Coast Guard swimmer who rescued Ian victims will be discharged soon over COVID vaccine refusal

A rescue swimmer for the United States Coast Guard who was personally thanked by President Joe Biden for his efforts during Hurricane Ian revealed on Monday he is scheduled to be discharged soon over his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccination.

On Friday, the White House reported that President Biden had personally called two members of the Coast Guard to thank them for their heroic acts to rescue survivors of the massive category 4 hurricane that battered Florida last week.

One of them, Aviation Survival Technician Second Class Zach Loesch, saved residents from their flooded homes and rescued many pets from the wreckage left by the monster storm. 

“I told him how proud of him I was and thanked him for all the work he and his Coasties are doing to save lives,” said President Biden after the call to Fox News.

According to the White House, the official readout of the call, Biden thanked Loesch “for saving lives and asked for a report on the work that continues to rescue Floridians. He also asked if they needed any additional support that he can provide to accelerate successful rescues.”

On Saturday, Loesch told Breitbart he is set to be discharged within 30 to 60 days over his refusal to get the mandated COVID-19 vaccination required for members of the Coast Guard. Loesch does not believe his vaccination status was a factor in his work during the hurricane.

“If I had asked any of the people I saved yesterday if they wanted to come with me even though I am unvaccinated, every single one of them would have said ‘yes,’” he said.

Loesch says he has submitted two separate applications for a religious exemption for the vaccine and has been denied both times. According to The Daily Mail, Loesch is one of over 2,500 members of the US Coast Guard who are slated to be discharged over their vaccination status.