Expert: Cynthia Bedell - 6/21/2010

Question
QUESTION: Our son was chaptered out of the Army and received an Honorable Discharge on April 20, 2010.  He was not able to pass the PT Test to graduate from AIT so he was put into a PT Unit.  He busted his butt and improved every day.  Each test he passed either the push ups and sit ups but not the run or vice versa.  The final 2 weeks in the PT Unit he pushed himself like he never pushed at anything in his life.  He actually did the run a minute under what he had to have to pass but it was a practice run so it didn't count.  His leg started bothering him to the point it was painful for him to stand let alone run.  His DS told him to just run through the pain and he did.  When they saw he couldn't run or walk on that leg they sent him to the clinic, the Dr. told him he had a shin splint and to stay off his leg for 5 days.  The 5th day was his final PT Test to get out of AIT and onto his duty station.  He did 10 more sit up and 10 more push ups that he had to have to pass but he only made 3 laps on his run before his leg hurt so bad he vomited.  He finished his 2 mile run in pain and tears and came in a minute under. He was sent to the clinic, they did x-rays and a bone scan, he had a severe stress fracture which he had been running on for 2 weeks. They had him on crutches for 10 days and then told him to walk on his leg as the pain allowed.  They started the chaptering out process.  He didn't want to be chaptered out but because he wasn't able to pass the test to graduate when he was supposed to and he had extra chances in the PT Unit they said they had no choice but to chapter him but there was no reason he couldn't re-enlist in 6 months.  His Re-Entry Code on the DD-214 is a 3 which I know means he will have to get a waiver.   He has been miserable since he came home, he said he feels worthless and should be with his Battle Buddies.  Can't find a job, misses the structure and discipline, etc.  He realizes he should have tried harder during AIT to pass but he has always had trouble running and the fact that he passed the BCT PT and did as well as he did in AIT and in the PT Unit (15 seconds over, 25 seconds over in last 2 of 3 tests on a fractured leg) and 1 minute under in a practice run on a fractured leg, is incredible.  I have been reading that with a Re-Entry Code of 3 that he will have to have a waiver and that waivers are few and far between if even possible to obtain to re-enlist.  He really wants to go back to the Army as soon as possible but was told when he left Ft. Jackson the earliest was 6 months. Is it true that he has to have a waiver to get back in and that they are difficult to get?  I even talked to his Lt. Col. and he told me that our son was a good soldier, had a good attitude and demeanor, worked hard, did great in AIT, that if it was up to him he would keep him.  How soon should our son go talk to the recruiter about going back, November 1 I think is when he could go back in.  Is there something he should do to help his cause?  He really needs to go back for lots of reasons but most of all because he wants to be an Army Soldier.  His MOS was 91B All Wheel Mechanic.    Thank You.

ANSWER: Dear Kimberly --

Your son should have been afforded more time to heal before being required to take his fitness test.  It takes at least 6 weeks for a bone to knit back together, and a stress fracture is a broken bone.  Unfortunately, now that he has already been chaptered out, his options are limited.

With a re-enlistment code of 3 he will require a waiver both for the code and for the injury that caused the discharge.  An RE 3 means that the doctors do not feel he will ever be healed enough to complete basic training and AIT in the future.  That is odd since most stress fractures are completely healable with rest and appropriate physical therapy.

He will have to wait at least 6 months before trying to enlist again.  During that time, he should stop drinking carbonated beverages.  Those beverages leach key minerals from bone making them more susceptible to fractures of all types, but especially stress fractures.  While he is healing, he should walk every day.  He should not even begin running until x-rays show that his bones have knitted back together.  When he does start to run, it should be very gradual so that the bones, tendons and muscles all develop together evenly and one body part does not develop more quickly and stress and damage the other parts.

As you have noted, waivers are very difficult to come by at this time.  He should get letters of recommendation from the training battalion commander showing that except for his injury, your son was a top recruit and AIT performer.  That will help him qualify for re-enlistment.  He will also need a doctor's evaluation showing his stress fracture is healed.  He should not see a recruiter until he can pass a PT test on his own.  But be certain he is healed before he starts training for the PT test again.  He can permanently damage himself, if he does not give the injury adequate time to heal.

Please write back, if you have additional questions.  Give my best to your son.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Sorry to bother with another question but I'm so concerned about whether our son will be able to re-enlist I keep thinking of things to ask.  He was told by all of his Commanding Officers that he was a good soldier, that he could come back in 6 months and that they hoped he would and I was told the same thing when I called and asked if there was any way they could let him stay for his leg to heal. I know he needs a waiver.  But his DD-214 says:  Honorable Discharge; Separation Authority AR635-200 CHAP13; Separation Code JHJ ReEntry Code 3; Reason for Separation - Unsatisfactory Performance.  When our son asked why it said unsatisfactory performance he was told it was because he didnt pass the PT Test and for no other reason.  Do these authorities and codes mean it will be even more difficult for him to get a waiver?  There is nothing anywhere in his paperwork that states his shin split is the reason he was chaptered out.  It says he was ineligible for transfer to the IRR.  The rehabilitative transfer was waived by the Commanding Officer. And that he has no medidal limitations to prevent him from passing the APFT.  I don't understand the codes.  All we are going on is the Commanding Officers and his DS all told him he could come back in 6 months and that is what he wants to do.  Thank You

ANSWER: Dear Kimberly --

As I said in my other response, his RE 3 is going to limit his ability to re-enlist.  Rather than waiting to try and get a waiver in six months, he could petition the Army Board for Correction of Military Records.  To get his RE code changed, he would need to show the board the bone injury data from Fort Jackson and that the injury occurred during military training.

Clearly his DD 214 is incorrect because he did not have a full medical evaluation prior to out-processing.  You son should be able to petition the board to change his discharge records.  If he does, he may be able to re-enlist in six months or so, without a waiver.

To petition the board, please follow the process described at the following web site:

http://arba.army.pentagon.mil/abcmr-overview.cfm

Again, best of luck to you and your son.  He deserved better treatment and opportunities to heal at AIT.  I am disheartened that we are still demanding young Soldiers "run through the pain" as it can do permanent damage to someone who is really injured.

Regards,


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for your prompt replies.  I have been very disheartened and disappointed in the way the Army handled this. Our son didn't do his part early on like he should have I agree with that, he had plenty of opportunities between AIT and the PT Unit but the last 3 weeks prior to the final PT Test he did bust his butt and all the time was running through the pain.  He didn't speak up because when he did he was called a baby, etc. which as a US Army Soldier he took.  They led him to believe that coming back in 6 months was not going to be an issue, they led me to believe the same thing because I called his Commander and his Lt. Col.  He is so bummed that they chaptered him and now he thought he could go back in 6 months and finds out now that he has to have a waiver and that it may not be possible to re-enlist at all.   Thank you again.

Answer
Dear Kimberly --

Please don't let the fact that re-enlisting will require more documentation than the initial enlistment keep your son from trying to return to service.

Since he was already planning to find a more supportive recruiter than his first recruiter, he will just need to add that the recruiter is willing work with him on the RE 3 waiver request.  

This enlistment will be more difficult because he may have to prove he can take a standard APFT rather than the limited one given to new recruits.  That skill will be to his advantage in the long run because he will only have to maintain his fitness during training, not have to improve every week.  

Keep him focused on the positive goal, and work through each step between now and November.  Although it will be difficult, if he is in shape and has recommendations from his prior leadership, he has a good chance of getting the waiver and returning to service.