I can't join the Marine Corps

[Bret]

Well hey guys and gals. Im new to this forum and would like to start off saying hi to every one. Well my life dream has been crushed. My plans for my future was to be a Marine and I thought I might even make a life career out of it. But reality smacked me down on my face. The med doc. down in Louiville KY wouldn't pass me because I had a Caderac surgery on my eye. It really sucks for the Marine Corps because they lost a good soldier. I asked Gunny if this could change in a few years and he said it might, so i'll check back when im around 21 yrs old. For right now, im seeing if I can get in the Army(N.G.). The recruiter is going to see if I can serve my country or not. I really wished I could get in the Marines but if I can't, I just hope I can serve my country some how and explore the world more. (hopefully not anywhere around Iraq) but I wouldn't complain to much if I got sent their.
So untill then, take care of your selves and GOD bless our troops!:emark:

[dep_baumy]

Yeah my buddy had the exact same thing, It also excluded him. (from the guard) But keep faith and good luck man, hopefully we can serve together someday.

[radio relay]

Unfortunately Bret, every Marine is a Rifleman, which means you have to have healthy eyes to see the target. It is a shame that life played such a nasty trick on you.

Don't give up!

SF

[tophor]

Bret, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have already had cataract surgery you are not eligible to join the armed services. The reason being that the cataract can return and you cannot have surgery a second time to correct the problem if it returns, at least that's what I have been told. I was trying to get back in and that's what the recruiter told me, but check with the army guard recruiter just in case my intel was wrong. I don't want to lead you astray. Keep your head up!! SEMPER FI!!!

[LivinSoFree]

Bret, I know exactly how you're feeling at this moment. When I got dropped from NROTC before I even got started, it was a helluva blow. I must've spent god knows how many sleepless nights trying to figure out what I was gonna do with myself. I wrote appeals packages, talked to everyone who would listen, did everything I could to try and fight it. In the end, they won that battle, but they lost the war. I got lucky, I was cleared to enlist in the Corps, but that was after a long, uphilll battle that took over a year.

I know what it's like when everything you've planned out for your life suddenly disappears at the whim of a penstroke, and you're justifiably p***ed off pretty good at someone taking such liberties with what you wanted to do with yourself, especially at a time when the military needs everyone that they can get.

The best advice I can give you is this: despite what everyone else might tell you, being angry is not a bad thing. Find an alternate avenue, try the police force, the fire department, anything that would place you in a similar capacity and would allow you to still serve your country, and then channel your anger into becoming the best bloody one of whatever you end up becoming that anyone has ever seen. Eventually, you'll find yourself locked into a whole new state of mind, and after a while, you might even be happy with where you ended up. But never, ever, ever give up. There is always another way.
]
"Adapt and Overcome"- It's worked for OCS and just about every other military leadership course for decades. Apply it to your life. The uniform, the insignia, these things do not a man make. No one has to permit you to live your life to a higher standard, this is something that you do yourself. Eventually, the rest of things will catch up to you.

[Bret]

Well I want to say thanx for all you out their trying to keep me motivated. It really means a lot to me. For right know im just going to wait and see what the Army recruiter can do for me. If the armed services don't work out for me im just going to go into Heavy Eguipment, besides thats what I was going in to when I joined the Marines anyway. As far as my eyesight goes, I got 20/20 vision with my glasses on. My eye doc. here can't see why I couldn't join up and he also said I can even get laser surgery so I wouldn't haft to worry about glasses any more. So anyways it was a big low blow for me to hear that I couldn't join up in the Marine Corps. but i'll try back in a few years.

[yellowwing]

Keep in good physical shape. I was researching more stuff for my Native American Verterans site and came across a similar story. I can't remember excactly where but..."A group of us from the reservation went to the Marine Recruiter. I couldn't join up because they said I couldn't see too good. After Pearl Harbor they said I could see just fine!"

[hoytarcher45]

Does anyone know if the marines gives you free laser surgery once you join the corps? I know you are not eligible to join if you've already had the surgery. This would be one of the so many reasons to join the corps. Semper FI!

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

No, they do not "give" you the surgery. However, recheck if you can join or not. I am not up to date on all the rules, but I know some surgeries are accepted by groups like the SEALS, so the Marine Corps may now as well

[Sixguns]

Most all of the services use the same medical screening procedures and the Doctors at MEPS do the examinations for all the branches, so chances are that this will also prevent you from pursuing a career in another branch. I am sorry that this has come to pass. It is unfortunate that those who have such issues are kept out of the military and those who would qualify would never want in. Such is life in recruiting. When the Doctor disqualified you did he state you were permanently disqualified? Was a waiver recommended? These issues can help to determine your next move.

Sixguns

[arnoldyG/2/5]

Bret

Don't give up......12 years ago I was disqualified for NROTC scholarship for pins in my knees....it took almost three years but I kept going back to the recruiters office. Finally, a recruiter had heard of a guy that got a waiver for pins in his shoulder and the rest is history and spent the best four years of my life in the Corps.

[Bret]

Well like I said earler to u ppl. I really appreciate all the nice coments that you send my way. I'll keep you updated on the Army thing. So thanx again and take care of your selves out their.

[warriorspride]

My room mate was sent back home from the Air Force for medical reasons, and I can testify what a blow on his life plans that was. But he became one of the best volunteer firefighters that I know and now he has just finished getting his medic license. I think that being a member on the fire dept. has helped him a lot. He needed the structure and discipline and although he didn't find it in one place he did another.

Side note: The night of sept. 11 him and seven others traveled form mid-michigan to ground zero and voluntarily worked with rescue five on the hill. There is always another way to serve your country.

[Pel]

The Marines COULD pay for laser sugery... I did lots of looking around on it and even had a post on here about it... go try and find the post youll get more help there on the details

[hoytarcher45]

Thats what I thought...I remember my recruiter saying he was on a list to get free laser surgery from the Marines, then when he was put on recruiting duty the Marines decided he could just wear glasses for the time being.

IYAOYAS!