An Army servicemember who says he was injured by the COVID-19 vaccine said he faced repeated pressure to take the second dose of the vaccine, despite receiving a temporary exemption from the vaccine mandate last year.
But Army Warrant Officer Douglas Rubin, who spoke to The Epoch Times using a pseudonym for fear of reprisals, was ultimately assisted by the Pentagon’s rescission of the vaccine mandate following the signing into law of the Fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act.
In 2021, Rubin sought permanent exemption from the vaccine mandate due to injuries from the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. In accordance with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s August 2021 military vaccine mandate, he received the vaccine the following month. Within one week of receiving it, he began experiencing severe chest pains, shortness of breath, dizziness, headaches, and fatigue. By the end of the month, he had to be admitted to the emergency room (ER).
Rubin said the ER doctor diagnosed him with a possible vaccine side effect. He was instructed to follow up with his primary care manager (PCM) within five to seven days. He met with his PCM, who granted a temporary medical exemption from the vaccine until further evaluation and put in a referral for a cardiologist, according to documentation reviewed by The Epoch Times.
By early November 2021, Rubin had two other ER visits for continuing symptoms. He was diagnosed with dyspnea and pulmonary infarction. Shortly thereafter, he saw an on-post pulmonologist who ordered pulmonary function tests on four separate occasions to determine why he was having breathing problems. At this time, Rubin said, a “black spot” on his lungs was never explained, and according to the pulmonologist, the previous doctor had misdiagnosed the pulmonary infarction.
Instead, this doctor diagnosed him with “mild persistent asthma” in August 2022, four months after his last pulmonary function test. Following visits with a cardiologist and immunologist/allergist, Rubin said no one could confirm whether it was the vaccine that caused his problems.
During the process, his pulmonologist made statements such as, “It is better to continue to get a temporary medical exemption at the local level than to try to get a permanent exemption because General Officers do not want to see this come across their desk” and “I recommend that all my patients with asthma get the COVID-19 vaccine to protect themselves against further injury,” Rubin said.
He was led to believe that he wouldn’t get a permanent medical exemption and that his best course of action was a temporary exemption. In January 2022, he was granted a temporary exemption “indefinitely.”
After making every attempt to rule out all potential sources of his symptoms besides the vaccine, “no other sources could be found, and I am now permanently injured from this vaccine,” Rubin said.
Ongoing Impact
Rubin said his condition remains unresolved and continues to impact his professional and personal life.“I am constantly harassed to get the second shot, in part because my exemption keeps getting deleted from my records,” he said. “My former PCM had to put in the exemption multiple times due to it being deleted from my records.”
Another military medical professional was also threatening to nullify his exemption and is pressing him to get another shot or be removed from service.
Rubin said he and his wife are in “constant fear of our livelihood and my job security, which impacts our mental health and relationship health due to the high level of stress we’re both under.” He’s also concerned for his children, who hear his discussions and “constantly ask what is going to happen if I get kicked out of the Army.”
Although stressed out by the entire situation, he said his health is his “utmost concern.” He doesn’t consider himself to be an “anti-vaxxer,” but he’s concerned with the injuries sustained after receiving the first COVID-19 dose.
Rubin is still seeking a permanent medical exemption despite the Pentagon’s recent change in policy rescinding the mandate.
“With the lack of documented side effects of vaccines not approved by the FDA, I do not feel comfortable putting my health at risk when I already sustained an injury from a vaccine,” he said.
In addition to his health concerns and the strain on his family, Rubin said his career has been negatively impacted, as he has been unable to attend advanced courses, which has hampered his chances of promotion.
“I am disheartened by the lack of concern for my health by the military medical providers who have treated me in this injury thus far,” he said. “If this would have been a side effect from the flu vaccine or any other vaccine, my PCM would have put me in for a permanent exemption right away.”
Rubin said his health is still his top priority and wants to know whether his career is protected if the Department of Defense (DOD) determines that the vaccine mandate should be reinstated in the future.
“I think about all the military members who were injured by this vaccine and not properly treated due to the DOD enforcing such strict policy to get everyone vaccinated at all costs,” he said. “It disgusts me that readiness is the No. 1 line of effort for the military, but they do not want to recognize when something is injuring and killing our service members due to political agenda.”
Rubin emphasized that his views don’t reflect those of the Department of Defense or the Department of Army. The Pentagon didn’t return an inquiry from The Epoch Times.
