Volunteer, but only on the way in. And new recruits are very young. Things in thier lives change. They grow up a bit and often want out, but cant get out. Being stuck in a multi-year term of service doesnt feel like a volunteer army to them.

Re: Military branches restore flu shot requirement after virus swept through base

#114

Post by secretsatan »

jemmyw wrote: post #109
sandworm101 wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The covid refusal also became a scam. If you refused then you couldnt be deployed. But it tool months to kick people out. So people who didnt want to deploy would refuse and then agree to get the shot at the last minute. So it kept them home for up to six months while thier buddies went overseas..

The US has a volunteer army, if you don't want to do army things why be there in the first place?

Economics

Re: Military branches restore flu shot requirement after virus swept through base

#115

Post by lmm »

jghn wrote: post #100
lmm wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> All their antivax outrage was because they didn't think they personally were going to die from COVID, and didn't want to help save anyone else's life. Suppose you're right. They're still entitled to their views, they're entitled to honesty from their government, and frankly I'd say the government should not be trying to coerce people into taking an officially-experimental vaccine by the back door any more than they…

> taking an officially-experimental vaccine by the back door Two things. 1) mRNA technology was not experimental 2) I don't know about you but I got my shot in the shoulder, not the back door

> 1) mRNA technology was not experimental

Perhaps, but the specific vaccines were.

> 2) I don't know about you but I got my shot in the shoulder, not the back door

As I'm sure you understood, I was talking about coercion by the back door - the whole "we're not going to force individuals to vaccinate, but we're going to force restaurants and gyms to require vaccination" approach. (And don't try to say it was an objective public health measure - if that was the case they would've made natural immunity as acceptable as vaccination)

Re: Military branches restore flu shot requirement after virus swept through base

#116

Post by s1artibartfast »

0xbadcafebee wrote: post #74
Ferret7446 wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a double layer of irony here, where the people criticizing people of the ignorance of "unintended" consequences of vaccine fear will play defense for the unintended consequence of causing that fear by the extremely aggressive pushing of vaccine policies during covid

If it was Ebola instead of COVID-19, 1000% guaranteed that all those antivaxxers would have been banging down the doors to get a vaccine, and would have been raging if the government hadn't rushed it out. All their antivax outrage was because they didn't think they personally were going to die from COVID, and didn't want to help save anyone else's life. 2 million dead Americans later and people still complain that th…

> If it was Ebola instead of COVID-19, 1000% guaranteed that all those antivaxxers would have been banging down the doors to get a vaccine, and would have been raging if the government hadn't rushed it out. All their antivax outrage was because they didn't think they personally were going to die from COVID, and didn't want to help save anyone else's life.

I think you are largely right, but I dont think they have any obligation to save anyone else's life.

I think there would have been better uptake amung republicans if it was presented a optional healthcare choice or suggestion.

Re: Military branches restore flu shot requirement after virus swept through base

#117

Post by actionfromafar »

runjake wrote: post #111
hammock wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did we ever get a vaccine for trench foot?

No, because trench foot is something not treatable by vaccines. However, we did receive a lot of training in how to avoid and treat it, along with better equipment. Does that count as a “vaccine”?

It depends on if trench foot treatment is woke or not.

Re: Military branches restore flu shot requirement after virus swept through base

#118

Post by jqpabc123 »

hackingonempty wrote: post #57

"Under President [Donald J.] Trump, the War Department continues to take decisive action to once again restore freedom and strength to our joint force. We're seizing this moment to discard any absurd overreaching mandates that only weaken our warfighting capabilities." - Secretary Hegseth in April 2026 War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.

And stupidity is intelligence.

Democracy dies when stupid people become convinced that they know best and have all the answers.

Re: Military branches restore flu shot requirement after virus swept through base

#119

Post by jqpabc123 »

djsavvy wrote: post #78
wrs wrote: post #7

>"The decisions were based upon thorough risk assessments..." Both decisions? Or just the walkback one?

Not justifying it by any means, but the first one could have been done on a risk assessment of how it would affect recruitment, retention, and morale. There are some worlds in which that could have been the rational choice, especially with knowledge that it would likely get rolled back in time.

There are some worlds

Yes, that world is one based more on reality and common sense rather than politics and rhetoric.

Unfortunately, this does not describe the world we are currently trapped in.

Re: Military branches restore flu shot requirement after virus swept through base

#120

Post by ndsipa_pomu »

anon-3988 wrote: post #47
andsoitis wrote: post #17

It turns out eventually you have to deal with reality.

Hot take but we should let reality deal the blow. There's so many things that people think is redundant and unnecessary but actually have an army of people and machination that are working tirelessly to curb it. Only to called bloat and the deep state. Vaccines should not be given automatically, because that causes people to not think about why they need it. They think that it is something is imposed on them. But if…

That seems like the opposite of using intelligence to deal with issues.

Throughout history, human civilisations have tried to deal with problems (e.g. droughts, floods, famines etc) by proactively taking measures to increase their chance of survival. Simple things like storing grain to be used during the winter is an effective strategy, whereas letting people starve to death so that they can learn about storing grain seems like a really stupid idea for stupid people.

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