Expert: MARK A. HOWELL - 11/1/2010

Question
Hi, I've been wanting to join the Army Infantry or Rangers for the past 8 years. I'm 15 right now and I want to join after high school. My thyroid is hperactive but I take medication for it everyday. I have to treat it forever but I don't want it to stop me from joining the Army. Is it possible to still join?  

Answer
Mark,
I’m sorry to hear that you have Hyperthyroidism.  It’s not life threatening, but having to take pills every day is a bummer.

The military will not accept a person with Hyperthyroidism.  This is true for all Branches of the military.  The reason is because some people experience side effects which can be dangerous in a military environment.  Some side effects don’t appear until you’re in your 20’s or 30’s and can be things such as fever, decreased mental alertness,  rapid heart rate, sweating, and abdominal pain.  Immediate hospitalization is often needed.  These side effects can worsen with stress and lord knows the military is full of stress, especially in a combat situation.

Having your thyroid surgically removed or destroyed with radiation is no answer either, because then you’ll have to take hormone replacement pills for the rest of your life to treat Hypothyroidism.

So bottom line…the military isn’t willing to gamble on you and hope you never develop any worsening of the problem.  If your health worsens, you could cost them a lot of money providing your healthcare for the rest of your life.  They believe there are a lot of volunteers out there who have NO problems to deal with.  (There may be, but meanwhile they’re missing out on good guys like you.)

Sorry that’s not the answer you wanted to hear, but that’s the facts.
Colonel H