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Interview: Staff Sgt. Austin Waring on his COVID-19 Reinstatement
U.S. Army Col. William Zielinski, a military intelligence officer, reinstates and promotes Austin Waring from specialist to staff sergeant during a ceremony at Sabre Airfield, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Aug. 7, 2026. Zielinski and Waring connected through the Department of War COVID-19 Reinstatement a
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U.S. Army Col. William Zielinski, a military intelligence officer, reinstates and promotes Austin Waring from specialist to staff sergeant during a ceremony at Sabre Airfield, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Aug. 7, 2026. Zielinski and Waring connected through the Department of War COVID-19 Reinstatement and Reconciliation Task Force after both previously left the Army following their refusal of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Waring, a UH-60 helicopter repairer, said he left the Army in 2022 after declining the vaccine because of medical concerns. He returned to service in 2024 before the reinstatement process began and said the opportunity allowed him to regain the sense of purpose he found through military service.
A fourth-generation Soldier, 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.
"I love the Army," Waring said. "The only thing I wanted to be in life was a Soldier. I come from a long line of Soldiers, and it just feels amazing to be back among my brothers."
(U.S. Army video by Capt. Jennifer French)
Attribution: Source: DVIDS Hub — U.S. Department of Defense public-affairs media
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