The U.S. Army has officially granted full reinstatement to former First Lieutenant Mark Bashaw, retroactively promoted to Captain, after Under Secretary of War Anthony J. Tata personally intervened to address the “last mile” delays in the reinstatement process.
Under Secretary Tata announced the action on X, formerly Twitter:
“On Monday, @MCBashaw emailed me about several ‘last mile’ issues in the COVID reinstatement process. We immediately convened @USArmy leaders to address them. At this stage, any delays are unacceptable. We’re committed to reinstating our impacted warriors ASAP.”
He later added that the Army and Department of War were engaging directly with Kevin Bouren and Mark Bashaw to resolve any outstanding concerns, noting that not all corrective efforts are visible to the public, but they are “happening steadily behind the scenes.”
UPDATE: @USArmy is engaging @KevinBouren & @MCBashaw to help resolve “last mile” concerns.@DeptofWar efforts to solve problems aren’t always public, but they are happening. We’re making steady progress on the reinstatement process, other remedies & task force creation.
— Under Secretary of War Anthony J. Tata (@USW_PR_HONTata) October 23, 2025
Retired U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 and intelligence officer Sam Shoemate responded on Under Secretary Tata’s announcement, stating: “I spoke to [Bashaw]. You sure lit a fire under their ass to get him taken care of. The problem is that it shouldn’t take the Undersecretary of the DOW to get that done.
I spoke to him. You sure lit a fire under their ass to get him taken care of. The problem is that it shouldn’t take the Undersecretary of the DOW to get that done.
— Shoe (@samosaur) October 24, 2025
Bashaw himself announced Thursday that his long battle had finally paid off:
“UPDATE: Thank you sir! Full reinstatement granted — retroactively promoted to Captain, with a Date of Rank: 13 December 2021, and no break in service.
Orders are being issued for me to report for Active Duty on 01 November 2025, following an unlawful discharge, court-martial, ban from my place of duty for 413 days, threats of Leavenworth imprisonment, and numerous other reprisals for refusing to be experimented on with weaponized CV19 products and for submitting protected communications through my chain of command. Glory to God.”
UPDATE:
Thank you sir!Full reinstatement granted — retroactively promoted to Captain, with a Date of Rank: 13 December 2021, and no break in service.
Orders are being issued for me to report for Active Duty on 01 November 2025, following an unlawful discharge, court-martial,… https://t.co/3Q0rVitDDG pic.twitter.com/OKR8iqKsCa
— Mark Charles Bashaw (@MCBashaw) October 24, 2025
The reinstatement follows months of complaints from service members who were promised relief after President Trump’s Executive Order 14184, signed earlier this year, which directed the Pentagon to reinstate all troops discharged solely for declining the experimental COVID-19 shots under the Biden regime.
The policy was implemented by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, compelling the Department of Defense to offer reinstatement and full restoration of benefits to all affected personnel.
The Gateway Pundit has followed Bashaw’s story since 2023. A devout Christian and former Army Public Health Officer, Bashaw was one of the earliest whistleblowers to warn military leadership and Congress that the COVID shots, masks, and testing mandates violated the law governing Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) products.
When he refused to comply, Bashaw faced retaliation from his commanding officer, Major General Robert Edmonson, who in January 2022 ordered his court-martial, an extraordinary move against a decorated officer with 16 years of honorable service.
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January 18, 2022: Major General Robert Edmonson convened a special court-martial against Bashaw for refusing COVID testing and masking.
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April 29, 2022: Judge Robert Cohen found Bashaw guilty but imposed no punishment, commending his 16 years of honorable service and urging that charges be dropped.
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June 26, 2023: Despite the judge’s recommendation and the rescission of the mandate, the Army involuntarily discharged Bashaw after 573 days of retaliation.
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2023–2024: Bashaw filed formal complaints against Edmonson, alleging violations of Articles 132 and 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) — retaliation and failure to obey lawful orders.
In interviews with The Gateway Pundit, Bashaw described enduring 573 days of retaliation for fulfilling his sworn duty to report health and safety risks to his chain of command:
“My duty as a military medical officer was to communicate issues properly through the chain of command, which I did. After that, they retaliated against me for a total of 573 days before unlawfully discharging me.”
Bashaw later filed a UCMJ complaint against Major General Edmonson, accusing him of violating Article 132, which prohibits retaliation against service members for protected whistleblower communications, and Article 92, for failure to obey lawful orders or regulations.
“Commanders who knowingly violated the UCMJ by retaliating against Service Members who submitted protected communications must be held responsible for their actions,” Bashaw told The Gateway Pundit. “We’re at a time when trust in our institutional leaders is at an all-time low. General Charles Hamilton has a duty to take proper action upon this criminal complaint with the evidence therein.”
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