Rant

Post by **Jagged Fel** » Sat Sep 11, 2004 9:38 pm

D*amnit! A while back the Air Force revoked my scholarship because they think I have asthma, which I don't, I just had a couple inhalers refilled after my 13th birthday, because the old ones were many years old. That I was pissed about, but I apparently couldn't do anything because they don't accept any remedials for asthma, so the intial decision was final.

Today, I found out from my ROTC Detachment that because that alone made me fail my DoD physical, I can't participate in most activites, even if I want to, and there's nothing I can do about it. I'm being pulled from the military portion of the program, so I'm only in the intro course, of which I probably know most if not all of it, seeing that I've been doing JRTOC for 4 years, and was the top of my class there. The most I can be in this program is 2 years, at which I will be forced out, unless I jump through hoops to get a waiver each quarter/year, and at any case, it's an academic class, which again I've already done. They might issue me a uniform, but only for the purpose of special events. I won't have leadership postitions of any kind, because I'm only in the academic class, and not the military portion.

So because a few lazy higher-ups don't want to go through the effort to get someone who really wants to join, they've f*cked up at least the next 10 years of my life, especially since I was looking forward to making this carrer. Beurocratic *ssholes don't give a sh*t about people who have set this up for years, but they'll gladly take people off the street with a history of drug use. I've been in JROTC for 4 years, it's what I know, it's what I do, and now because these *ssholes don't want to read explanations from myself, my physician, and my JROTC instructor, I have no idea what the hell I'm going to do. How the hell can one serve their country if their country isn't going to let them because of a meanigless date on their medical records? One line of text saying I had asthma, and three to four pages saying I had asthma. Godd*mnit!

I needed to vent, sorry.

Russell · Post by **Russell** » Sat Sep 11, 2004 9:51 pm

Due to the career I'm pursuing, which although slightly different than yours does include ROTC and military service, I would be just as upset as you are. Things may work out though, as long as you allow them to and hope that everyone up the chain of command actually gets something done. I hope it does work out for you though, and if it does not, well hopefully it will not come to that.

Syrtaras · Post by **Syrtaras** » Sat Sep 11, 2004 9:53 pm

God bless America. :P

Calder · Post by **Calder** » Sat Sep 11, 2004 9:55 pm

I sympathize. Even though I have a reserve comission in the US Navy now, it's not as a line officer because the Navy decided - and I completely serious - that they did not like the shape of my eyeballs.

I'll say that again for dramatic effect: they did not like the shape of my eyeballs. Now, to look at them, they look perfectly normal. But apparently, the "refraction" of the surface is about 6 degrees too flat or too round or whatever.

So when they told me they would limit me to a desk job in the Navy, that's when I decided to go reserves and work primarily in the private sector. That was almost two years ago now.

Oh, and they had also given me a hard time because I'm allergic to penecillin.

Say · Post by **Say** » Sat Sep 11, 2004 9:58 pm

Which all makes perfect sense, because in active military service, the military really does *not* need to be worrying about specific people's special medical needs.

Say · Post by **Say** » Sat Sep 11, 2004 10:01 pm

Oh, and Jagged - I don't know about the military in the US, but asthma regulations for the UK police are something along the lines of, you are considered asthmatic if you got asthma medication prescribed within the last 10 years.

If that is the case with the US system, then is there anything stopping you waiting till the required time has passed - at which point you will be officially asthma-free - and starting the military courses again and/or signing up for regular service?

Post by **Jagged Fel** » Sat Sep 11, 2004 10:43 pm

The new magic cutoff date is your 13th birthday. Anything after that, and you're crossed off the list. My Mom refuses to get refills for my brother to prevent this from happening to him. If something does happen to him, the newest prescription is around 3-4 years old.

Calder · Post by **Calder** » Sun Sep 12, 2004 12:15 am

You are correct, the military cannot concern itself with special medical needs. But, there are regulations which I think go too far.

For example, if you are a pilot and you need corrective eye surgery *after* you get your wings, that's okay. However, corrective eye surgery beforehand disqualifies you from becoming a pilot.

In my own case, I have no special medical needs due to my eyes (other than I wear glasses, but that's not a limiting factor). It was not my eye sight that was the problem but the refractive error, relating to the way light is reflected into my retina. In practice, this does not differentiate me from anyone else at all. With my eye glasses I see just as well as anyone, and it's not like my vision cannot be corrected to 20/20 even with the lenses.

Additionally, the U.S. Merchant Marine, which is also a Federal administered agency, has no problem with my eyes. It was just the Navy.

Therefore, while you are technically correct, the fact is that the limitations are more stringent than they need to be. Even the officers who were training me at the time said that it was foolish and the Navy was going to lose an excellent active-duty officer by jacking me around like that. I still took the reserve post, but barring massive naval casualties in a war, I will likely never serve on a warship.

However, I will point out that the US Merchant Fleet sustained more casualties in WWII than any other branch of the US Military. The only thing I fear at sea is German U-Boats - and I highly doubt I'll run into one of those.

Post by **Jagged Fel** » Sun Sep 12, 2004 12:22 am

Oh, and the fact that they opened orientation with a very moving tribute to 9/11 didn't help me out either. That alone is going to take me few days to get over.

RES Mitchell · Post by **RES Mitchell** » Sun Sep 12, 2004 12:31 am

I was at a cross country meet all day today, so I missed all the 9/11 tributes. But, seeing as Hurricane Ivan is drawing nigh, that was probably good for my health.

Our team chant:

Captain: The More you Sweat...

Team: The Less You Bleed!!!

Captain: 1...2...3...

Team: RAM IT!!!

Incidentally, anyone ever hear of the band Three Stride Ganstaz?

Calder · Post by **Calder** » Sun Sep 12, 2004 1:55 am

Fortunately, I'll be heading out to get on my ship just as Ivan hits FL.

Say · Post by **Say** » Sun Sep 12, 2004 2:14 am

Calder:

1) If a pilot has already been trained, a large amount of time and money has been invested in getting him into the air. As such, it is easier and more effective (and hey, cost effective) for the organisation in question to say "Hey, you can continue flying" than to remove his wings and train a replacement.

2) Your sight is fine with glasses - that's great, until a lens gets cracked in the middle of a battle, etc, at which point in a flash you go from being a valuable member of the crew to someone who absolutely cannot work at full capacity. Again, easier, cheaper, etc, for the navy to simply train someone else than to train you and have a strong risk that you will have poor combat efficiency.

3) The Merchant Navy is something I have a great deal of respect for - my grandfather sailed in the North Atlantic convoys. Torpedoed, and he, along with everyone else on his ship (the Victor Ross) died. In a major war, the Merchant Navy is absolutely invaluable, and I would bet a hell of a lot harder than the Royal Navy or US Navy - because you get poorer supplies, almost no weapons, etc, etc. But either way - a merchant seaman does not need combat effectiveness (especially in the current political and technological climate). As such, they have lower entry requirements.

Calder · Post by **Calder** » Sun Sep 12, 2004 5:24 am

On a modern warship, the chances of losing a lens is slim to none - and even with that in mind, everyone who does wear glasses always has a spare pair.

The issue, like I said, is not with eyesight alone but with "refractive error". Now, I'm not an optometrist so I don't know the full details, but it's a very eclectic detail.

In hindsight, I don't fault the Navy because I'm happy where I ended up and where I am going. Nonetheless, I think that the rule was a little too strict.

As far as the merchant fleet - I am very familiar with it. Not only am I a part of it, but likewise for my entire family line with only two exceptions: one was a general and the other a politician. Most of the Calder sailors did regular naval service as well, but the merchant fleet is much more lucrative. I can trace my lineage to James Cook and Robert Calder who are the most famous (James Cook as in the Captain James Cook, and Robert Calder was a contemporary of Nelson and fought in the Napoelonic Wars eventually becoming a full Admiral (of the White) after the war).

It is common knowledge that the US Military is never wrong - but sometimes they are not quite right either.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Sep 12, 2004 12:05 pm

I have a problem with my handâ€¦ where as I cant fell a thing. You can stab my hand with a paperclip and I wouldnâ€™t feel anything. I can slam my fist agents a brick wall for hours in tell I get board. As such the Air Force was consigned that I could flip the wrong switch an never know about it. So I had to go on medical leave, for about a year. Thatâ€™s when I joined the JAG corp. and Iâ€™ve been with JAG even sinceâ€¦ unfortunately itâ€™s not like the TV show. But there is that one blondâ€¦

RES Mitchell · Post by **RES Mitchell** » Sun Sep 12, 2004 1:01 pm

So could a judge pound your hand with a gavel and you would never feel a thing? Fascinating....