Expert: Cynthia Bedell - 7/4/2007

Question
hi im chris im 18 have one more year left of high school and im interested in joing the marines or the army but i have very flat feet and this is what i want to do in my future and i was wondering if there would be anyway to bypass that rule and if i got medically released to do it or signed a contract saying that i assume all injuries and that if i hurt my \ feet or whatever would happen if i couldnt sue the army or marines if you could find out about both of them i would really appreciate it

Answer
Dear Chris --

Depending on how your feet limit your ability to walk or run, you might be able to enlist with a waiver for flat feet.

If you are a good athlete, and do not tend to have stress fractures of your feet or your shins, then you are a good candidate despite your flat feet.

You could visit your local Army or Marine recruiting office to begin discussing your potential future.  You can arrange for an enlistment contract with a deferred entry into service for when you finally graduate.  This allows you a lot of time to wait until the career options you like become available.  Then you sign your contract and lock in the opportunities you like.  That will also give you a year to get your physical and take your fitness test, and apply for the waiver for your feet.  There will be less pressure on you, if you give yourself plenty of time to work through the enlistment process.

A word of caution: read your enlistment contract thoroughly prior to signing.  Recruiters have been known to leave out items and clauses they promised, and to put in riders they never discussed with you.  Don't allow yourself to be mislead.  As a precaution, have someone you trust read your contract too, and discuss it with them, before you sign.

Good luck to you.