Careers: Military--Army, Navy, Airforce, Marines, Coast Guard/My boyfirned wants to join the marines...

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Expert: Rod Powers - 3/20/2007


Question
My boyfriend is 19 and wants to join the marines but i have concerns he has a heart problem, it beats to fast and lots of times he gets really tired when it beats to slowly, and his blood pressure goes sky high and he feels dizzy ive had to take him to the er before  he needs a procedure done but he is stubborn and wont take care of it and thinks the marines wont know about it if he just doesn't say anything but i would think they would figure that out at a medical exam? Would they let him join with a problem like that? I don't see how he could possibly make it through basic training hes tired all the time.

Also on top of that he is on probation for domestic violence  and violating probation from his ex gf. Would they be able to get him out of that? I am very concerned for his health more then anything and i dont want him going.  

Answer
Hi Leah,

Okay, first of all, he's not going to be able to join while he's on probation, unless it's a completely unconditional probation (ie, he doesn't have to remain in a state, and he doesn't have to report periodically to a probation officer).

The fact that he was convicted of domestic violence will most likely make him ineligible for enlistment in any of the services. This is because a federal law prohibits those convicted of domestic violence from owning, carrying, or possessing a firearm.

In short, his chances for enlisting in the Marine Corps are slim.

Hope this helps!

Rod Powers
http://usmilitary.about.com

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

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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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