Five Years After the COVID-19 Shot Mandate Destroyed His Career, Former U.S. Space Force Officer Returns to Duty

After almost five years of grappling with the consequences of his objection to the military’s 2021 COVID-19 shot mandate, a former Space Force officer had his career reinstated on Friday.

The Gateway Pundit spoke to Joshua Zermeno, a military officer who dedicated a significant portion of his 13-year career to the field of space superiority within the U.S. Space Force (USSF). On June 26, 2026, Captain Zermeno was the first officer reinstated into the Department of the Air Force and USSF, once again taking the oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”

This great commitment remained in effect for him even while not in uniform for the past five years.

“Returning to service under President Trump’s Executive Order 14184 is profoundly meaningful to me,” he expresses.

“This opportunity has surprisingly turned into the pinnacle and defining moment of my career. It allows me to fully commit myself once more to serving our nation, complete the work I began over a decade ago, and teach my children the importance of resilience and dedication to principles.”

Zermeno is set to report for duty on July 26 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. As this date nears, he shares, “I am profoundly grateful and honored to once again wear the uniform and uphold my oath.”

For Zermeno, the journey to reach this point was long and challenging. He enlisted in the Air Force in 2010. After serving as a mechanic for B-52 strategic bombers for several years, he was able to leverage his mechanical engineering degree to apply for Officer Training School (OTS).

Upon completing OTS, Zermeno was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Air Force and started Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT). He graduated second in his class in 2015 and was subsequently assigned to RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft operations.

In 2018, he was presented with another career shift opportunity and assigned to the 1^st Air and Space Test Squadron at Vandenberg SFB. He began working with rockets, collaborating with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), SpaceX, and various other organizations focused on space exploration. In 2021, he was among the first officers to be commissioned into the United States Space Force. However, 2021 also marked the year when all his hard-earned achievements were stripped away.

Zermeno raised concerns about the military’s August 2021 COVID-19 shot mandate issued by then-Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, challenging its “efficacy and legality.” As a result, he received three Letter of Reprimands (LORs), an Article 15, and multiple “Do Not Promote,” recommendations which hindered his advancement to the rank of major.

In October 2021, he sought to leave the military voluntarily, but he was informed that his separation was “not in the best interest of the Air Force and Space Force.” Following this communication, base leadership barred him from entering government buildings and took action against him under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Although the COVID-19 shot mandate was lifted in January 2023, he was overlooked for promotion for the second time solely for shot refusal—a career killer.

He was forced to involuntarily separate from the USSF on August 31, 2023. However, President Donald Trump’s January 2025 Executive Order aimed at reinstating service members discharged due to the shot mandate compelled him to take action and make and attempt to return to service. After an 18-month struggle with the Department of the Air Force’s Reinstatement process and the Board for the Correction of Military Records (BCMR)—an administrative authority many consider largely ineffective and a bureaucracy that sidelines Trump’s intent—he succeeded in making his return.

In spite of Trump’s Executive Order that would “allow those service members reinstated…to return to their previous rank and receive full back pay, benefits, bonus payments, or compensation,” this has not been the case for Zermeno and many others who have been reinstated. The reinstatement process entails detailed stipulations that diminish any back pay by deducting all civilian earnings accrued during the period of separation. In reality, only individuals who had no income after their service ended qualify for the full back pay.

The Board’s determination declares: “He is entitled to all related back pay, benefits, and entitlements, less any necessary offsets resulting from the aforementioned corrections to his record.”

“Although receiving backpay would have alleviated some of the considerable personal and financial hardships my family faced due to two years of military punishment and the difficulties of adjusting to civilian life, being reinstated holds far greater importance for me than any monetary compensation. I was determined to return to duty no matter what, even if the backpay amounted to nothing,” Zermeno remarked.

This determination is echoed in Zermeno’s reflection on the situation, as he admitted, “The COVID-19 mandate stands as one of the most significant mistakes in military history and should not be forgotten.” He further emphasized, “The repercussions of this mandate are still being felt by service members,” noting that, “it adversely affected tens of thousands of service members.” Many, like him, have been left pursuing reinstatement over an order that was deemed “unlawful as implemented.”

Fortunately, he has successfully endured the fight after a very prolonged struggle and is eager to finish his career, hoping that many others will have the opportunity to do the same.

To preserve the history of the military’s COVID-19 shot mandate, Zermeno authored the book titled, DISOBEYING AN UNLAWFUL ORDER: A SPACE FORCE OFFICER’S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, in 2025.

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