3,700 Marines were fired due to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Now that the vaccine mandate has been lifted, congressmen are calling on the commander to reinstate the fired Marines. The ask comes as the military branch faces unprecedented recruiting challenges.

“I represent over 52,000 Marines and their families who sacrifice so much by their dedicated service to our beloved country. It is an utter shame that many of these selfless individuals have been stripped of their livelihoods simply because they made a conscious medical decision,” Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., said. “Our military cannot function as the strongest force in the world with such baseless and unscientific policies. That’s why I led this letter to the Marine commandant to restore our service members’ livelihoods and ensure our military’s premier standing.”

Rep. Murphy alongside three other Republican congressmen asked for recruits to reach out to the thousands of Marines let go over the vaccine mandate and offer them a job back. The Marine Corps is also in the process of attempting to recoup reenlistment bonuses given to fired Marines. The congressmen are asking for the Marines to prioritize job openings to those individuals.

“Our request is simple,” the letter to the commandant read. “We request your recruiters explore reaching out to the thousands of Marines who were expelled to investigate as to who could fill positions where their Military Occupational Specialty expertise is of critical need. We would ask special consideration for those Marines who received re-enlistment bonuses due to a need for their MOS expertise. As you know, the Marine Corps is now in the process of attempting to recoup these bonuses, so these dismissed Marines face double jeopardy.”

The Marine Corps lowered its recruiting goal because of its lack of personnel. Rep. Murphy said reenlisting Marines who are already trained should be a priority to fix what he calls “a recruiting crisis” in the military.