Careers: Military--Army, Navy, Airforce, Marines, Coast Guard/Medical question

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Expert: - 2/11/2011


Question
In your explanation of what you can and can't answer - you mentioned medical.  I actually have a medical question - my son has a heart murmur and some have told me it will keep him out of the Army - which will crush him - it's what he's always wanted to do...do you know who I could direct my question too?  Thanks very much for your time............

Answer
Army Regulation 40-501 is the Standards of Medical fitness for the military.  Paragraph 2-18 is the one discussing heart and conditions affecting fitness for service. It doesn't say that a heart murmur is automatically disqualifying, but it does seem that there will be additional questions and a doctor must determine whether it is severe enough to disqualify him from service. With that, all I can really advise you to do is let him go to MEPS and see what the doctor says.. sorry I can't be more helpful, but most medical questions do really involve a doctor's judgement.  

Careers: Military--Army, Navy, Airforce, Marines, Coast Guard

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Aaron Shifferly

Expertise

I am currently an active duty Army Captain in the Military Police Field. I have been enlisted (Military Intelligence) and attended The United States Military Academy at West Point. I can answer questions related to the Army, posting, jobs, lifestyle, workings... pretty much anything you can throw at me with the exception of very specific recruting or medical questions. I have no expertise in what it takes to get in the military other than the fact that I, myself, joined at one point in time.

Experience

I have experience in both deployed and garrision environments as a Military Police Officer.

Education/Credentials
Bachelor of Science in Arabic and French from United States Military Academy at West Point.

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