Congressman Castro Demands Answers on the Death of Airman First Class Keon McDaniel at Lackland Airforce Base in San Antonio
WASHINGTON, DC – This week, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) joined a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth demanding answers on the June 16th death of Airman First Class Keon McDaniel. Airman McDaniel died during the influenza outbreak at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, following the Department of Defense’s April 2026 decision to make the annual influenza vaccine voluntary for servicemembers.
“When tragedies like this occur, the American people and the Congress that represents them deserve immediate transparency and accountability,” the lawmakers wrote. “We urge the Department to ensure that Airman McDaniel’s family receives timely and direct answers to any questions they may have about the circumstances of his death before any additional findings or information are made public. Keon’s family has already made the greatest sacrifice. They deserve to hear the truth directly from the Department, delivered with compassion and respect.”
“While the DoD made the right decision to reinstate the influenza vaccine requirement for new recruits, this outbreak at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland underscores the importance of science- based decision-making guided by medical professionals when making public health decisions affecting our servicemembers. Politicizing the administration of lifesaving vaccines has led to the death of a servicemember, the hospitalization of numerous trainees, and an expensive race to retroactively provide our servicemembers the health care they need and deserve,” the lawmakers concluded.
BACKGROUND:
In April, Defense Secretary Hegseth ended the flu vaccination requirement for all service members. After the flu outbreak at the Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio that resulted in 285 cases, including 6 hospitalizations and the death of Airman McDaniel, Secretary Hegseth partially reinstated the influenza requirement for military recruits and basic trainees.
In June, Congressman Castro’s amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would have required the flu vaccine for all servicemembers. House Republicans rejected the amendment.
Read the full letter here.