Should I tell my recruiter about my asthma?
You cannot join any branch of the military if you have been diagnosed, treated for, or been prescribed asthma medication after your 13th birthday. It is a permanent disqualifier with no waiver possible. You can try to lie, but when, not if, your lie is discovered if you have managed to make it to Active Duty you will be charged with Fraudulent Enlistment. Usually, that means you will get a General Discharge with loss of all benefits - but the punishment can be a Court Martial, two years in Federal prison, and a Dishonorable Discharge. To the military, asthma after the 13th birthday is asthma and it is an absolute and permanent disqualifier. If you are willing to lie, what else are you willing to do? Sorry, but you need to choose and pursue a rewarding civilian career. The military is not an option for you.
I lied about inhaler at MEPS..?
So my recruiter told me that if i have ever been issued an inhaler i would be automatically disqualified from joining the Marine Corps. I leave to boot camp in a week. I don't want to be charged with fraudulent enlistment later on. Should i not tell the people at MEPS about receiving and inhaler? or should I tell them, get yelled at and maybe be disqualified? I was issued the inhaler when i was 10, im 18 now. Is it possible to get a waiver? if so how long would that take?
Is it too late to tell the truth to my recruiter?
Asthma is a disqualifier for enlisting (ok I had to edit this, read the whole section below that I copy/pasted, you can have it to a certain degree I guess). So, the deal is this. The last poster said that MEPS does not ask for your records. I have been told on numerous occasions that they do. So, if you have been being seen at County medical hospital, and that is what you listed on your paperwork, the MEPS center is going to already have a copy of those records. If your doctor has been ordering you inhalers, it is in the pharmacy records. The military is going to ask WHY are you being issued something if you do not need it? Kind of like being issued Metformin, but now you are telling the MEPS doctors that you do not have Diabetes. It doesn't make sense. So, if this is all through your records you are screwed. The only thing I can suggest is that you need to have your doctor do a test on you, and totally clear you of it. Then your doctor thought you might have had childhood Asthma, so you were constantly issued an inhaler, but you were recently rechecked and you do not have it. Here is the statement from the website below, which lists all the medical DQ's. d. Asthma, including reactive airway disease, exercise induced bronchospasm or asthmatic bronchitis, reliably diagnosed at any age. Reliable diagnostic criteria should consist of any of the following elements: (1) Substantiated history of cough, wheeze, and/or dyspnea that persists or recurs over a prolonged period of time, generally more than 6 months. (2) If the diagnosis of asthma is in doubt, a test for reversible airflow obstruction (greater than a 15 percent increase in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEVI) following administration of an inhaled bronchodilator) or airway hyperactivity (exaggerated decrease in airflow induced by standard bronchoprovocation challenge such as methacholine inhalation or a demonstration of exercise-induced bronchospasm) must be performed. http://www.military.com/Recruiting/Content/0,13898,rec_step07_DQ_medical,,00.html
Sneak A Asthma Inhaler into the Army BT?
If you haven't had an attack or used an inhaler since you was 11 you can tell the truth to your recruiter so they can apply for a waiver. Then, if you end up having it come back while you're already in it's documented and you can be treated for it. Depending on the severity of it, you could either get a profile and continue serving or you will get an Honorable or General Discharge. On the other hand, lie and you will find yourself getting kicked out with an undesirable discharge. Trying to sneak an inhaler to basic isn't the best idea but at the same time if you're still using inhalers you're not going to get a waiver.
Do recruiters keep a record of your initial application in the military?
Have you ever heard of the "computer", "internet", etc? All recruitment documents end up being filed electronically. That is why if you get denied by one branch, and try to enlist in another they automatically know you have been flagged. What one recruiter puts in the system... all can see. Lying to get in isn't the best practice. And no one uses an inhaler without a reason, since they are prescribed.
Should i lie about my minor inhaler use as a child at MEPS?
These guys dont know what they are talking about. I am a recruiter for the army national guard and i can tell you with experience that they do not check your medical records. It will cost way too much money to check each and every recruits medical background. I got three recruits that had were diagnosed with asthma in this month alone in fact i had asthma when i was younger and didnt stop using a inhaler until i was 13. the only way i will tell you to disclose this information is if your asthma will hender your training, because in BCT there is a lot of running. And also if your job requires a top secret security clearance then a special investigator might check you medical i am not sure though. The MOS that i know for sure require a TS security clearance is military police and army intelligence. I am sure that there is more but i cant think of them off hand. anyways go to MEPS and tell them only what you have to, it is ther job to DQ you especially since the military is so packed now. Good luck!!! Go Army HOOAH!!!!!