Letter to Judge O'Connor on Religious Accommodation Request — U.S. Navy SEALs 1-26 v. Biden (Dkt. 163)

Summary

A letter to Judge O'Connor from Caleb Alan Johnson, Navy Petty Officer First Class Cryptologic Technician Networks (CTN1), filed 05/31/22 as Document 163 in Case 4:21-cv-01236-O. The letter states that the writer submitted a Religious Accommodation request for the COVID-19 vaccine in September 2021 and that it was denied in November. It states that a request to rescind was made on 18 April 2022 and separation paperwork was signed on 26 April 2022. The letter states that the Navy has interpreted the injunction as providing no way to exit the Navy Class, and asks the court to issue clarification so those who wish to exit the class may do so.

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Case 4:21-cv-01236-O Document 163 Filed 05/31/22" Page; Lof,3~PagelD 5091

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Dear Judge O'Connor, | MAYO | dug

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| am active duty Navy and submitted a Religious Accommodation request for the COVID-19
vaccine back in September 2021. My initial request was denied in November at which point |
submitted an appeal to the denial. | still have not received a response to my appeal. On 18 April
2022 I requested to rescind my Religious Accommodation and the appeal to the denial of the
initial Religious Accommodation request due to personal reasons. | signed separation
paperwork on 26 April 2022 and was told that | would most likely be separated by June. The

following day | was told everything was being put on hold due to a court ruling in Texas.

it has been a rough past eight months for my family and | that finally was about to come to an
end before | was notified of this court ruling. | am the only one being forced to mask at work
even though the mask mandates have been lifted. | am also the only one being forced to take
weekly Covid tests every single Monday morning before reporting to work. | have been told for
eight months straight now that | would be separated for refusing the vaccine. | have three young
children that do not deserve the instability and stress that has been placed upon our family
throughout all of this. Since being told | would be separated, | have been making the appropriate
preparations. | began job and house hunting and making arrangements to prepare us for a
future out of the military. | now have a job that | have accepted and am in the process of
purchasing a house. There are 2 children that my wife and | are trying to foster where we are
moving to that we have preemptively started the process on with the understanding that | would
be discharged soon. They are in a bad situation and need us there. All of this coupled with the
stress of not knowing when/if | will be separated led to my decision to withdraw my Religious
Accommodation and appeal to the denial of it in order to continue with the administrative
separation process.

Referencing NAVADMIN 102/22 and the court ruling by the District Court for the Northern
District of Texas | understand | am covered under the “Navy Class” since | submitted a
Religious Accommodation request. Since the “Navy Class” definition states it covers “all Navy
Service Members subject to the vaccine mandate who have submitted religious accommodation
requests”, the Navy has interpreted the injunction as saying there is no way to exit the class
even if | wish to do so.

| reached out to First Liberty Counsel about this issue and they told me that this was not the
case and that if | wished to exit the class by rescinding my Religious Accommodation, | was free
to do so. They also told me they were working with the courts to issue clarification on the matter.

| am personally reaching out to make sure the court is aware of this matter and to ask them to
issue clarification on the injunction allowing those who wish to exit the class to do so.

i want to rescind my initial request and the appeal of its denial to exit the class and be
separated, yet | cannot because of the Navy’s interpretation of the injunction. | have been
preparing for months to be separated and have made the necessary arrangements to do so. |
would like to be separated as quickly as possible in order to move on to the next stage of my
family’s lives. | implore you to please reconsider the wording of the “Navy Class’ or to at least
issue clarification on its definition to allow those of us who wish to be involuntarily separated to
move forward with that process and exit the class. Time is of the essence in my particular
Case 4:21-cv-01236-O Document 163 Filed 05/31/22 Page 2of3 PagelD 5092

situation as | am sure it also is for many others in this situation. Modifying this injunction to allow
separation could and would benefit many of us who are currently stuck in this circumstance.

Thank you very much for your time. | know there are a lot of cases on your plate and your
consideration means a great deal to me. If there is anything you need from me, please do not
hesitate to contact me.

Very Respectfully, .

Caleb Alan Johnson
U.S. Navy

Petty Officer First Class
Cryptologic Technician Networks (CTN1)
Phone: (812) 525-9343

Alt Phone: (812) 569-5376

Work: (808) 653-1497

Email: cjohnson2992@amail.com


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