Trump should honor everyday heroes who sacrificed careers to reject COVID mandates

Trump should honor everyday heroes who sacrificed careers to reject COVID mandates

Millions demand accountability for Dr. Anthony Fauci's horrific COVID mandates while grassroots heroes deserve recognition for defending freedom when the government would not.

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Tom
Lapolla

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Wed Aug 5, 2026 - 4:00 pm EDT

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(LifeSiteNews) — Dear President Trump:

Republican U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida recently called on you “to give (NBA player) Kyrie Irving the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his immense act of bravery during one of the darkest times in modern history.”

Mr. Irving did indeed admirably stand up to the tyrannical government of New York City and its draconian vaccine mandate, but shortly after that mandate was put in place an exemption was granted to professional athletes and entertainers, leaving the working class who were not offered exemptions to fend for themselves, many of whom would eventually lose their jobs. 

There are many others who are more deserving of that award than he is.

Take, for example, Carin Rosado, a New York Fire Department (FDNY) paramedic who tirelessly and heroically worked throughout the pandemic yet, unlike Irving, was denied an exemption from COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

She and many others – police, firefighters and EMS personnel – were treated far differently than elite athletes and entertainers and were forced to comply with the mandate at the risk of losing their jobs. 

Carin worked on the front lines throughout the pandemic and, at great personal risk to herself and her crew, responded to thousands of calls while doing the job she loved so much. But eventually that mandate would catch up with her and many other freedom fighters. Sadly, 1,700 NYC workers would soon be terminated for not complying with the mandate.

Carin would neither be coerced nor intimidated. She would not back down. Instead, she stood up for her rights and for all of our freedoms. In the end, she lost not only her job but her health insurance as well, and that would become an issue a year later when she was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Carin knew the risk she was taking when she refused to roll up her sleeve, but she also knew the risks if she did – surrendering her personal autonomy to government coercion and overreach. Although most have never heard of this young “freedom fighter,” she is a much more deserving recipient of the Medal of Freedom than any professional athlete.

Then there’s Senior Airman Lance Castle, a veteran of the United States Air Force (USAF) who was court-martialed (eventually found not guilty on all charges). He was brutally extracted from his cell after refusing to take the Emergency Use AuthorizedCOVID-19 vaccine because he was considered an “insider threat” by his superiors. 

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Are American servicemen and women considered “insider threats” simply because they invoke their constitutional rights? Does their oath now require them to obey illegalorders?

Not only should their rights be secured by the military in which they serve, they also have a clear “duty to disobey” illegal orders. Castle understood this very well and paid a heavy price, not merely for himself, mind you, but for every single freedom-loving American.

Again, although most have not heard of the battles which Castle has fought on our behalf in foreign lands and at home as well, I firmly believe he too has proved himself worthy of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

There are tens of thousands of other freedom fighters who have been on the front lines fighting the tyranny of COVID since the first totalitarian mandates were enacted. Rosado and Castle are just the first two that came to mind. 

I am under no illusions that you will be giving either of these heroes the Medal of Freedom, but if you were to, I know one thing certain: They would both instinctively know that Medal would not be theirs alone; it would be for everyone who has fought this tyrannical COVID regime from the very beginning and who continue to fight this important battle even today.

Mr. President, there are millions of Americans who are praying for accountability for the horrific mandates inflicted upon our country by the likes of Dr. Anthony Fauci. Meanwhile, grassroots heroes like Rosado and Castle deserve recognition for standing up for freedom when our government would not.

Respectfully,
Tom Lapolla

Tom Lapolla is a former New York City Fire Department Battalion Chief who was forced to retire early due to the city’s strict COVID-19 vaccine mandate. 

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