pre-enlistment emergency

[Anonymous]

i'll be 17 soon, and i'm supposed to meet with a recruiter this week. i'm afraid to tell him a/b anything that i'd suspect would keep me out of the army yet, because lots of people told me to lie--i'll just ask him what he thinks. but, i was wondering if you could get more than one waiver for any medical problems. do notes from doctors, medical charts, and proof of misdiagnoses help? God, i sure hope so..this has been my dream, and now that the time is getting closer things aren't looking so bright. would anyone know the status of the following in relation to pasing the physical at MEPS? -mild asthma (before age 15) -migraines (before age 14) -low grade depression, with prozac [i never took the medicine, and i really feel fine, my my doctor keeps renewing therapy...i think that's really screwing me up. she said she could write a letter if that would help] (since age 15)

thank you so much, please cross your fingers for me--i need a miracle. i know i can do it, i just need the government to put a little faith in me. I'd do anything, even though i plan to be some kind of linguist. thanx again

chica73@msn.com

[Anonymous]

Do NOT lie about your medical conditions. They have those standards in place not only to keep them out of trouble, but to keep you in good health. It wouldn't do much good to enlist you and have you keel over because of something and then have to ELS you. Besides, they'll find out when they go back through your medical records - especially if you plan on going into Intelligence.

Ask your recruiter all of these questions.

nmdreamcatcher@hotmail.com

[Anonymous]

SGTD is absolutely right. Never never lie. Integrity is one of the earmarks of a soldier. Although you may get way with it in the beginning, it will eventually catch up with you.

If you are honest and forthright from the get go your recruiter will work with you to help you get waiver's if need be. If you lie, go to basic, then get found out, you will be facing fraudulent enlistment. This is not good. It is something that will not only affect you being dismissed from the service but any civilian job you apply for will question your honestly.

Is a lie really worth all that?

[Anonymous]

Don't worry. Talk to your recruter, they are there to give you advice and they want you in. They have the answers, and not asking the questions will not help you find your dream.

I'm heading to MEPS friday after this, so relax and pour on the questions. They are there for you.

-Mels

[Anonymous]

thank you all, i've taken all of your advice into consideration, for good points have been made. i'm sure i'll make the best choice for me, armed with all of your expert information. thanks again. -nd

[Anonymous]

Reporting any history of asthma can keep you out of the military automatically. You need to seriously ask yourself if you are up to the physical aspect of Basic. If you are cured of asthma and can run several miles, I'm not sure I would reveal your hx. to the MEPS center. If MEPS rejects you, that's it for all branches of the military. Talk with your doctor about this. don't do anything that is a danger to your health.

i'll be 17 soon, and i'm supposed to meet with a recruiter this week. i'm


: afraid to tell him a/b anything that i'd suspect would keep me out of the
: army yet, because lots of people told me to lie--i'll just ask him what he
:
: thinks. but, i was wondering if you could get more than one waiver for any
: medical problems. do notes from doctors, medical charts, and proof of
: misdiagnoses help? God, i sure hope so..this has been my dream, and now
: that the time is getting closer things aren't looking so bright. would
: anyone know the status of the following in relation to pasing the physical
: at MEPS? -mild asthma (before age 15) -migraines (before age 14) -low
: grade depression, with prozac [i never took the medicine, and i really
: feel fine, my my doctor keeps renewing therapy...i think that's really
: screwing me up. she said she could write a letter if that would help]
: (since age 15)
:
: thank you so much, please cross your fingers for me--i need a miracle. i know
: i can do it, i just need the government to put a little faith in me. I'd
: do anything, even though i plan to be some kind of linguist. thanx again


dwhite@concord.edu

[Anonymous]

DO NOT claim that you once had asthma if it does not affect you today. You will be automatically rejected from every branch of the military. While asthma is a serious medical condition, many people have it slightly during the early stages of their childhood. You need to ask yourself... can i run with out feeling the need to pass out ( :O) ) if so, then the odds are, you'll be fine. This may sound crazy, but the problem many people have when it comes to running is their inability to breath correctly. I say correctly because there actually are specific ways one should breath when jogging or running. So what i'm trying to say in this long winded post (hehe) is don't document every ache and pain that you've had growing up if there does not seem to be any evidence of it today. Talk to your doctor before making a rash decision. You don't want to make an incorrect claim, one that can permanently ban you from having a military career.

[Anonymous]

Everyone who has posted to this thus far seems very concerned about your asthma. Just thought I'd let you know that in my eleven years of service I have known a handful of folks on active duty that have had asthma. One of them was a female who was both airborne and air assault qualified (very physically demanding courses) and scored over the 300 point maximum on her physical fitness tests, usually a 350 or more on the extended scale) I doubt that it will be a problem for you if it hasn't bothered you in the past couple of years. I agree with the other folks about admitting to your health conditions - you definitely should. There were lots of things that I left blank and filled in with the physician at MEPS. They are the folks who can tell you whether or not it needs to be in your records. Good luck.

sweitzer@hawaii.rr.com

[Anonymous]

I hate to sound like a broken record but DO NOT write down that you had asthma as a child if you're not affected today (still ask your doctor) I'm not sure if each MEPS station is different but the one in Albany NY automatically disqualified 3 guys because they made that same claim. One boy and I were friends. He was an allstar soccer player and track hurdler. Yup, i'm not kidding. He claimed he had a slight case of asthma when he was 8 years old, but after that all was clear since. I'm not making this up... he took the ASVAB, lengthy physical, drug test, you name it. All that was left was a briefing with the physician. He wrote down YES to i have had asthma. He even offered an explaination, but it didn't matter. He was given lunch and sent home. So, you need to make the decision... does it affect me today, or has it affected me recently. Only you can answer those question. Good luck to you.