Expert: MARK A. HOWELL - 8/17/2010

Question
I'm 19, always been active, never been the fastest or most athletic, but always been able to push myself more and harder than more others, and it has been my dream to be a Navy SEAL since I was a kid, but I was recently diagnosed with a muscular dystrophy. Is there anyway possible, or anything I can do to go to still join the Navy and still be eligible for BUDs?

Answer
Matt,

Sorry for the delay in answering but I was off on a no-notice mission.  I was on the submarine James K. Polk, inserting 2 SEAL teams.  Not many Air Force guys get to do that.

I hate to sound wishy-washy, but your answer all depends upon the severity of your dystrophy and it's symptoms.

Because specific muscle groups are affected by different types of muscular dystrophy, some cases may be mild and progress very slowly over a normal lifespan, while others produce severe muscle weakness, functional disability, and loss of the ability to walk.  Since your dystrophy wasn't discovered until adulthood, you may live with only a moderate disability.  Let's hope yours remains only a mild inconvenience.

A muscular dystrophy will not necessarily prevent you from joining the Navy, but it MAY prevent your from passing a SEAL physical exam.
The loophole is because the Navy allows it's SEAL examaning physicians to use their own judgment.  The regulations say, "Any condition that in the opinion of the examining medical officer will significantly interfere with the successful performance of SEAL duty or training may be a cause for rejection."

Let me preface this paragraph by saying I am by no means encouraging you to lie, but this is what I have seen people do in similar cases.
They simply deny ever being told the have it.  How's the military going to prove otherwise at this early stage?  They don't require you to produce civilian medical records.  Unless you have a facial deformity, it won't be noticeable, and the military doctors don't normally test for a dystrophy.  Because it may possibly become progressively worse, they join right away and then wait and see what happens.

SEAL applicants don't normally walk in off the street anyway.  The Navy usually takes applicants with 4 or more years experience in the Navy as a prerequisite.  That's because the Navy wants to ensure you plan to stick with it.  They don't want to spend lots of money training someone who may leave the Service right away.  Therefore they usually take sailors who are on their second enlistment.

Good luck in whatever you decide.  Don't let your newfound illness get you down.  It's just another obstacle to overcome.

Colonel Howell