Navy Chaplain’s New Book Recounts COVID-Era Vaccine Mandate Discharges

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Dan Klender, who served 22 years as a U.S. Navy chaplain, has published a new book examining the military’s handling of religious accommodation requests during the Department of Defense’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The book, "The Death of Courage: The Betrayal of the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor During the COVID-19 Scandal," was released through Christian Faith Publishing.

Klender’s military service began shortly after the September 11 attacks, following earlier work pastoring churches in New Mexico and Washington state. He holds a Doctor of Ministry and a Master of Exegetical Theology, with degrees from Phoenix Seminary and Western Seminary, according to the announcement.

The work examines the cases of military personnel separated from service following the Department of Defense’s immunization requirement., which has since been rescinded. According to the announcement, Klender argues that religious accommodation requests from these service members were not properly considered, and he frames the discharges as a violation of First Amendment protections. The publisher describes the book as identifying structural failures in military leadership during that period and proposing changes aimed at institutional accountability.

"I witnessed leaders abandon the principles our warriors had sworn to defend," Klender said in the announcement. "This book documents that betrayal with the precision it demands, while offering a roadmap toward restoration and renewed commitment to constitutional fidelity."

This is not Klender’s first book. He has previously written "Living with the End in View," published through Covenant Books, which centered on themes of faith and mortality.

"The Death of Courage" is available through major booksellers and online retailers including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Google Play, and the Apple iTunes Store.

The military’s vaccine mandate and the discharges that followed remain a contested chapter in recent defense policy, and Studio CarryOnHarry expects accounts like Klender’s to keep surfacing as veterans and former officers weigh in on how those decisions were made and who bore the consequences.

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