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Careers: Military--Army, Navy, Airforce, Marines, Coast Guard/Ashtma
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Question
When I was little, probably 10-13, I had a little trouble with athsma. Now it seems it is completely gone. All 4 years of high school have gone by and I haven't used my inhaler at all. I run cross country and play baseball and am quite sure that i could handle anything I would encounter at OCS (as well as everyone else anyways). My question is, could i just not tell the Navy that I have asthma, and then move on, or could that get me in some serious trouble.
Thanks
Hi Aaron,
Giving false information on any enlistment or accession documentation is not a good idea (see my article at: http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/joiningup/a/falsestatements.htm)
This is *especially* true of commissioned officer applicants (OCS). Commissioned Officers are expected to be "officers and gentlemen," at all times. Commissioned Officers don't lie. It's that simple. In OCS, or any officer training program, (such as the Service Academy), you will hear and repeat, over and over "I will not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those who do." That's the primary officer creed, during training.
If they do lie, and get caught, the consequences are usually much greater than for enlisted members. It generally either means a court martial (see: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/justicelawlegislation/l/aacmartial1.htm), or dismissal from the service.
The good news is that your Asthma history probably won't be much of a factor. Several years ago, the Military services changed their standards for previous history of asthma. For details, see my article at: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/a/asthma.htm
Hope this helps!
Rod Powers
http://usmilitary.about.com
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Rod Powers
Expertise
Rod Powers is considered one of the premire experts about U.S. Military career information on the planet. He has more than 30,000 articles about U.S. Military career information on the About.com U.S. Military Careers Information website at: http://usmilitary.about.com. Additionally, he is the author of "ASVAB for Dummies," "ASVAB AFQT for Dummies," (available in Dec 2009), and "Veteran Benefits for Dummies," all published by Wiley Publishing. He is also the author of "Barrons' Guide to Officer Candidate School Tests," published by Barron's Educational Series.
Experience
Rod Powers is a retired Air Force first sergeant, with 23 years of active duty service, 11 of those years as an Air Force First Sergeant. He has helped thousands of military members, recruits, and military applicants since he took over the About.com U.S Military Careers Information site in 1999. He has a reputation for "telling it like it is," so questions may not be answered based on "what you want to hear," but will be answered based of the bast available information, concerning the service/situation.
Education/Credentials
Rod is a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Noncommissioned Officers Academy, the Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy, and the Air Force First Sergeant Academy. He also holds an Associates Degree in Personnel Administration from the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF).
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