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Navy Commander Puts Medical Freedom Over ‘Un-American’ Mandates

The opinions expressed in this article are personal in nature and do not represent the Navy, Department of Defense, or the Federal Government.

After 22 years of service in the U.S. Navy, Commander Raymond Alexan­der, a Camarillo father of three, is now discovering that standing for liberty may cost him his job.

Alexander faces the choice between continuing his military service or resign­ing, after receiving a military order requir­ing that he receive the COVID-19 vaccine — which he believes is an inappropriate requirement. He is challenging the order and intends to resign unless the mandate is rescinded before the implementation deadline at the end of December.

“[I’m] basically forgoing my poten­tial further career in the reserves,” Al­exander told the Conejo Guardian. “It comes down to ‘Do I sacrifice the rights that I hold so dearly as an American and as an American military member, having seen countries where individual rights are just tread upon with complete disregard? Do I participate in the abandonment of in­dividual sovereignty? Do I accept one step closer toward tyranny for the convenience of my financial stability?’”

Alexander enlisted in the Navy in 1999 and worked on fast-attack submarines, serving at Port Hueneme and in Afghani­stan. He later entered the reserves and was deployed to Saudi Arabia, Iraq and again to Afghanistan.

But this September, upon arriving at his monthly reserves training, Alexander, like most other reservists, received a “page 13” telling him he must get the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of December. A “page 13” is a standard form in the Navy for con­veying particularly important orders that need to be acknowledged formally and signed off by individuals.

“Your current medical records indicate that you have not been vaccinated against COVID-19,” one part of the document reads. It continues, “The following correc­tive action is required: Within XX days of this administrative counseling, you will complete receipt of the COVID-19 vacci­nation using an FDA approved vaccine.” (The XX appears in the original.)

That put a choice before him.

“I understand that when I accepted the responsibility of being in the military, one of the most important, fundamental chal­lenges I had to address for myself … was, ‘Am I willing to make a decision or take an action that I disagree with? Am I willing to be ordered to do something that I may morally or ethically disagree with, but that I may have to execute?’” he says.

Alexander decided to oppose the order’s validity and sent an email up his chain of command, providing statistics he derived from Centers for Disease Control data and his analysis of why he concludes the order isn’t necessary.

“In the military, we’re trained to make risk-based decisions,” Alexander told the Guardian. “The page 13 is phrased to im­ply the vaccine is intended to provide for my health and safety or the health and safety of the Navy as a force. It also states that the threat from COVID-19 is deadly and real, and so using that as the basis of this vaccine without providing any addi­tional data. What’s evident to me, what we call ‘from my foxhole’ — from what I see, from where I am — the vaccine is not nec­essary, so I challenged the basis of the or­der. … In my mind it’s the obligation of the people mandating that we get this vaccine to demonstrate that justification if ques­tioned, and I am absolutely questioning it.”

His email to his superiors was clear. It reads in part: “I do not plan to submit a waiver mainly because I do not believe the order itself is justifiable. When the order is wrong, the correct course of action is to challenge the order, not request a personal waiver, which demonstrates tacit agree­ment with the order.”

After then explaining his research, which showed people of his age at ex­tremely low risk of death from COVID, he stated: “At its core, I believe this mandate is founded on flawed, politically motivat­ed, bureaucratic group-think. I believe it is an unwarranted violation of individual sovereignty and, therefore, a violation of my right to bodily autonomy. It is a very real consequence of a growing acceptance of tyranny in American governance. This order is fundamentally un-American.”

As of mid-September, nobody up the chain of command has countered his ob­jection in any substantive way. Recently, the Navy sent out a revised page 13 that he thinks is “designed to cover their butts le­gally from a variety of angles.”

“I think they’re anticipating challeng­es,” he says.

Alexander says that in the past, ques­tions about questionable orders have al­ways been met with “reasonable and sup­portable arguments to the counter.”

“There is time to say, ‘Here’s our order and here’s why we’re doing it. Here’s the data that we are using that support why we’re mandating that you take this vac­cine,’” Alexander says.

Now he sees three paths ahead. Get­ting the vaccine against his own conscience or desire “is the least morally correct thing to do,” he says. On the other hand, he could refuse the order outright and force a mili­tary justice proceeding or a court-martial. Alexander plans to chart a third path of resistance: He will sign the page 13 to ac­knowledge receipt, then attach a statement explaining his reasoning against the man­date and his responsibility to challenge or­ders he believes are flawed. In addition, he will state his intent to resign from his posi­tion if the order does not change.

“There’s this sense of dread and dis­appointment,” he says. “Tragedy is proba­bly the right word to use in respect to the circumstances in which I find myself. Add onto that my career-long feeling of respon­sibility to any sailor that’s been attached to me, and any commander I’ve worked for, and I see this as a much broader tragedy. It’s happening to everyone’s career right now.”
If that’s the path the Navy forces him to take, he will lose a chunk of his income, medical benefits — and, most importantly, a long loyalty to that branch of the armed services.

“I walked through so many fires for the military that to end it [in this way] … It seems like such a tragedy,” he says. “[The] two-decades-long sense of sacrifice and commitment I’ve had for the service, com­ing down to this almost comical hill upon which we’re sacrificing our commitment to service. … I could probably consider this a sense of mourning. … I feel like I’m ending something that’s been this massive part of my life for 22 years.”

He believes the order will decimate leadership in the U.S. military, whose iron-fisted, ham-handed approach to vaccination is causing intelligent, criti­cal-thinking officers to jump ship.

“Would you rather have an officer in the military who accepts without challenge or consideration?” he says. “Or would you rather have an officer weigh the order and think critically about it? … You want the kind of officer that will hold people accountable and challenge orders when there’s time to challenge it. There’s nothing in particular that’s making this mandate urgent. We should take our time and be pragmatic. We’re losing officers who will do their due diligence and back up the chain of command on the orders they give.”

Looking to a future without the re­serves, Alexander says he will continue to work his civilian job, and “I may be more active politically, to be honest with you.”


He is determined to continue to help protect the basic freedoms of all individu­als, as he has done throughout his military career.

11 COMMENTS

  1. An excellent Article regarding the conundrum imposed upon Commander Alexander and so many other intelligent, wise and critically thinking officers for whom we should all be grateful! This mandate is a pathetic blatant march toward tyranny over a condition that is clearly treatable with known therapeutics; virtually all of which have been banned from public scrutiny and access. This assault on our Constitution is real, and requires serious legal public response!

    • You do realize this guy got dozens of vaccinations before he even entered the armed services, right? this article is about a paranoid individual who listens to irrational people who don’t know what they’re talking about, and he believed them.

  2. The hypocrisy of Raymond Alexander is critical here. As a member of our Armed forces, I have had to take all sorts of vaccines, as has Mr. Alexander. This is political. As a soldier, he should have no political bent. Serve the American people, or resign. His resignation is what is needed from a fallen soldier.

    • I’m glad another person who read this article can see his irrational perspectives for what they are. It amazes how terrified people have become during this pandemic, and we can easily witness the lengths they go to live in denial of it.

  3. Isn’t more unamerican to deny the reality which this man’s country is suffering from, and take steps to make sure that his fellow countrymen suffer more because of his denial of the reality we are facing? How is it I have more courage than a service member, for I am willing to engage with and overcome an enemy he doesnt believe even exists?

  4. Dear Moderator/Owner of this blog,

    Stop watching Fox news. Q anon was a 19 year old. Religion is mythology with rituals and funny hats. And Trump is, by all means, a demagogue. Look up that word. It originated in Ancient Greece. History has seen many unfortunate rulers like Trump. Trump is all emotion and no reason or rationality. And so are his followers. Not everyone is as gullible as you are.

  5. Thank you for your perspective Mary, but I disagree. True, I have received other vaccinations, but your argument assumes that all vaccines are equivalent. I am not objecting to vaccines in general, only this particular vaccination mandate because it is unwarranted.

    COVID-19 mortality data clearly demonstrate that the risk of serious/fatal cases for military personnel, the overwhelming majority of whom are young and without high-risk comorbidities, is exceedingly rare. The risk to me personally (45 year old male without hypertension) is roughly ~30 deaths in 100,000 which is ~26 times *less likely* than death from the flu and pneumonia.

    Also, true, that as a Service Member it is my duty to obey orders, but not blindly. I am obligated to voice concerns when I believe an order may be faulty, unwarranted, or unlawful, particularly when a. the order potentially violates the constitution and b. there is time to voice my concerns without risk to mission. I believe both of these conditions are met in this case.

    To your point about the political nature of my objections, perhaps, but not due to my arguments. If my objections are political it is only as a consequence of the vaccine order itself being politically motivated. When an issue is made political, then objections to that issue can be interpreted as political.

    To your final point, you’ll be relieved to know that I have resigned. Unfortunately, so have many others. And still others will be administratively processed out of the military. I’ll leave you with a question. Who would you rather serve our Country, those who are inclined to question potential violations of individual sovereignty or those who unquestioningly compel others to submit to politically motivated, unjustified orders?

  6. Going to go into politics? Sounds like you’re already there. I too was in the military (only 10yrs). I was shipped overseas after I lined up and received a series of shot for diseases I could barely pronounce. I didn’t know what was in them? I don’t technically know what’s in a Twinkie.

    So, you’ve served over 20yrs which means you’re eligible for retirement already. Or, are you really going to stand your ground and not accept the government’s tyranny money? That would be a real statement. Seems like you’re giving up on some of your weekend warrior money for a few more years. Nope, just some grandstanding Q-Anon/Trumpian beliefs that get you some print for those who don’t know any better.

    Get over yourself.

  7. Hello Guardian, I stand firmly with Commander Alexander. He has tremendous courage. His critics have no idea what is happening, or what rights we have. They have not been taught these.
    What can I do to help you Commander?

    Joan Eppen

    • Thank you Joan, I appreciate your support. Never mind the critics who have neither the courage to use their own name, the humility to consider another perspective, nor the intellect to provide compelling counter-argument – they are trolls.

      Forgive me Joan, I am new at this. I think you can best support by rejecting/opposing every instance of unjustified Government imposition on individual sovereignty in your own life and in your community. Start small. For example, if you reject mask mandates, then don’t wear a mask. If someone challenges you for not wearing a mask, tell them you do not intend to put on a mask and carry on.

      Vote for candidates who support the foundational principles of American governance embedded in our Constitution. Vote for candidates who support subsidiarity. Vote for candidates who are guided by firmly established moral and ethical principles. Vote against the corrupting influence of moral relativism.

      Find and support organizations that stand against violations of individual sovereignty. One example is Freedom of Religion – United Solutions which will soon post a Call for Action and petition regarding the DOD vaccine mandate. Connect your community with these organizations. Volunteer to help. Godspeed, Ray

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