AUGUST 10, 2026 — Staff Sgt. Austin Waring stood on Sabre Airfield Aug. 7 surrounded by family, fellow Soldiers and a fellow participant in the Department of War’s COVID-19 reinstatement effort as he marked the return of a career he once thought was over.
Col. William Zielinski, a military intelligence officer who connected with Waring through the Department of War COVID-19 Reinstatement and Reconciliation Task Force, reinstated Waring and promoted him to staff sergeant during the ceremony.
For Waring, a UH-60 helicopter repairer, the ceremony represented more than a promotion. It marked his return to the profession he said has given him a sense of purpose throughout his adult life.
“It feels amazing,” Waring said. “I love the Army. The only thing I wanted to be in life was a Soldier. I come from a long line of Soldiers. I’m fourth-generation Army, and it just feels amazing to be back among my brothers.”
Waring’s military career was interrupted after he refused the COVID-19 vaccine in 2021. He said he had medical concerns and attempted to address them through established channels before ultimately deciding not to receive the vaccine.
“I had some medical concerns that were not being addressed, and I tried to go through the proper channels,” Waring said. “I found myself kind of at a roadblock, not being able to progress it any further, so I had to make the decision to refuse the vaccine, and it cost me my career.”
Waring left the Army in 2022.
The Department of War has since established a process for service members affected by the former COVID-19 vaccination mandate to seek reinstatement, correction of their records and other remedies. The Department of War COVID-19 Reinstatement and Reconciliation Task Force was established in May to coordinate those efforts across the military services.
For Waring, however, the road back began before the current reinstatement process was in place.
“I joined the Army again in 2024 before the reinstatement process started,” Waring said. “So I took a leap of faith. I wanted to get back into the Army as quickly as I could, so I went through the process and did it all on my own, and now I’m here.”
Despite the uncertainty, Waring said he remained hopeful that he would eventually have an opportunity to restore the career he lost.
“I thought that things would be made right for the people who were done wrong,” Waring said. “I had hope, but nothing was ever for sure until now.”
Waring previously served with Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment, 10th Mountain Division. He will now serve as a 15T advanced individual training instructor at Fort Eustis, Virginia, where he will have the opportunity to train and mentor future Army aviation Soldiers.
“It’s about being part of something bigger than just yourself. A sense of purpose,” Waring said. “When I got out of the Army in 2022 for refusing the vaccine, I lost all sense of purpose. I was lost. I didn’t know what or where I wanted to go, what I wanted to do.”
His connection to military service stretches across four generations.
Waring’s grandfather, Vietnam veteran Gary Steffey, attended the ceremony and watched as his grandson returned to the Army and pinned on staff sergeant.
Steffey served as an infantry platoon leader in Vietnam before later serving as an assistant brigade intelligence officer. He said military service runs through the family, beginning with his father, Waring’s great-grandfather, and continuing through Steffey, Waring’s father and now Waring.
“He always wanted to serve,” Steffey said. “It was his dream. He’s getting what he has due, I think I’ll say, and I couldn’t be prouder.”
Waring said Steffey became an especially important influence after Waring’s father died when he was young.
“My grandfather was an infantry officer in Vietnam, saw combat, and he has been my role model and mentor throughout most of my life since my dad passed away when I was younger,” Waring said.
Staff Sgt., Colonel Reinstated Into Army After Leaving Over COVID-19 Vaccine Refusal
Zielinski’s path to the ceremony was different, but his experience with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate gave him a personal connection to Waring’s story.
Zielinski was serving with III Corps at Fort Hood, Texas, when the military implemented its COVID-19 vaccination requirements. He said he had concerns about receiving the vaccine and submitted a religious accommodation request. As pressure mounted and his future in uniform became increasingly uncertain, Zielinski decided to submit his retirement paperwork after approximately 25 years of service.
“I didn’t want to lose my 25 years of experience,” Zielinski said. “I was waiting on an appeal. I called branch. I called the Pentagon and still no information. So I submitted my retirement packet. I wanted to go out with at least what I worked for.”
At the time, Zielinski said he had no expectation that he might someday have an opportunity to return.
“Had no idea,” Zielinski said. “Had no clue that this day would come.”
That changed when he learned about the federal effort to restore service opportunities to people affected by the former mandate.
“You hear it, but you don’t really believe it until you see it,” Zielinski said. “Then when I saw the message from the Secretary of War saying we’re going to restore, and we have an R2 task force established to bring guys back, I was like, ‘Wait this sounds credible. I can get back and do what I love and get out on my own terms.'”
Through that effort, Zielinski and Waring eventually connected.
That shared experience made Zielinski’s role in Waring’s reinstatement ceremony particularly meaningful.
“It’s an honor,” Zielinski said. “Staff Sgt. Austin Waring is the fourth generation of military in his family, so it’s a real honor to promote him today.”
For Waring, the promotion marks both the restoration of his career and the beginning of a new chapter as an Army leader responsible for preparing the next generation of Soldiers.
“I’ve always been about helping people and being a part of something bigger than myself,” Waring said. “I just wanted to reiterate how important the Army is to me and how exciting of an opportunity it is to become a leader in this fantastic organization.”
By Capt. Jennifer French