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Careers: Military--Army, Navy, Airforce, Marines, Coast Guard/traumatic pneumothorax
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Question
Hi Rod,
I had a traumatic pneumothorax (collapsed lung) in my right side back in '03 from a stab wound. I needed a chest tube to pump my lung back up to full capacity and I have had absolutely no incident involving shortage of breath or even a symptomatic pain in my right side ever. I do not have asthma or any breathing issues whatsoever. I run four miles a day and I feel fine. I've flown on airplanes many times since and I never had a problem as well. I was wondering if this would cause me to be disqualified from getting into basic training. I also read that it has to be 3 years from the incident to be disqualified. I've spoken with my recruiter and he said I should at least go to the doctor and have him check me so I can get at least get some type of proof . Any info you have on this subject would be most helpful. Thanks
Hi,
It will require a medical waiver. Wether or not a waiver will be approved is anyone's guess.
For details about medical waivers see: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/a/medicalwaiver.htm
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
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Answers by Expert:
Rod Powers
Expertise
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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