BOSSIER CITY, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – A Barksdale Air Force Base Airman says she is suing the U.S. Department of Defense, the Secretary of the DOD, and other military leaders over the COVID-19 vaccine mandate because she believes God does not want her to get the shot.
“If I’m nervous about something and I pray about it and it’s something I need to do then God will give me a calming peace,” U.S. Air Force Reserves Senior Airman Faith Crocker told KTAL/KMSS. “Which is what normally happens, but that hasn’t happened and because of that I think He doesn’t want me to get this, I think He wants me to stand up.”
Crocker and her attorneys from the Pelican Institute Center for Justice, who are representing her for free, filed the lawsuit Monday after she appealed her religious exemption request when it was denied.
Sr. Airman Crocker believes that she should not get the COVID-19 vaccine due to her religious beliefs.
Aside from her religious beliefs, she also does not want to take the vaccine because there is little research. However, she has gotten the flu vaccine due to pressure from her school and parents.
The Department of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered all military personnel in Aug. 2020 to be vaccinated by Nov. 2, 2020, or face discharge. The Air Force Reserve and the National Gaurd had a Dec. 2, 2020 deadline.
“There’s got to be another option. There’s no way they can kick somebody out for not getting a vaccination,” Sr. Airman Crocker said.
She is unsure about the outcome of this case but says she has support from her family and fellow airmen across the country.
