Well, howdy there, Internet people, it's Bell again.

So today, we're going to talk about Trump, Trans, and the Air Force.

The U.S. Air Force is reportedly forcing out trans service members with 15 to 18 years of service

and denying them early retirement options.

There are reports that those who had already been approved for early retirement

are having those approvals rescinded.

A memo has come to light saying that instead of being allowed to retire early,

members are eligible for voluntary separation, with eligibility

for voluntary separation pay at twice the amount of involuntary separation pay. Service members

will not have to repay any bonuses received prior to 15 May 2025. Service members who put in 18 years and are being

forced out due to a change in policy will be denied retirement benefits. Every single person

considering enlisting will see this. If the Air Force follows through with this, DOD's promises

of retirement will mean nothing. They could change any policy and boot you just prior to retirement

and deny you what you put in all that time for. We need to keep in mind the time frame here.

They're denying benefits to people who signed up 18 years ago, 2007-ish. They're denying benefits to people who signed up during a backdoor

draft, during the stop loss. At a time when the military was so hard up for people, they were stopping people

from leaving. These people signed up. Pushing them out over a culture war policy change

that will likely be reversed and denying them the benefits they worked for is something that

will resonate and impact recruitment for years

to come. Reuters is reporting that an Air Force memo that provided potential answers to the question of,

how do I tell family we're not getting retirement benefits? Contain the answer, quote,

emphasize this doesn't reflect on your service or character.

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