Statement by Chief Pentagon Spokesman, Sean Parnell, on “Establishment of the Department of War COVID-19 Reinstatement and Reconciliation Task Force” and “Reinstating Service Members Unjustly Discharged Under the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccine Mandate” Memorandums The Department of War continues to take decisive action in support of the many Service members adversely impacted by the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Today, Secretary Hegseth established the Department of War COVID-19 Reinstatement and Reconciliation Task Force to ensure return-to-service efforts for these warriors are optimized across the force. He also directed the Secretaries of the Military Departments to ensure their Review Boards evaluate the records of any former Service member who voluntarily left service, and who now requests to return to service through the...
A federal magistrate judge in Phoenix ordered Albert Bazaar held in custody following his arrest on charges relating to trafficking turtles. The court unsealed an indictment from San Francisco charging Bazaar, formerly of Angie, Louisiana, on conspiracy and Lacey Act violations. A status conference will be held on May 14 in Phoenix. The indictment alleges that between January 2022 and December 2023, Bazaar poached and sold over 1,700 loggerhead musk turtles, 100 stripe-neck musk turtles, and 15 striped mud turtles from their native habitats in Florida. Florida law protects fresh and marine turtle species from unregulated harvest. The indictment charges Bazaar with aiding and abetting a co-conspirator who exported the turtles from San Francisco to Taiwan, falsely claiming they were captive-bred to obtain export permits. The turtles are estimated to be worth more than $550,000 in the Asian pet trade. The indictment describes eight transactions where Bazaar sold illegally coll...