New - suspect simple partial seizures?
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UPDATED: Sun, 03/30/2008 - 9:49am
whitet...
Getting into the military with epilepsy.
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Hello, I tried to get into the Army when I was 18 but they denied me because they couldn't guarentee that I would or could get my medication on a daily basis! It makes sense! Now my 17 year old son has plans of joining the Navy. I've told him what I went through and what they told me but he's already talked to recruiters that have told him that he could get in. Do different branches have different rules for enlistment? I've already made my son promise me that he wouldn't enlist until after Bush is out, but Bush has created such a mess it's going to take years to clean up his mess and to get our troops out safely! My son's grades aren't good and I've already been told that the Navy won't take him unless he has at least a C average, so that sets my mind at ease! Does anybody have any first hand knowledge regarding getting into the armed forces with E.
By whitet... at Tue, 03/25/2008 - 1:45pm | 51 views | 7 comments
Recent Comments on this Discussion
i passed all the tests with flying colors and was denied access to the military because of this sz disorder.... granted this was a while ago... but it's still a sore spot that i couldn't get in and serve my country like my friends did....good luck with trying to get in but i doubt it very much......
I think he can get into the military. The footage of that soldier home on leave that had the seizure and the homeless guy robbing him.
Hello,
No, your son cannot join any branch of the service if he has epilepsy. Generally, an applicant must be seizure free for a period of 5 years without the use of medication in order to be allow to enlist.
Exceptions are made and waivers are issued. But only in cases where an applicant had a single seizure incident within 5 years but has not been diagnosed as an epileptic nor has had any other history of seizures. The Army and the Marines are the only ones that I've heard of issuing these waivers.
But a person diagnosed with epilepsy and is currently on medication under the instruction of a physician most definitely will not get one of these waivers regardless of the branch. A person with epilepsy is considered non-deployable and is therefore not wanted.
Also, just FYI: Good or bad high school grades do not matter when joining any branch of the military as long as one has a diploma. How much aptitude a candidate has for each branches MOSs, ratings, AFSCs, etc is dependent on his or her ASVAB score.
Thank you so much or your reply, it's the best one that I've received! Don't get me wrong, I fully support our troops whom fight for our freedom but I didn't think that my son could enlist. I didn't think think that the rules would have changed over something as important as getting your meds on a daily basis! Thank you again!
Happier Mom
Common sense is not so common!
In Victoria, Canada we have a police officer who has epilepsy and he is still employed because the seizures are controlled. I wouldn't be surprised if they do the same for the military. Of course, it can be a stressful occupation which might provoke seizures, depending on where the superiors post their recruits once they're in. But it doesn't hurt to try. It's a free country.
I'm glad to hear your son will be joining the Navy after the war in the desert of Iraq is over too, I don't see the Al-Queda Navy getting any stronger anytime soon, and real men and women in The United States Army are fighting the war in Iraq. Besides that, a C average won't get him into The Air Force. I can't remember the last time the Navy fired a shot in a the war, or in self-defense during the Iraq War, so it sounds like he's joining the right branch of military service to me. I hope he enjoys floating around the world on a boat full of men.
Have the rules changed over the years? Can he actually get into the military with having epilepsy? Without the guarantee that he can get his meds on a daily basis? I haven't had a chance to talk to a recruiter yet and my son is afraid of me talking to one because he knows my feelings and knows that I was turned down for the army! I won't lie, I don't want my son to join because I know that he needs his meds every day and neither one of us wants him to get as bad as I got with E, and he's only heard stories about my E!