Wife of a Marine Corps major disciplined for refusing to get vaccinated on religious grounds speaks out.
A Marine Corps major selected for promotion to lieutenant colonel recently went through a Board of Inquiry process and was found guilty of “conduct unbecoming of an officer” for maintaining his religious conviction and refusing to get vaccinated for COVID-19.
The Epoch Times spoke with Meghan Harwood, the wife of the officer in question, Major Nick Harwood. While her husband will soon be separated from the Corps after 15 years of honorable service, Mrs. Harwood said, his case represents an “excellent example of the farce that is the military legal system.”
She said his religious beliefs and Constitutional rights were trampled on, explaining that “he is not being afforded the rights of every other American in this country.” His request for religious accommodation was denied, as well as his subsequent appeal.
Major Harwood was given 48 hours to take the shot after receiving the denial of his appeal in December 2021. “They were trying to force him to violate his religious beliefs,” but according to his wife, “he maintained his religious conviction.”
And as a result, he was relieved of his position and assigned to work elsewhere.
Over six months after the denial of religious accommodation, he met with his Board of Inquiry on July 18. Mrs. Harwood described it as “an administrative court,” one absent the strict legal proceedings of a standard court.
“There’s no judge,” she said. “Instead, there are three high-ranking officers that vote whether to keep him or separate him [from the Marine Corps].”
One of the points the government prosecutor argued, she said, is that when a person joins the military, they also limit their rights. He then tied this point to limiting free speech, giving the example that “you can’t go into work and tell your commanding officer off.” He also tied it to the Second Amendment, noting that “you can’t just bring a gun into some workplaces.”
Both points, according to Mrs. Harwood, are “extremely asinine” examples of limiting someone’s rights.
By J.M. Phelps
