Air Force Officer Continues His Fight Against Vindictiveness and Intolerance Over COVID-19 Shot Mandate

An Air Force officer continues to battle one of the most egregious cases of vindictiveness and intolerance stemming from the military’s 2021 COVID-19 shot mandate, which was rescinded in January 2023 and deemed “unlawful as implemented” across all military departments in May 2025.

Following up on a story from September 2025, The Gateway Pundit spoke to Captain Anthony Monteleone to get an update on his case at the Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records (AFBCMR).

On July 8, 2025, as directed by the Department of War, Capt. Monteleone submitted his packet to the AFBCMR to correct the harms from the unlawful mandate in collaboration with his attorney, Jeffrey Addicott, Director of the Warrior Defense Project, and Mike Rose, Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Stand Together Against Racism and Radicalism in the Services (STARRS).

Two months later, on September 03, 2025, the AFBCMR denied his application, stating that his request “falls outside the jurisdiction of the AFBCMR,” and then reversed itself and accepted his case due to the directives from President Donald Trump and War Department leadership.

However, a grueling nine months after he submitted his package, and despite Congressional Representatives and multiple high-ranking Air Force officials reaching out to the AFBCMR on several occasions on behalf of Capt. Monteleone to stress the immediate need for relief in his case, the Board continues to delay the processing of his package.

As reported multiple times by The Gateway Pundit, numerous service members claim that the BCMR process is largely ineffective and that the Board’s willingness to engage amounts to little more than a superficial effort.

In short, despite the explicit directives from President Trump, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Undersecretary of War for Personnel and Readiness Anthony Tata, and the Secretary of the Air Force Troy E. Meink, Capt. Monteleone continues to have active derogatory paperwork in his personnel file. He is still experiencing significant and ongoing damage to his career due to the unlawful COVID-19 shot mandate, which is solely attributed to the prolonged time it is taking for the Board to review his case.

Board’s Role in Development

As a recent illustration, nine months after he submitted his packet, Capt. Monteleone met with his Captain’s Developmental Team (DT) board on March 3-5, 2026, with the active derogatory information and the severely damaged record stemming from the unlawful COVID-19 shot mandate.

The Air Force Instruction that governs Developmental Team boards indicates that the DT Board plays a vital role in the Air Force’s force development framework. This board consists of senior leaders within a specific career field, usually at the rank of Colonel (O-6) or higher, who convene each year to evaluate the readiness and potential of officers eligible for command.

This board serves as a formal, structured career development tool that directly impacts officers’ service locations, roles, and advancement speed. As an example, if an officer is viewed highly and recommended by the DT Board, their recommendations influence the officer’s placement in the assignment cycles going forward. Conversely, if an officer is not recommended by the Board, they may be placed in less competitive or less desirable positions.

In order to accomplish its mission, the Board is tasked with identifying suitable education, training, and experiences by examining performance records and ensuring that individuals with the required qualifications are directed toward appropriate opportunities. This process includes familiarizing senior leadership with the personnel in their respective functional areas to evaluate their potential, particularly focusing on high-potential officers.

The Board also determines where to invest in developmental opportunities, provides input for follow-on assignments that capitalize on newly acquired skills, and establishes deliberate outplacement strategies for individuals returning from long-term training, like fellowships, to ensure their successful reintegration.

Ongoing Career Damage and Prejudice

As such, Capt. Monteleone stated that he is “now even further behind [his] peers, and [his] career suffered additional damage as he went to the board with active derogatory paperwork and a severely damaged career, while [his] peer group went through this DT Board and vectoring process with records that reflected their actual performance.” He also expressed concern that due to the nature of the DT Board process, the senior leaders of his career field may now be prejudiced against. This prejudice may stem from the active derogatory paperwork from the mandate in his file as well as their involvement in and personal views regarding the unlawful as implemented COVID-19 shot mandate.

Moreover, the Air Force officer said that he remains ineligible or severely disadvantaged for special awards, career enhancement programs, and special assignments and postings because of the active derogatory paperwork in his record that was supposed to be removed upon recission of the mandate.

“The damage from my commander’s unlawful actions during the unlawful as implemented DOD COVID-19 vaccine mandate continue to compound,” Capt. Monteleone lamented. “I now have almost five full years of career ending damage, with almost a full additional year of damage that was not quantified or discussed only original submission because of the amount of time it is taking the board to finish approving my packet. Further, the damage to my career continues to compound every additional day it takes the Board to process my package.”

Capt. Monteleone and his legal counsel continue to engage high level Air Force leaders as well as board points of contact to have the Board approve his package. They aim to process the necessary remediations without further delay to halt the ongoing harm to his career and prevent additional compounding damage to his career that will not be addressed in his current board package. He emphasized that his views are his own and do not reflect those of the Department of War or the Department of the Air Force.

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