The following Letter to the Editor was published in The Daily Sun on Dec 13, 2022.
In Rep. Greg Steube’s “Sunday Update” to the voters in his district (of which l am one) he announced that he and seven of his colleagues were “demanding transparency” from the USNA on why they denied diplomas to several midshipmen who refused to have a COVID-19 vaccination.
I am totally amazed that he would not understand the necessity of our military forces being properly protected against all kinds of diseases that could infect our military personnel and thus, our military readiness status. His supposed “outrage” is nothing more than a cheap political stunt and has nothing to do with any concern about the midshipmen or our country’s security.
Rep. Steube should know the requirements of the military personnel to keep themselves physically ready for duty as his biography on his website says that not only was he a military officer, but also a JAG officer. All of us who served in the military (l was an Air Force JAG officer during Vietnam) know that we are required to be fit for duty which demands required shots.
It’s sad that these midshipmen wasted four years of their lives, not to mention thousands of taxpayer dollars, in refusing proper military requirements. They knew or should have known the consequences of their refusal to be vaccinated. If Rep. Steube wants to investigate something that really is important, he should join the investigation into why our Capitol was invaded and what the role of former President Trump was in that matter.
Ross Long, Rotonda West
