A former military officer who lost his career as a result of the COVID-19 shot mandate may now lose his second career over his objection to the so-called vaccine.
Joshua Zermeno, a former Space Force officer, served in the U.S. military for 13 years. In August 2021, when the Department of Defense (DoD) issued the COVID-19 shot mandate for all service members, he told The Gateway Pundit, he questioned its efficacy and legality—and chose not to comply.
Within months, he received two Letters of Reprimand (LORs), a “Do Not Promote” recommendation that blocked his promotion to Major, and was banned from government buildings, forced to telework.
In October 2021, Zermeno said, the Department of the Air Force introduced a voluntary separation option for those who refused the shot. He applied with his squadron commander’s approval, but base leadership and the Director of the Secretary of the Air Force Personnel Council denied it, citing it was “not in the best interest of the Air Force and Space Force.”
Seven days later, base leadership initiated Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) action against him, a process that lasted 11 months. In January 2023, former Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin rescinded the mandate and ordered the removal of all punishments and correction of records. However, Zermeno’s chain of command did not comply, passing him over for promotion a second time due to his refusal of the shot. Seven months later, he was involuntarily separated, a decision disguised as a “failure to promote” despite documentation showing his refusal as the sole reason.
When President Donald Trump announced the reinstatement of service members separated for refusing the COVID-19 shot, Zermeno admitted he immediately drove to Vandenberg Space Force Base to inquire about reinstatement. But according to him, “Not a single office could provide guidance, leading me to contact the Air Force’s Total Force Service Center, which handles Space Force matters.”
“They also reported having ‘zero guidance’ from the Department of Defense but opened a ‘ticket’ to follow up, [and] for two months, weekly calls yielded the same response,” he shared.
“In April 2025,” Zermeno said, “the Air Force released reinstatement guidance that contradicted Trump’s executive order, requiring a four-year commitment, reducing back pay by civilian earnings, mandating MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) clearance—which is now being used as a tool to deny reinstatements, and offering no protection from those who punished us initially.”
Despite the hurdles he’s faced, the former Space Force officer would continue to contemplate reinstatement, but “it is important for Defense Secretary Hegseth to understand very few will return until the reinstatement process is overhauled and those who issued unlawful orders are held accountable.”
While trying to pick up the pieces after the loss of his military career and moving past the harm it caused his family to entertain the idea of reinstatement, Zermeno wrote a book. Disobeying An Unlawful Order: A Space Force Officer’s Fight for Freedom details his experience with the DoD’s COVID-19 mandate.
What follows points to nothing less than retaliation against him. On June 2, 2025, the book was published. Ten days later, “on June 12, 2025, the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) contacted my employer to initiate a supplemental information request regarding my Top Secret clearance eligibility,” he shared on X.
On June 2, 2025, I published a memoir detailing my experience with the DoD’s COVID mandate. On June 12, 2025, the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) contacted my employer to initiate a supplemental information request regarding my Top Secret clearance… https://t.co/mymLedcWKo pic.twitter.com/XRri6NJ1Oh
— Joshua (@JoshuaZermeno) June 17, 2025
At the helm of DCSA is David Cattler, a Biden holdover who took the position of director for the security agency on March 24, 2024. Could Cattler’s agency be retaliating against Zermeno?
“It’s hard to believe the timing of this request is a coincidence,” said the former Space Force officer. “I am now standing by to find out what the ‘developed information’ is that they are talking about in the memorandum they provided to my employer, and whether or not they plan to pull my Top Secret clearance, which could possibly result in the loss of my civilian job” — with the DoD.
As he awaits more information, Zermeno fears his opposition to the “unlawful as implemented” shot mandate could now jeopardize two (emphasis added) careers.
While he is thankful for the efforts of the President and Defense Secretary Hegseth to restore the military, he pointed out, “The current reinstatement process for service members impacted by DoD vaccine-related punishments is flawed, failing to align with President Trump’s January 27 executive order.” As many others have pointed out to the author of this article, “It is obstructed by individuals resistant to reinstating affected personnel.”
“I propose pausing this process across all branches and establishing a dedicated task force to oversee reinstatement, restitution, and accountability for all DoD vaccine-related punishments, including ongoing purges of qualified service members due to various vaccine mandates,” Zermeno offered. “The task force must exclude those who enforced unlawfully implemented vaccine mandates to ensure impartiality.”
He argued, “It should be led by a retired four-star general, vetted for opposing vaccine mandates, alongside a former military JAG lawyer and a civilian medical researcher, both verified to have resisted vaccine enforcement.” In his opinion, “These leaders would fairly process claims and investigate unlawful orders.”
“The task force would include impacted service members and patriots, dedicated to restoring the military’s strength, as well as vetted civilian financial analysts and constitutional law advocates,” Zermeno suggested. “This team would manage reinstatement, provide restitution (e.g., back pay, medical costs), hold accountable those who issued unlawful orders, and reform policies to protect current service members from vaccine-related punishments.”
“Operating under the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness,” Zermeno said, “this task force would deliver justice, rebuild trust, and enhance military readiness without bureaucratic bias. By addressing all DoD vaccine-related punishments, it would strengthen our forces, prevent future injustices, and ensure a military guided by fairness and honor.”
Read the full article here