chickenrappa
Member
Good afternoon gents, I am making this thread mostly because I don't know what else to do, and I am looking for some advice from some of you who may be wiser than myself. For those of you who may not know me, I am a 20 year old male from the Chicagoland area. When I was 14 years old, I went out on Halloween on some dumb shit, when it was below freezing in shorts and a t-shirt. I got pneumonia and was hospitalized.
While I was hospitalized that year in early November, they found that I had a congenital anomalous right coronary artery through all the x-rays and other shit they were doing for my pneumonia. I had surgery to correct my birth defect that next June, which would put the timeline at June 2014. In about October once again, I had pneumonia again, but it was because of the fluid build-up post-op, at least that's what I was told by my doctor. I had always had a desire to serve, but never really knew just how lucky I was until I was an adult. I got a second chance to live life, I went to college at about 265, and left college at about 320lbs after one year. I was pissing it away. I came home for the summer and was working a security job and I decided one day to walk into a recruiters office.
At the time it was the Army Recruiter in my town, and I stated that I had an interest in pursuing a career in the Army, and was looking at SOF options. I am super honest about my medical history with them, because all my records are intertwined during that time period. I have since not stopped working to achieve my goal, which first was to work on my weight and be tape-able, and I am now below regulation weight for my height. Which is about a 120lb drop in about a year. I was thinking everything was going to plan, my recruiters had to get me a waiver after going to MEPS for the second time, due to having two pneumonias within an 18 month period, which led to me being awarded a P3P classification. I was told that it was a USAREC waiver, and after being told that it was going good the week prior in May of this year. I was ready to go. I went in the next week to check on the status and found that it had been denied. My station commander had offered to provide me with civilian job references, be a character reference for me and how hard I have worked, and even offered to take me upstairs and see if another service could help me. I was pretty devastated.
My Army recruiter walked me upstairs as I had said that I would like to pursue a career in the Marine Corps if I was unable to do so in the Army. I began working with the Marines in early June, and I felt like I belonged. I had not been promised anything due to the Army denying my waiver. I was not deterred, I was able to write out an activity statement, explain my situation and have a HQMC waiver sent up. It was also denied and I was told that I could try another service because there was no way that I would be able to get in with a denied HQMC waiver. I was not deterred and went to every other recruiter. I tried the Air Force and National Guard, neither of them were able to do anything about it. They just decided that I wouldn't be allowed in and didn't want to even try.
I am maintaining my level of fitness and still continue to press on. It has been 7 years since my heart surgery and 5 since my last pneumonia. I have never had any issues with either of them. I don't really know what else to do, I was told by my Marine Corps recruiter that the only thing that could change their mind is time. I don't know if there is some sort of appellate process, but at this point I would literally do anything. I am about to get my associates degree from my local community college, I have a competitive ASVAB score, and have competitive PFT scores. Just for reference once again, my document file is somewhere in the 200 page range. I went to my previous heart doctor (Pediatric), my surgeon, a new adult cardiologist, and my primary care provider. All of them cleared me physically fit and when I did a Stress Echocardiogram I was able to run for 20 minutes with no issues, and was asked to stop by the provider because there was nothing wrong with me. I was declared above average for my age group with no issues. I did similar tests to prove that I had no issues with my heart, stress tests, EKGs, CT scans, x-rays, the whole 9 yards.
I just wanted to serve, so I was willing to do anything to make that dream a reality. I have never had any issues post-surgery with my heart, and haven't had any sort of lung issues for at least 5 years. Am I completely sunk and is my dream of being able to serve completely done, or can something be done?
I have been told no for a while, and I continue to have my desire to serve my country, at this point I am willing to try almost anything.
While I was hospitalized that year in early November, they found that I had a congenital anomalous right coronary artery through all the x-rays and other shit they were doing for my pneumonia. I had surgery to correct my birth defect that next June, which would put the timeline at June 2014. In about October once again, I had pneumonia again, but it was because of the fluid build-up post-op, at least that's what I was told by my doctor. I had always had a desire to serve, but never really knew just how lucky I was until I was an adult. I got a second chance to live life, I went to college at about 265, and left college at about 320lbs after one year. I was pissing it away. I came home for the summer and was working a security job and I decided one day to walk into a recruiters office.
At the time it was the Army Recruiter in my town, and I stated that I had an interest in pursuing a career in the Army, and was looking at SOF options. I am super honest about my medical history with them, because all my records are intertwined during that time period. I have since not stopped working to achieve my goal, which first was to work on my weight and be tape-able, and I am now below regulation weight for my height. Which is about a 120lb drop in about a year. I was thinking everything was going to plan, my recruiters had to get me a waiver after going to MEPS for the second time, due to having two pneumonias within an 18 month period, which led to me being awarded a P3P classification. I was told that it was a USAREC waiver, and after being told that it was going good the week prior in May of this year. I was ready to go. I went in the next week to check on the status and found that it had been denied. My station commander had offered to provide me with civilian job references, be a character reference for me and how hard I have worked, and even offered to take me upstairs and see if another service could help me. I was pretty devastated.
My Army recruiter walked me upstairs as I had said that I would like to pursue a career in the Marine Corps if I was unable to do so in the Army. I began working with the Marines in early June, and I felt like I belonged. I had not been promised anything due to the Army denying my waiver. I was not deterred, I was able to write out an activity statement, explain my situation and have a HQMC waiver sent up. It was also denied and I was told that I could try another service because there was no way that I would be able to get in with a denied HQMC waiver. I was not deterred and went to every other recruiter. I tried the Air Force and National Guard, neither of them were able to do anything about it. They just decided that I wouldn't be allowed in and didn't want to even try.
I am maintaining my level of fitness and still continue to press on. It has been 7 years since my heart surgery and 5 since my last pneumonia. I have never had any issues with either of them. I don't really know what else to do, I was told by my Marine Corps recruiter that the only thing that could change their mind is time. I don't know if there is some sort of appellate process, but at this point I would literally do anything. I am about to get my associates degree from my local community college, I have a competitive ASVAB score, and have competitive PFT scores. Just for reference once again, my document file is somewhere in the 200 page range. I went to my previous heart doctor (Pediatric), my surgeon, a new adult cardiologist, and my primary care provider. All of them cleared me physically fit and when I did a Stress Echocardiogram I was able to run for 20 minutes with no issues, and was asked to stop by the provider because there was nothing wrong with me. I was declared above average for my age group with no issues. I did similar tests to prove that I had no issues with my heart, stress tests, EKGs, CT scans, x-rays, the whole 9 yards.
I just wanted to serve, so I was willing to do anything to make that dream a reality. I have never had any issues post-surgery with my heart, and haven't had any sort of lung issues for at least 5 years. Am I completely sunk and is my dream of being able to serve completely done, or can something be done?
I have been told no for a while, and I continue to have my desire to serve my country, at this point I am willing to try almost anything.
Last edited by a moderator: