Brandon Gibson, the rumored frontrunner to succeed Attorney General Slatery, Governor Bill Lee’s Chief Operating Officer for the state of Tennessee, refused to comment when The Tennessee Star asked her to comment on the pending firings of many National Guardsmen due to their refusal to comply with a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
The Star reached out to Gibson on Monday morning.
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To whom it may concern,
I am writing this as a small piece of a big puzzle. My ETS (expiration term of service) from the Tennessee Army National Guard took place last summer after nearly 14.5 years of service.
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I regret that I couldn’t be here today, but I wanted to share my story with you.
I am a National Guard Soldier. I have served for more than 2 decades, all as a Guardsman. I have served more than half of that time as an enlisted Soldier, and the remaining decade as a Commissioned Officer. I have spent nearly 3 years of my life in the Middle East; 2 of those 3 deployments were combat and the third I had the honor to deploy in command of my own unit. I have both led and followed brave men and women into harms way, men and women who would lay down their lives for me, and I for them.
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I am one of the hundreds of Tennessee Guardsmen, thousands of Guardsmen nationwide, and tens of thousands of military service members that are currently being discriminated against due to our religious beliefs.
There was a time not so long ago when having the Personal Courage and Integrity to stand up for what you believe to be morally and ethically right, was celebrated as Army values; no more. Now, those of us who believe in the sanctity of preborn human life, that the divine spark of God ignites life at conception and that, that life is sacred and deserving of respect, are being systematically purged from serving our country.
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Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed official guest host Aaron Gulbransen in-studio to discuss why TN5 candidate General Kurt Winstead will not initiate help for Tennessee guardsmen about to lose their jobs or answer any real questions directly.
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Several General Assembly members in both the state House and state Senate have shared a text message with The Tennessee Star that purports to be a message from Governor Bill Lee’s office that says the governor is working on the issue and specifically mentions “religious and personal exemptions.”
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Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn told The Tennessee Star Tuesday that she strongly supports the Tennessee National Guard soldiers who are about to be fired due to noncompliance with a vaccine mandate on Thursday.Â
Blackburn also mentioned she is working on federal legislation to help them.
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The chorus of Tennessee legislators calling on Governor Bill Lee to take action to help save the jobs of Tennessee National Guard members continues to grow.
Several additional Tennessee legislators have come forward to The Tennessee Star, issuing statements in solidarity with the Tennessee National Guardsmen who are about to lose their jobs due to noncompliance with the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
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Tennessee Speaker of the House of Representatives Cameron Sexton, in a statement issued to The Tennessee Star, expressed his support for the Tennessee National Guard members who are scheduled to lose their jobs on June 30 due to their refusal to comply with a COVID-19 vaccination mandate.Â
Sexton additionally had sharp criticism for the Biden administration’s handling of COVID-19 policies and mandates.Â
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Lt. Governor Randy McNally issued a statement to The Tennessee Star in support of saving the jobs of the Tennessee National Guard members who are scheduled to lose their jobs on June 30 due to their refusal to comply with the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate.
“The mission of our National Guard is the defense of our state and our homeland, not political correctness. The Biden administration is once again putting left-wing woke politics ahead of our national interest. While COVID-19 is still with us, it has moved past the pandemic phase and become endemic,” he said.
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More Tennessee State Senators continue to speak out in favor of saving the jobs of Tennessee National Guard members who are due to be dismissed on June 30 due to their refusal to comply with the COVID-19 vaccination mandate.
State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson and Senator Ferrell Haile have already spoken out.
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Most of the Republican field in the August 4 primary for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District seat has now voiced their support for the National Guard members who are scheduled to be fired on June 30 due to their defiance of a COVID-19 vaccination mandate.
Previously reported, former Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Beth Harwell was the first TN-5 candidate to issue a statement in support of the National Guard soldiers, saying:
The Biden Administration’s forced COVID-19 vaccination policy for men and women in the military is absolutely wrong and it’s another example of more overreach by the federal government. I stand with the hundreds of National Guard members who could be removed from service and urge those who can help them to do so.
We shouldn’t fire these brave soldiers serving our country by keeping Tennessee safe. They made the decision to serve and I believe they can make their own personal medical decisions.
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Former Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Beth Harwell issued a statement in support of the National Guard members who are scheduled to be fired on June 30 due to their refusal to comply with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
“The Biden Administration’s forced COVID-19 vaccination policy for men and women in the military is absolutely wrong and it’s another example of more overreach by the federal government,” said Harwell.
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Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed retired Tennessee National Guard Master Sergeant, Jennifer Berry to the newsmaker line to discuss her upcoming retirement due to non-compliance of the COVID-19 vaccine and efforts to reverse the mandate by Governor Bill Lee.
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Tennessee Senate Republican Leader Jack Johnson issued a strong statement in support of Tennessee National Guard members who are due to be fired on June 30 because of their refusal to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and encouraging Governor Lee to help these guardsmen.
In a statement issued exclusively to The Tennessee Star, Leader Johnson excoriated the Biden administration’s COVID-19 mandates and said, “It is a travesty that the Biden Administration is prepared to fire brave men and women who faithfully serve our state and nation in the TN National Guard because of their COVID-19 vaccine status.”
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee – A group of supporters of Tennessee National Guard members informed The Tennessee Star of their intention to host a Wednesday, June 29 event outside the Capitol at Legislative Plaza in downtown Nashville.
The event is called “Guard Freedom” and will feature letter readings by surrogates from active duty National Guard members who cannot speak publicly for fear that they will immediately lose their jobs, a reading of requests for Governor Lee to take immediate action on their behalf, and likely several speeches.
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Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Sergeant First Class, Michelle Edwards of the Tennessee National Guard in studio to discuss her career in the Guard and her reasons for retiring after the COVID-19 vaccine mandate came down from Washington.
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Governor Bill Lee refuses to comment as Tennessee National Guard members plead for their jobs.
Sources inside the Tennessee National Guard estimate there will be much as a 10 percent force reduction from soldiers who are about to be discharged on June 30 due to refusal to accept a COVID-19 vaccination and have called on the governor to take action to protect their jobs.
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The Tennessee Star has obtained exclusive information from sources inside the Tennessee National Guard that are calling for Governor Bill Lee to take immediate action because “His Adjutant General is about to discharge hundreds of his National Guard Soldiers before the end of the month for not complying with an unlawful order.”
This group of Tennessee National Guardsmen provided The Star with their message for Governor Lee on the condition of anonymity:
The Governor needs to IMMEDIATELY order Major General Holmes to halt the discharge of these honorable men and women. He needs to order Attorney General Slatery to IMMEDIATELY coordinate with other state AGs to file an emergency injunction against the DoD, forcing them to reverse adverse actions against any National Guardsman for refusal to vaccinate. Governor Lee is the Commander in Chief of the Tennessee National Guard and he has that authority. It’s time to put a stop to this injustice now!
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Former Tennessee House Majority Leader and current State Representative John Mark Windle (I-HD41) is now a former Democrat.
Known for being a defender of Second Amendment rights, Windle switched his partisan status to Independent effective immediately and is running for reelection as an Independent as well.
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After bouncing five Democrats off the ballot in the 2020 cycle, a source familiar with the workings of the Tennessee Democratic Party’s executive committee told The Tennessee Star their next target is State Rep. John Mark Windle (D.-41th District).
The source said Windle, who has served in the state’s House since 1991, is on the block because he supports gun rights.
The plan, if executed, is to have the committee vote to remove Windle from the ballot, in effect declaring him no longer a valid Democrat, after the April 7 deadline for candidates to qualify for the ballot, the source said.
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Members of the Tennessee National Guard are safe, despite a false report from a Russian media outlet claiming they had died while fighting in Ukraine.
The Russian news site Pravda claimed the trio served as mercenaries in the fight between Ukraine and Russia.
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Tennessee Governor Bill Lee sent off approximately 50 Tennessee Guard personnel to support the Texas National Guard and the Texas Department of Safety on Wednesday.
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Staff for Tennessee Governor Bill Lee won’t comment on the matter, but State Senator Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald) said Thursday that members of the Tennessee National Guard should decide on their own whether to vaccinate against COVID-19. Tennessee National Guard officials said in November that their troops must take the COVID-19 shot or face discharge. This, per a mandate from the U.S. Department of Defense and President Joe Biden.
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Governor Bill Lee announced Tuesday that in early 2022, he will send approximately 50 additional members of the Tennessee National Guard troops to the Texas border to help with the growing drug crisis.
“An open border has far-reaching consequences that are fueling a drug crisis impacting both our national security and the safety of our state,” Governor Lee said. “I have authorized additional Tennessee Guard support at our Southern border as we look to address drug trafficking at the source.”
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The head of the Oklahoma National Guard won’t require his troops to comply with the Pentagon’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, but Tennessee National Guard (TNG) troops should not expect their superiors to follow the Oklahoma’s commander’s lead.
TNG spokesman Darrin Haas said Monday that his commanders will enforce Biden’s vaccine mandate.
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In line with Department of Defense policy, staff at the Tennessee National Guard (TNG) will punish members who do not vaccinate themselves against COVID-19.
TNSG personnel will discharge any members who decline to vaccinate themselves, said TNG spokesman Darrin Haas.
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Tennessee Governor Bill Lee visited the Southern border over the weekend and toured various sections of the area. Upon examining the situation, Lee called the state of affairs a “national security crisis.”
“What I saw at the border is unsustainable for our country and should be number one priority for national security. Tennessee will always step up and serve, but we need immediate reinforcements, like a finished border wall, to ensure our men and women in uniform have the tools they need to do their job,” Lee said.
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Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced on Thursday that he will travel to the southern border to visit the members of the state’s National Guard that have been deployed there since October.
The members of the National Guard are assisting in attempts to reduce the large surge of illegal immigration and drug trafficking, which has increased in recent months.
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A Friday report revealed that 300 Tennessee National Guard troops are deployed to the U.S. southern border with Mexico, and that they’ll likely remain there until October.Â
“We’ve had National Guard on the border on and off for many months, if not years,” Gov. Bill Lee (R) told The Tennesseean. “There’s a break in service between them, but right now we have 300.”
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For about a year now, both the Tennessee National Guard and Tennessee State Guard (TNSG) have been mobilized for COVID-19 efforts – which now includes vaccinations. The Tennessee National Guard began assisting with COVID-19 testing on April 1 following the tornado cleanup efforts, while TNSG joined in nearly a week later. Since December, both of the guards began transitioning to begin assistance with vaccine administration throughout the state.Â
Established by the General Assembly in 1887, The Tennessee National Guard differs from the TNSG in that the latter is composed of volunteers underneath the state. That means that TNSG answers to Governor Bill Lee. Unlike the Tennessee National Guard, TNSG can’t be federalized or deployed outside of the state. The Tennessee National Guard can because it’s part of the U.S. Army and National Guard. Both are branches of the Tennessee Military Department.
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After an airstrike in Syria at the end of February, the Biden administration is mobilizing the National Guard – including one unit from Tennessee – for deployment to the Middle East.Â
“Soldiers from the Tennessee National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 181st Field Artillery Regiment, deployed on Sunday for a 10-month tour of the Middle East,” Associated Press reported.Â
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Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) said he was “very disappointed” with the way the state’s National Guardsmen were treated when they were deployed to Washington, D.C. for President Joe Biden’s inauguration.
“It’s time to welcome our TN National Guard soldiers & airmen home today after their mission in DC. Very disappointed in the way this mission came to a close & the overall treatment of the National Guard in DC. Tennesseans are proud of our men and women in uniform,” he said Friday on Twitter.
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The Tennessee National Guard will send troops to Washington, D.C. for the Presidential Inauguration. The measure is in concert with increased security preparations spurred on by the Capitol Hill riot and current reports of planned protests nationwide.
According to reports, the Tennessee National Guard will supplement additional personnel to include communications specialists, chaplain support, and Military Police.
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National Guard personnel with appropriate training soon will be deployed to Tennessee hospitals to relieve capacity strain brought on by a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Gov. Bill Lee issued an executive order Friday permitting National and State Guardsmen with appropriate training and skills to serve as nurses and ambulance drivers, and to conduct COVID-19 testing in hospitals, emergency rooms, and alternative care facilities.
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Soldiers and airmen from the Tennessee National Guard returned home from Washington D.C. Tuesday.
This, according to a press release on the Tennessee Department of Military’s website.
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