Airman discharged under vaccine mandate returns to help others re-enlist

Master Sgt. Jessica Meinert re-entered the Air Force Reserve during an emotional Pentagon ceremony on Aug. 14, four years after the COVID-19 vaccination mandate ended her time in uniform. An all-source intelligence analyst with more than 12 years of service, she will spend the next year with the Department of the Air Force’s COVID Reinstatement Task Force before returning to the intelligence career field.

“It really was never a choice. It’s always been a calling to never stop,” explained Meinert. “I’m really just getting back to where I was meant to always be. I always knew deep down inside that I was going to come back, and I was going to use every lesson learned to contribute and constructively make a positive impact once I put the uniform back on.”

Meinert’s Air Force career began in 2005. After an initial enlistment and honorable separation in 2007 as an airman first class, she joined the Reserve in 2010 at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, serving with the 91st Attack Squadron and rising to technical sergeant over nine years. In 2019 she moved to the Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Directorate at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, pinning on master sergeant on Feb. 1, 2020. She was discharged on June 8, 2022.

Out of uniform, she built a resource forum for service members affected by the vaccine mandate and became a leader and adviser in the Warrior of Conscience community, a network that helped members navigate relief and return options. “The thing that people needed most at the time was a supportive group,” said Meinert. “A lot of us were isolated and a little bit ostracized, and so there were a lot of hurt feelings, a deep sense of loss of trust. Finding each other and having somebody validate our thinking in those moments was a huge weight off the heart. It was nice to finally find your people.”

Her return comes amid a formal pathway back to service. Executive Order 14184, signed Jan. 27, 2025, directed the military departments to offer reinstatement to those discharged solely for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, with restored rank and back pay for those reinstated, and opened a path for those who separated voluntarily rather than take the vaccine. On May 7, 2026, the Secretary of War extended the expedited reinstatement program for one year and directed the boards for correction of military records to recognize separations tied to mandate-related adverse actions as “unjust discharges.” “While many have rejoined the fight, our work remains unfinished,” the memo states.

Reinstatement carries a four-year service commitment, or two years for those within two years of retirement eligibility. Meinert committed to four years: one year on the task force followed by three in the intelligence community. “She brings a unique perspective as a senior NCO, because that’s a gap that we’ve had,” said Col. Karen Coltrin, Department of the Air Force COVID Reinstatement Task Force lead. “She has built a network and trust within the Warrior of Conscience community, and now she can leverage those to help us as the department make positive changes and ensure we rapidly reinstate these members.”

Former Airmen and Guardians who separated over the mandate—whether discharged or having left voluntarily—have until April 1, 2027, to request to return. Eligibility details and return pathways are available at https://www.af.mil/COVID-Reinstatement or by emailing [email protected].

“It never hurts to answer the lingering question of ‘what if,’” said Meinert. “You can explore this option and everything that could bring to your life, and still say no, thank you. It’s no harm, no foul. So why not look?”