Expert: MARK A. HOWELL - 2/12/2009

Question
Hi I was wondering if my knee injury would disqualify me from enlisting in the military. I'm a Senior right now and had dislocated my knee in my Freshman year. My knee dislocates frequently still, but goes right back in afterwords.I can keep on doing whatever I was doing though. I'm getting surgery sometime in March and was hoping that this would not keep me from joining. I'm pretty sure that after surgery, my knee will be back to 100%. I just wanted to get an opinion on whether or not it would be acceptable.

Answer
Hi,
Your answer depends upon how badly you wish to join the military.  At the AFEES (Armed Forces Entrance and Examination Station) you'll receive a very "in general" physical exam by a doctor.  If you admit to a pre-existing condition they'll disqualify you because you might cost the government a lot of money in health care treatment down the road.  However, if you let the doctor examine you he may or may not discover a knee problem.
Can you walk like a duck?  Remember when you were a kid and you'd squat down, put your hands on your hips, and try walking, and you'd look like a duck?  During your entrance exam the doctor will line up all candidates and have them do a "duck walk."  Those that lose their balance and fall over obviously have a problem and are pulled aside and given a more thorough exam.
I'm certainly not telling you to be dishonest, rather to let your conscious be your guide.   The doctor is being paid to do his job, so I say let him do it.  One thing you'll quickly learn in the military is to never volunteer anything.
What have you got to lose?  The most they'll do is say ,"Sorry, we can't take you."  If surgery brings you back to nearly 100%, you won't have a problem and the military won't have to pay for it.
Remember, all the hard physical stuff will mostly be during your basic training.  Once you graduate from basic training, you'll find yourself settled into pretty much a normal routine like any civilian worker.  A non-military friend once told me, "You work 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. just like me the only difference is I wear a suit and you wear a uniform."  I replied," No, the big difference is I routinely get to blow up stuff and kill people, how often do you ever do that?
I'm glad to see you're considering the military.
Good luck in whatever career you choose!
Colonel H