Careers: Military--Army, Navy, Airforce, Marines, Coast Guard/ELS - Mental

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Expert: Rod Powers - 10/29/2009


Question
Hello Sir,
My son left for bootcamp in the first week of October and just called me to tell me that he's been discharged. I think the code is 5-17, something about being mentally unfit to serve.  This shocks us as he was looking at Special Ops school and was to have a place there for training after bc.
He said he has to stay 3-6 months before he can come home.  Do you know why?  Also, would he ever be able to re-enlist or pursue a law enforcement career?
Thank you.

Answer
Hi Beth,

You didn't say which military service (Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Army Reserves, Army National Guard, Air Force Reserves, Air National Guard, Navy Reserves, Marine Corps Reserves, Coast Guard Reserves), but because you mentioned "5-17," I assume you mean the active duty Army?

"5-17" refers to Army Regulation 635-200, paragraph 5-17 (see: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/armyreg/l/blar635200.htm).

This particular paragraph refers to discharges for Misc. Physical or Mental Conditions.

The process probably won't take 3 to six months -- more likely 2 to 3 months. The discharge process isn't fast. It requires a lot of time and paperwork. First and foremost, this particular paragraph requires a complete medical and/or mental health evaluation. Assuming the medical authorities recommend discharge, then the procedures in my article at: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/justicelawlegislation/l/aadischarge1.htm have to be accomplished. Keep in mind he's not the only one being considered for discharge at basic, Hundreds of other troops are too. This takes time.

With this type of discharge, he probably will not be eligible to re-enlist in the future, unless he can show that the original reason for discharge no longer exists, and won't likley happen again in the future.

As for law enforcement, that would be up to the policies of the individual law enforcement agency he wants to join.

For more information about the United States Military, feel free to visit my US Military information site at: http://usmilitary.about.com

Hope this helps!

Rod Powers
About.com US Military Guide
http://usmilitary.about.com  

Careers: Military--Army, Navy, Airforce, Marines, Coast Guard

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Rod Powers

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Rod Powers is considered one of the premire experts about U.S. Military career information on the planet. He has more than 30,000 articles about U.S. Military career information on the About.com U.S. Military Careers Information website at: http://usmilitary.about.com. Additionally, he is the author of "ASVAB for Dummies," "ASVAB AFQT for Dummies," (available in Dec 2009), and "Veteran Benefits for Dummies," all published by Wiley Publishing. He is also the author of "Barrons' Guide to Officer Candidate School Tests," published by Barron's Educational Series.

Experience

Rod Powers is a retired Air Force first sergeant, with 23 years of active duty service, 11 of those years as an Air Force First Sergeant. He has helped thousands of military members, recruits, and military applicants since he took over the About.com U.S Military Careers Information site in 1999. He has a reputation for "telling it like it is," so questions may not be answered based on "what you want to hear," but will be answered based of the bast available information, concerning the service/situation.

Education/Credentials
Rod is a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Noncommissioned Officers Academy, the Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy, and the Air Force First Sergeant Academy. He also holds an Associates Degree in Personnel Administration from the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF).

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