Kennedy orders investigation into 2,544 reported deaths of US soldiers after covid vaccination

The question of whether covid-19 vaccinations may have led to serious health problems or even deaths among members of the US armed forces is now being re-examined at the federal level. The focus is on 2,544 reported deaths and a total of approximately 55,000 reports of possible adverse events in service members following covid-19 vaccinations, recorded in the US VAERS reporting system. These cases have not yet been confirmed as vaccine-related; this potential link is precisely what the investigation will now examine.

The investigation has been assigned to military physician Dr. Theresa Long. She was appointed senior military medical advisor to Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and is also working on the investigation at the request of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. In a sworn statement dated August 14, 2026, Long stated that she is to review the 55,000 reports, and in particular the 2,544 death reports. She hopes to complete the investigation within a year.

Long also stated under oath that she was personally aware of 28 deaths that she attributed to the covid vaccination. The original text cites 29 cases; other reports of her testimony, however, state 28. She stated that she was not permitted to disclose details of these cases.

The scale of the reports now being reviewed is remarkable. The initial report compares this to American losses in the Afghanistan War, citing 1,833 US soldiers killed over approximately 20 years. However, it remains crucial to understand that a VAERS report does not necessarily mean that a vaccination caused the reported death. The reporting system serves as an early warning tool; events can be reported after a vaccination even if a causal link is initially unclear.

NEW DATA: COVID VACCINE INJURY US MILITARY

“I am currently tasked with investigating the 55,000 vaccine adverse event reports filed on individuals identified as members of the U.S. Armed Forces, this includes 2544 deaths.”

“I had one servicemember die of rapid onset and progression of esophageal cancer after COVID vaccination and one in which a student pilot who had never been COVID positive, who experienced sudden cardiac death at the controls of a helicopter during a training flight.”

“I have first hand knowledge of over 29 deaths of service members after vaccination with the COVID-19 vaccines.”

“While establishing definitive causation in every case is complex, the existence of these safety signals, combined with known risks such as myocarditis in young males, means that claims of vaccine-related harm cannot be dismissed as having no medical basis.”

July 2026 Affidavit, Theresa M. Long
M.D., LTC, U.S. ARMY MEDICAL CORPS
Senior Medical Military Advisor to the HHS Secretary

The affidavit was filed as part of an 80 page motion seeking summary judgment in long standing litigation over claims about COVID vaccinations and vaccine injury in the US military.

Long’s testimony in support @IvanRaiklin is part of a defamation lawsuit brought by Dr. Terry Adirim who had been a senior Pentagon health official advising on the COVID mandate.

Critics call the claims “dubious” and “unsubstantiated.”

— Catherine Herridge (@C__Herridge) September 18, 2026

Sudden death of a pilot and cancer case

In her testimony, Long also described specific cases. According to the initial report, these included a trainee pilot who had never previously tested positive for covid and suddenly died of heart failure during a flight. She also reported on a soldier who died of oesophageal cancer shortly after receiving his vaccination.

Long’s statement was made in the context of a defamation lawsuit. However, it is less the actual legal dispute than her statement about potential vaccination complications within the military that is attracting attention.

The Pentagon report came to a different conclusion.

The new study contradicts previous Pentagon assessments. A 2026 report noted a short-term increase in myocarditis and pericarditis following covid-19 vaccination. However, this increase was no longer detectable over a one-year observation period. The Pentagon report did not identify any vaccine-related deaths.

However, Long questions the methodology and the underlying health data and has now been tasked with re-evaluating them. This brings together two very different assessments: previous Pentagon analyses found no vaccine-related deaths, while Long is supposed to investigate whether the thousands of VAERS reports conceal previously overlooked connections.

Nearly 9,000 soldiers dismissed due to mandatory vaccination

The investigation also touches upon one of the most controversial chapters of American corona policy.

Under President Joe Biden, a covid-19 vaccination mandate was introduced for members of the US armed forces in 2021. More than 8,000, or according to other counts almost 9,000 , soldiers who refused vaccination were discharged from the military. Congress later forced the Department of Defense to rescind the vaccination mandate.

Defense Minister Hegseth subsequently established a special covid-19 Reinstatement and Reconciliation Task Force. Its purpose is to facilitate the return to the armed forces for former soldiers who left or were discharged due to mandatory vaccination and wish to rejoin.

Kennedy had repeatedly criticized the military’s mandatory vaccination policy, arguing that it violated the rights of soldiers. Furthermore, under his leadership, the HHS changed its previous general recommendations for routine covid-19 vaccinations.

The starting point is actually a defamation case

It is also noteworthy how the investigation became public knowledge.

Long testified in a lawsuit brought by former Pentagon health official Terry Adirim against conservative activist Ivan Raiklin. Adirim accuses Raiklin of publicly defaming her for her role in implementing the military’s mandatory vaccination policy.

As part of this process, Long’s new role became known: She works as Kennedy’s military medical advisor and is to re-examine possible health consequences of covid vaccinations within the armed forces.

2,544 death reports now need to be verified

This puts a crucial question officially back on the agenda for the first time: What is behind the 2,544 deaths reported to VAERS following covid vaccinations of members of the US armed forces?

The number alone does not prove a link to the vaccination. Likewise, the Pentagon’s analyses to date do not prove that every single reported case was adequately investigated. Long’s study aims to fill precisely this gap.

Therefore, in the end, it needs to be clearly disclosed which cases were investigated, which medical criteria were used for the evaluation, and in how many deaths a connection could be ruled out, classified as possible, or actually confirmed.

Regardless of the outcome of the investigation, with 55,000 reports of side effects and 2,544 reported deaths, one question remains crucial and requires complete transparency: Have members of the US armed forces died as a result of the covid vaccination – and if so, how many?

 

yogaesoteric
October 4, 2026