Expert: MARK A. HOWELL - 9/24/2010

Question
not meaning disrespect to anyone, i am a 7 year navy veteran, my son joined the marines, and graduates bootcamp today.
i have 2 questions:
1) he has severe cellulitis in his foot, and was told its bad enough he could possibly lose his foot.
can he get discharged due to this?

2) hes my only son, is there a stipulation that only sons can be spared going to a war zone?

i am proud of him for wanting to do this, but he regrets it now, and we never wanted him to join but he was 18.

thank you for your understanding, steve

Answer
Steve,

Cellulitis is one of those strange ailments that appear from nowhere and causes big problems.  I recently had a bout with it myself requiring two surgeries.  It occurs when one or more types of bacteria enter through a cut or break in the skin.  Doctors always "cover their butt" by telling you the worst case scenario.  People can indeed die or lose a limb from Cellulitis, but only if it has been improperly treated or left untreated.

The USMC already has too much invested in your son to discharge him.  Cellulitis is easily cured, so they'll fix him up and put him to work.  I can't imagine they'd discharge him for something as simple as Cellulitis.

Many people ask the same question about their only son.  Simply put, the answer is no.
1.  The law applies to an "only surviving son" meaning one or more sons must have already died during the war.
2.  The program required a (voluntary) complete discharge from the Service.
3.  Each of the Services have regulations which exempt "surviving sons/daughters" from serving in combat zones.  The program is voluntary, and again, they must have an immediate family member who has died on active duty, 100 percent service-connected disabled, or in POW status.  Simply being the "last in the line" or "an only son" doesn't count.

I know what you mean about 18 year olds.  My son was bound and determined to follow in my footsteps so he joined the Air Force.  He quickly found out it just wasn't for him, so he never reenlisted.

Thanks for your Service and his also.
Colonel H