Can I join the military with asthma?

[Proserpina]

Prosepina? Has your fuzzies been playing with the computer again?

Nah...I think ours are a wee bit too intelligent to sign up to a forum where Mommy is on patrol

However I will be checking the cache....

 

[davidmcbeth3]

Join the Air Force. We ran a grueling 1.5 miles like twice a week and had to do an occasional push up during boot. Then after tech school when you go to your assignment you just need to worry about the occasional on the job hazards such as spitballs, papercuts and air conditioner failures...

(I was in the AF so I can make fun of myself darn it!)

There are paperwork jobs in every service.

When I was in the USAF I had to deal with fuel spills, fuel fires, truck explosions, etc. And wearing chemical gear all the time for lengths on end (this is where a person with asthma would have problems). And of course, getting B-52s off the ground with their nuclear payload to deliver...some commands were comparatively lax (mostly overseas) & some had their boot so far up you butt you could not imagine.

So it would depend on his job .. and he should know this before he joins.

I never said that a guy in an air conditioned office served any less than I did.


But if you do have a condition that needs treatment I would not recommend you join. The last thing you'll need is to be in a critical situation and be unable to perform due to your condition.

 

[vacren]

OP, short answer is no.

I'm active Navy now. I can tell you that with our current DoD budget, on "continuing resolution" we've had to cut a great deal of training and recruiting across all three branches (Department of the Navy, United States Marine Corps, look at your emblem jarheads).

Currently, the Navy is looking for anything (up to five years back) that you did that they can end your service for. Most waivers are being denied, that is for medical, legal, financial and AFQT. The only exceptions are in the intelegence and nuclear power fields. To my knowledge, this is also across all branches. There are enough people trying to get in now that it will come down to you OR them, and if only one of you has astma... Sorry kid.

I do wish you the best. If this is your dream, you can ask. The absolute worst thing a recruiter will say to you is no.

~V

EDIT: Just saw this, way off topic but... EvilWizard and davidmcbeth3... LOL! Evil, I'm glad you're honest. dm, All I have to say is that if you're having those kinds of problems there was a breakdown in training at multiple levels wherever you were stationed, not just in flightline safety either. What universe do you live in where B-52's fly and deliver nukes? Or where a refuel team also loads ords, directs aircraft, and ok's takeoff? Even the Navy has four groups of people to perform those tasks, and we merge several jobs due to manning restrictions.