Is preventative asthma medication doom for potential military career?
In 1993, I was told by a Marine recruiter that “Having any asthmatic symptoms past the age of 12 automatically disqualifies you from serving in any branch of the armed forces”. So, I ended up doing computers for a living. I’ve read that they’ve VERY SLIGHTLY relaxed the requirements since then, but not by much: Asthma and ADD/ADHD Policy for Joining the US Military: Previously, any history of asthma was disqualifying, regardless of age. While medical waivers were sometimes possible, waiver approval usually required scheduling and passing a pulmonary function test. Under the new policy, Asthma is only disqualifying if it occurs after the applicant’s 13th birthday. Medical record screening may still be required, depending on the applicant’s medical history. However, in many cases, a signed statement, attached to the medical pre-screening form, stating that the applicant did not have any type of asthma (including
FWIW this uses asthma as an example of a medical condition that will automatically disqualify a pilot candidate and adds “even if you have not recently suffered from them.
No. If the asthma issues ended at 2 years of age, she would be fine. But she’s been on medication as a teen, which is a big scary red flag. The very first question on the MEPS (military entrance processing station) medical questionnaire is (I paraphrase): Have you ever had asthma, wheezing, or been prescribed asthma medication? YES OR NO. If you check Yes, you’d better bring a dump truck of medical documentation, because you’re automatically at 2.9 strikes. After completing the survey, you’re shuffled through the various physical stations, and the medics poke and prod you for a few hours. Then you meet with a doctor, who has the final say. (These doctors tend to be civilians.) They will review the documentation and say whether you’re in or out. Note that MEPS isn’t branch-specific, so doesn’t go by the “we need troops so we’ll let anyone in” rule. And the civilian doctor doesn’t care either way. If, by a miracle, she gets in, she’s got yet another medical mountain to climb. Before goin
I joined the Navy in 1991 with the intent on becoming a SEAL. I’d had asthma like symptoms suddenly crop up a few years before and even used an inhaler from time to time, but it was never diagnosed as asthma. I failed the pulimnary fuction test and was given the option to either stay in the Navy in another specialty or be discharged. So I left. She could probably still serve, but almost certainly not as a front seat pilot.
By the way, for general informational purposes, ever being on ADHD meds would also disqualify you. As someone who was in the Air Force, and then was granted a medical discharge, I can tell you that the above statement is bunk. The Air Force knew about my history on ADD meds, and they never gave any indication of giving a damn about it. They did care about the screws in my elbow (which I had a waiver for), and about the asthma that I could have had. In the end, I was discharged because of my hiatal hernia. I was a satcom geek and not a flyer, so maybe that’s why the elbow was ok. At one point, I became extremely ill, and they were looking for a reason to discharge me. I mentioned that I had a doctor who suspected that I had exercise-induced asthma when I was a kid, and medicated me for it. The Air Force docs took this very seriously, and I was immediately sent to the hospital for lots of testing involving dosing me with histamines
