Expert: Aaron Shifferly - 12/7/2011

Question
4 years ago my son (age 16 at the time) was told he had a heart murmer.. A few weeks later the cardiologist released him to normal things that a teen would do..Weighe liftimg and running and judo were among these things.. The murmer was detected during a normal doctor visit.  The cardiologist said he had a normal future ahead of him and that in most cases young people get over having murmers..He is trying to enlist in the Army now and we are wondering if the murmer will keep him out..

Answer
Likely not, but the Army doctors will want to see all the information and then make a decision for themselves.  If your son's murmur is that insignificant it doesn't seem to be a barrier to enlistment but, as with all things medical, the doctors will want to evaluate for themselves.  The best thing you can do is bring all his records pertaining to that with him to MEPS so that they can have all necessary information to make an informed decision.