Expert: Rod Powers - 4/26/2007

Question
My son just completed zero and the first week of BMT.
He had been sore of the hips to the point that he could not get up from the ground.
He were taken by ambulance to the Hospital
They will be doing a bone narrow scan because the X-rays did not shows nothing
He wants to get back on a squadron and continue with his military career.
He has been told that, if the injury will take long to 3 month to heal he will be sent home.  He will have the option to return afterward if a Doc at MPEs okays it.
My question is the above statement is the truth.
What if he only needs a couple of weeks to heal?
WOuld he be allow to return to a squadron?
Any advice will be truly appreciated, thank you for your responses  

Answer
Hi Dimas,

I wish I could give you specifics about what *will* happen, but I can't.

Air Force Basic Training trainees who are projected for discharge, or who cannot continue with training due to medical reasons are taken out of their basic training flight and re-assigned to the 319th, until a decision is made.

As this is a medical problem, there are several possibilities, depending on the condition, and the prognosis. The medical doctors will make a prognosis and a recommendation for disposition, and the ultimate decision will be made by your son's commanding officer:

(1) The commanding officer may decide to retain him in basic training in the 319th until he is medically qualified to rejoin basic training. If that happens, when he is again medically fit, he will re-join a different flight, who is in the same day of training that your son was when he was removed from training.

(2) The commanding officer (based on prognosis of the medical doctors) may discharge him. If this happens, he *might* be able to re-enlist, at a later time, if he can show medical evidence that the medical condition has been totally resolved.

(3) Upon recommendation by the medical personnel, the commanding officer may place him on convelescent leave (ie, he would be able to go home and then return) for a period of time.

There's no way to tell for sure what option the CO will take. It depends primarily upon the recommendations from the medical staff at Wilford Hall (the Medical Center at Lackland AFB).

Hope this helps!

Rod Powers
http://usmilitary.about.com