(LifeSiteNews) — In a podcast panel discussion that focused on the sharp uptick in military suicides since the introduction of COVID-19 mandates in the armed services, Colonel Douglas Macgregor said it was because personnel were treated as though they were “quasi criminals” for having declined to take the untested vaccine.
People were forced to “make an uninformed decision that could have an everlasting effect on their life,” explained former Army test pilot Brandon Budge, and when they opted out of the so-called vaccine, “they were ostracized to the point that they spiraled down to suicide.”
Budge, a father of seven who served as an air mission commander in Afghanistan, left the Army after over 21 years of service because his refusal of the COVID-19 vaccine halted his path to future promotions.
People who didn’t comply “were treated like lepers,” said Budge, simply because they weren’t in a position to make an informed decision.
Macgregor suggested that people’s lives have been destroyed simply because their consciences would let them comply with the COVID-19 mandates.
Those people end up losing everything, “and they lose hope,” Macgregor said. “They chose suicide because “they decide that there’s no alternative for them.”
They then reason that “the best thing they could do is to opt out of life, which is incomprehensible to me,” he said.
“As a soldier, you know that your life is on the line when you go into action. You accept that,” Macgregor explained, but “Why would we create conditions conducive to suicide in peacetime? Wartime is bad enough.”
Budge had kicked off the discussion by pointing out data that showed the 30% increase in the number of suicides over the last few years was directly related to administrative or legal action within the military.
“It doesn’t make sense that we’ve suddenly got more lawless individuals that are joining the military,” noted Budge, leaving listeners to conclude that the increase in suicides is attributable to the introduction of the COVID-19 mandates and the punitive treatment of those who resisted.
At the outset of their discussion, Budge shared stunning graphics created by Seth Ritter that vividly illustrate the horrific toll that the military’s COVID-19 mandate may have taken on soldiers and sailors.
“Since 2008, more service members have died from suicide than the entirety of the global war on terror since 9/11,” Ritter wrote on X. “We have lost 7,260, almost a Division’s worth of troops, from suicide since the DoD (Department of Defense) started public annual reporting in 2008. For active duty we have lost 5,001, more than a Brigade/Regiment. To put it in perspective, we are losing the equivalent of 1 Light Infantry Battalion in suicide deaths every single year since 2012.”
“That tragic level of lost combat power and readiness is staggering and horrific, but when we break down the numbers from the DoD’s annual suicide reports, a trend emerges that may allow us to intervene and reduce the loss by up to 1/3rd each year,” Ritter said.
“It boils down to the legal and investigation use within each of the services,” said Ritter, calling attention to the graphics he created. “Administrative/Legal/Investigation issues are directly linked to a contributing factor for 32.8% of suicides and 29.47% of suicide attempts every year.”
Since 2008, more servicemembers have died from suicide than the entirety of the GWOT since 9/11. We have lost 7,260, almost a Division’s worth of troops, from suicide since the DoD started public annual reporting in 2008. For active duty we have lost 5,001, more than a… pic.twitter.com/GuJh1dfFOg
— Seth Ritter (@DS_SethRit) February 19, 2025
Col. Macgregor concluded by saying that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and President Donald Trump know the Pentagon has a problem with “a lot of yes men at the top who are scrambling to get promoted.”
“What does every one-star general want?” he asked. “Another star. It’s ridiculous.”
“And so if they have to sacrifice somebody in order to demonstrate their fealty or loyalty to the administration … that trumps everything else,” Macgregor said. “It shouldn’t be that way. It’s wrong.”
