The United States Marine Corps removed two Hillsdale graduates from their occupational specialties because they refused to comply with the military’s COVID-19 vaccination mandates. 

Brothers Alex Buchmann ’17 and Adam Buchmann ’20 were also blocked from deployment, promotion, transfer, or release from active duty. 

“Myself and the other Marines in my command were told that if we submitted religious exemptions we would be kicked out by Thanksgiving,” Adam said. “We submitted them anyway, believing that it would be the end of our military careers.” 

On Sept. 14, the Marines rolled back punishments for service members seeking religious exemptions to the vaccine, including ending involuntary terminations and delays of promotions. 

But the change will not restore the positions of the Buchmanns in the Marines, according to Alex. 

“Maximum vaccination of the force will reduce transmission of disease, reduce the severity of disease among personnel who become infected, preserve medical resources, and facilitate mission accomplishment at the individual, unit, and organizational levels,” Capt. Ryan Bruce, Marine Corps spokesperson, told the Collegian on Wednesday. 

Alex graduated from Hillsdale with a major in politics and joined the Marines the following September, earning the status of captain. His younger brother, Adam, also majored in politics and rose to the position of first lieutenant. 

Alex’s training for his position as a fighter pilot took him across the country. He began training in Pensacola, Florida, and continued in Kingsville, Texas, where he flew his first jet, the T-45, and later the F-35B.

Alex and his wife Olivia ’15 left Texas with their children for Beaufort, South Carolina. 

In Beaufort, Alex began training to be in the Fleet Replacement Squadron, the Navy and Marine pilots who train to fly a specific aircraft as replacement aviators for deployed squadrons. 

On Aug. 9, 2021, the Department of Defense released the military vaccination mandate. Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby told the Department of Defense News at the time of the mandate’s release it may include religious exemptions. 

Shortly after the mandate’s release, Alex applied for a religious exemption.  

“If an individual has a religious, personal, or conscientious objection to something in the military, they can file paperwork for a religious accommodation or a conscientious objector accommodation,” Alex said. “When that paperwork ran its legal course through the military bureaucracy, it came back denied.” 

Alex was officially “grounded” from military aircraft in April 2022 and has not flown since. “When the word came down for mandatory vaccination for COVID-19, we felt convicted by the Holy Spirit and just had a huge uneasiness about this thing for a variety of reasons,” Alex said. 

The military assigned Alex to a “low-intensive job” while he awaits the result of his court case.

“It’s extremely basic,” Alex said. “Really nothing more than intern work.” 

Alex said legislative action in Congress is the only way to eliminate vaccine mandates. He encouraged students to talk to their representatives about what the military can legally make soldiers do to their bodies. 

Alex said his Hillsdale education has influenced how he approaches the mandate and religious exemption denial. 

“A desire to read primary documents actually played a huge factor in this entire thing,” Alex said. “From even before there was a court order going about, we started diving deep into basically all the laws that govern what the military can medically do to you.” 

Adam said he shared his brother’s concerns.

“After a lot of prayer and much uncertainty, I submitted my religious exemption request in September 2021 and was removed from training the very next week,” Adam said. 

Adam was a student naval aviator in his first phase of flight school before the military removed him.

“Since being removed from training, I have twice been billet promoted within my command and am serving as the Marine Aviation Training Support Group-21, Marine officer control company commander,” Adam said. “I am responsible for around 350 Marine officers working through the first phase of flight school.” 

Adam attributed his decision to not get vaccinated to the moral code he developed at Hillsdale.

“I think the primary influence from Hillsdale that contributed to my decision was that choices matter,” he said. “The decisions we make form and shape our character, and I believe in my case I would have violated and dishonored God and myself if I took the COVID-19 vaccine without having faith in it.”

Josiah Lippincott ’16, a graduate student at Hillsdale who formerly served in the Marines, has been friends with Alex for almost 10 years. Lippincott said he disagrees with the military’s mandate. 

“It is a means to tyrannize over the men who volunteered to serve this country,” Lippincott said. “It treats healthy people like biohazards and violates the right to liberty and true bodily freedom.”

According to Alex, the Marine order released last week is deceiving.

“The new Marine order doesn’t change present circumstances,” Alex said. “It simply provides amplifying guidance for how commands should navigate the preliminary injunction from the federal judge. Though the Marine Corps may be barred from kicking people out, for now, they are legally allowed to move Marines to career-ending jobs in a back office of some random building.” 

Adam agreed the new Marine order is misleading. 

“The most recent Marine administrative message being spoken about mainly explains how the process by which they review religious exemption requests is basically paused until the injunction works its way through the courts,” Adam said.