(Headline USA) Navy soldiers who declined to get the COVID-19 vaccine and instead seek a religious exemption have been forced to live in “deplorable” living conditions, according to a lawsuit.
Three reservists and 35 active-duty Navy SEALs filed a lawsuit last November, alleging the military branch was unfairly refusing to allow them to apply for religious exemptions to President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. This week, that lawsuit was amended to extend to a class action lawsuit involving all Navy service members seeking a religious accommodation, according to Fox News.
The Navy servicemembers contend the government has forced them to move into poor housing while they wait for their religious exemptions to be approved. Some servicemembers have even been barred from traveling outside their base, according to the complaint.
“Because I could not leave the area, I moved onto the berthing barge for the Eisenhower. The conditions on the barge are deplorable, much like the USS George Washington, which is anchored in the same shipyard. There is mold everywhere and the barge’s toilets back up and leak,” one sailor said.
“The water leaks out of the base of the toilet and collects near my rack and out into the hall. On bad days, it goes into the berthings on the other side. The leaks seem to be sewage—it smells like sewage and looks like it too.”
“There is some sort of worm thriving in the stagnant water in the toilet bowls and on the floor in the leaked water around the base of the toilets,” the sailor continued. “Needless to say, I do not feel comfortable or safe in this environment and I have contacted mental health services multiple times.”
Another Navy technician testified that his superiors began giving him poor performance reviews after he submitted a religious exemption.
“Prior to the vaccine mandate, I consistently earned a ‘must promote’ rating on my performance evaluations. This year, because I submitted a religious accommodation and was planning on separating, I was given a ‘promote’ status,” he wrote.
The Navy has not granted a single religious exemption to the vaccine mandate. There are currently 4,244 requests pending.
