Flu outbreak at Lackland AFB after vaccine mandate lifted
A major flu outbreak has sickened nearly 160 troops at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas less than two months after Pete Hegseth announced that U.S. troops would no longer be required to be vaccinated for the flu.
JohnnyNaugahyde36Hegseth is an idiot, but also they had a choice to still get vaccinated and chose not too
putawomanincharge.bsky.social28Have fun with THIS Flu. What a bunch of idiots.
catosstepchild.bsky.social22My question is, these are grown men and women—why aren’t they just getting vaccinated on their own without being ordered to, like millions of the rest of us?
🌷Leigh⚜️16Nothing says “troop readiness” like puking and crapping all day with a 101°+ fever.
K.M. Kinville14Ah yes, actions have consequences!
Liberal Lady10If George Washington hadn't mandated his troops to get the small pox vaccine, this country would not have survived.
Soylent Farmer Ras10MAGA Morons Are Governing America (poorly)
𝕮𝖗𝖔𝖜 𝖔𝖋 𝕮𝖔𝖓𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖓𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓10Someone didn't learn anything about the 1918 pandemic (or history in general) apparently.
Stoley8Current administration seems to find 1 million ways to kill off people
Dr Robin7Clearly, military readiness isn’t important to Hegseth.
Suzy 234Doesn’t do much for readiness does it?
DAPPER DON DHARSHI4Hegseth's ignorance and stupidity is a threat to America's national security.
aging 🇨🇦🇺🇦🇬🇱🇪🇺🏳️🌈3Geez, I wonder, could there be a correlation? We have individual rights & and freedoms, but we also have a responsibility to our fellow humans and surrounding areas. We need to think of more than just ourselves.
singerindy.bsky.social3#WarriorEthos is in the toilet. Literally.
LNORTL3The Anti Science Anti Vaccination Politicians again show they are not capable of Leading a Country that Science and Intelligence has made it a World Leader!!!
kyblueteacher.bsky.social3Turns out a sick military is a bad idea.
Dr. John Francis3Next Up: Safety Switches removed from all weapons
Dennis Fumei3Does not tell m much about the individuals who could have still gotten the vaccine but chose to listen to an Asshole.
Christian Petersen2Hegseth is really, really stupid.
jpure.bsky.social2The plague cannot wait to come FAFO new Amerikkka? 😁😁
paghetti.bsky.social2this is behind a paywall
I Am the White Rose2And we all can imagine how having the flu makes us better warriors.🙄
Nanners 🌻2Everything Trump and his administration touches dies.. ETTD. Wake The hell up America! He is bankrupting and disassembling America. 🇺🇸 WE HAVE TO STOP HIM NOW!!!!
🕊GIVE PEACE A CHANCE🕊2One F/up after another with this regime!! What purpose did that rule even serve??
🪖 Dan Harambe (No Relation)2This reboot of The Stand sucks ass
An influenza outbreak has reportedly sickened more than 150 recruits in training at Lackland air force base in San Antonio, Texas. (cont.) www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...?
RoseMarie35The outbreak comes just weeks after the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, ended mandatory flu vaccination for the military, citing the need for bodily autonomy for servicemembers. (cont.)
RV Nomad9Nothing says military readiness like everybody in bed sick with the flu. Department of war, what a genius this man is.
Lawyerlen7Great tactical move to not require vaccines. Almost as good as ignoring strait of Hormuz before the war
ToWhom ItMayConcern7If only there were some way to prevent such hits to our troops' readiness and general health. 🤔
Large Johnson6The majority of U.S. deaths in the Spanish-American War were from diseases that are now preventable.
barbarabgood.bsky.social5This regime sucks and is vastly incompetent.
💙🏳️🌈 Goldie (aka Kh’ymm) 🏳️🌈💙5My son had a slew of vaccines when he went to bootcamp. Even with that he was sick with viruses nearly the entire 10 weeks. There were nearly 1,200 sailors bunked together, training together, & w/o the vaccines, I can’t even imagine! I have so much more to say on this. FFS
Jolene From Canada 🇨🇦 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦4Hegseth may have ended mandatory vaccination, but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t have had their vaccination. Honestly, what is wrong with people?
Invictus Ghost2Seems strange to have an influenza outbreak in the middle of the summer. I'd like a second opinion on what these recruits have. Be sure they dont have huntavirus.
Historical note: General George Washington instituted MANDATORY vaccinations for all members of the military during the Revolutionary War. It was never about "woke" (whatever that means) and was always about maintaining force readiness. Hegseth is too incompetent to understand that.
The Hate Won’t Win. #IAmAmerica 🇺🇸9Flu killed more Americans in 1917 than were killed in combat. But folks who don’t read history don’t know stuff like that…
lesliead717.bsky.social2who could have possibly seen this coming
Captain Magic 🇳🇱🇺🇸2According to some reports, one died at the affected facility.
@steve sternberg2Also worth noting that it was a British newspaper, the Guardian, that broke this story
@steve sternberg2Historical addendum: Each year, going back decades, I volunteer for a flu shot. Quadrivalent if I can get it.
Renee Cascada🥄2Guardian headline should include that one serviceman died from this damn outbreak.
Pete Hegseth made the flu vaccine optional for troops two months ago. Now nearly 160 troops at Lackland AFB in Texas have the flu, only 40% of trainees opted in, and one recruit has died. This is what happens when you choose political ideology over science. share.google/FhzDxQNEDR74...
brahmavihara.bsky.social4Iran gives flu shots to their soldiers, that’s just another reason why they won the War. They get Science. We get Hegseth, RFK, & Cadet Bonespurs.
SueGC4This entire administration is governed by ridiculous stupidity and dangerous cruelty! Kegbreth is certainly not one our finest, his actions show that he's a poor leader, and doesn't care about the welfare of our troops.
f45-f47.bsky.social3I wouldn’t even call it political ideology. It’s more like political idiocy!
🆘 Lackland AFB, San Antonio, TX, 160 troops fall ill to the flu. Last year, Hegseth declared that the flu vaccine was optional. #CluelessSecWar www.nytimes.com/2026/06/18/u...
Gayle Dourn Plantz8How can you be ready for service as a unit with this many people ill? Stupid regime.
Larry Mitchell7MAGA's nothing more than that one dipshit kid with the unapproved science project that goes so badly & predictably off-course that it gets the police & fire departments, ambulances & the EPA all called out to assess the school that's now just a blackened smoldering crater.
jbshakerman.bsky.social4Note to GOP: RINO really means Reality Is Not Optional
ToWhom ItMayConcern4"Warfighters" not powering through high fever, vomiting, and diarrhea? Go figure! 🤷♀️ Readiness. 🤣😂 #Idiocracy
Thomas Boyd3Nothing like maintaining an effective fighting force...
