Joining Navy Seals

[APOCALYPSE]

Hi all,
I am 14 and am very interested in becoming a navy seal, I have wanted to be one since i could talk but I was diagnosed with asthma when I was younger and occassionally show symptons of it. My question is would the Navy deny me the ability to try out for seals because of this problem which with one pill a day is well regulated and does not show symptoms or problems?

[ZeroG_1]

Ok. If i wanted to be a Navy Seal, but i have never been in the navy or any other branch of military, Do i go straight to the seal recruiters office to join or do go through the navy first? I know that you have to do some kind of paint chipping job before you get into BUD/S.

-Thanks, ZeroG

[lonefrog]

ZeroG I'm no expert on SEALs by any means but I'm almost positive that you have to be in the Navy or some armed service first then you can go out for SEALs. Dont hold me to any of this though this is only what I've heard and if I'm wrong please correct me. thanks LoneFrog. (MatthewG19@aol.com)

[DemoPup]

Apocalypse, The NAVSPEC is VERY strict,( if your a SEAL wannabe/gonnabe like myself you would have read of the strict eye requirements) but i dont' think you would be admitted into BUD/s because of the medication aspect, it is possible to get over asthma naturally though, its been done...check with the SEAL recruiters in San Diego though they can answer the question better..... Zero G.. I have heard of setting up your service to where once you get out of Navy boot camp you can go straight to BUD/s, but you do have to pass Navy boot camp first to be a SEAL, but Navy Boot camp is the easiest thing to pass other then the freggin coast guard.

[SolidStrike]

Another thing...my friend who wants to be a SEAL has depresssion, but was afraid to ask, so Im asking for him. Would having depression screw you up...as in not being let into BUD/S?

Thanks

[trident86]

Being depressed, and being too afraid to ask a question are two negative signs for motivation to go to BUD/S. Not impossible to overcome, but you need to be focused on completing training, not licking your own wounds. On the other hand, maybe BUD/S or some similar training is just the right medicine for this guy. He will definitely not have time to feel sorry for himself in training.

[ZeroG_1]

I am assuming that if i get into the navy and i didnt want to be a navy seal and i was a machinist or gunner for a couple of years, and somewhere along the line i decided to do something different and join the seals, will the opportunity be there for me?. I mean, you dont half to tell the recruiter that your goal was to become a seal right?

[pid10771]

zerog take from someone who has been there if you want to go to BUD/S GET IT IN YOUR ENLISTMENT CONTRACT. Don't listen to what the recruiter says. If you go to the regular Navy i could be as long as 4 yrs before you'll get a chance to go to BUD/S. most commands REQUIRE you do a minimum of 2yrs before they let you go(and thats if they like you). But more than likley they will make you finish a sea tour before letting you go. So if you want BUD/S get in your contract!

[SolidStrike]

Trident86, he's been on medication and his depression isnt noticable at all. He never really mopes around and he is mostly one of the more energetic kids I know. Most of his problems were family related and they dont bother him in school or with his friends. I was just wondering if having it would keep you out of it, maybe from a doctor's say-so or whatnot

[RGV4]

Assuming the Navy's standards are like the Army's if you tell them that you have taken medication for asthma or depression, you've screwed the SPECWAR pooch. Don't count on waivers for anything like that. Technically, they're not even supposed to take asthmatics for military service at all. Of course, you could conceal the depression and the asthma from the MEPS folks, but what about when you get up to Great Lakes and keel over on a run?

[ZeroG_1]

The problem is that im not a US citizen yet. Im not sure if the navy recruits immigrants or not, ive looked all over the naval web site and it does not indicate wether they allow people from other countries from joining the US navy. But i know for a fact that you must be a US citizen to even apply for BUD/S.
So, im also curious if a Canuckle head like myself is allowed to Join the US Navy, how long do i stay in military service before i get citizenship, i know that its 5 years in civilian, but for military is it the same?

[RKW]

Hey, I had an alergenic problem when I was little and Ive had an inhaler ever since. But, I dont use the inhaler and dont show signs. Can this take me out of the SpecWar field?

[LRSC Grunt]

RKW, APOCALYPSE, & Solidstrike,

From personal experience. Let me tell you this, at MEPS your medical history is based on what you tell them and what they find from examining you. If you dont tell them that you were asthamatic or manic depression, ect.. at one point even if they ask, then its on your records that you never had it at all. However, if your cought lying you will be charged with fraudulent enlistment and discharged or at the most extreme face a heafty fine and imprisonment. In my 3 years of active service ive only seen one guy get charged with it, only because he was having problems with his knee and admitted to lying about the scar on his knee during his MEPS physical when he was on sick call. He was only discharged. If its not bothering you now and you think it wont bother you in the future then I would forget It even happened. To the best of my knowledge they dont have the resources or are even allowed by law to track down every medical record on a person from every civilian doctor they visited in their lifetime. Not to mention if they did they would have to do this to every person who wanted to enter the service(just imagine the numbers).

ZeroG_1,

One of my old roomates at Ft. Campbell was a Canadian citizen. He had a strong french accent and had a college degree. He joined the US Army for the sole porpose of getting into the US Army Special Forces. According to him it takes three years of active duty service or service in combat to get a US
citizenship while in the US military.

[SILENTOP]

APOCALYPSE,
I had asthma till I was 15. I couldn't play sports and always had to have my inhaler with me. When I heard about the SEAL's I knew I was going to have get over it to join. So I just ran every other day until I got over it. I must admitt it was hardest thing at the time cause it hurt so bad, but I just told myself that I would either get over it or die. I guess my body wanted to live cause I got rid of the asthma. Now I'm a triathlete and just finished my first Half-Ironman(Ironman next year). My PR for the 4mile in boots and pants is 23:50, so you see anything is possible if you want it bad enough. I'm also a avid suba diver and equalize every easily. Some people have told me that people who have had asthma have a hard time with cold water. However, I had a triathlon about 2 weeks ago and the water was 62 degrees(since I'm new to the sport I hadn't got a wetsuit yet). The water took my breath away when I first jumped in but that happened even to the guys in wetsuits. I ended up coming out of the water 5th, and finishing 3rd.
I will tell you this that there is no way in hell I'm telling anyone I had asthma. I beat it and it no longer exists. Good luck to you and your quest to become a Navy SEAL.

SILENTOP

"Bring me a good loser, and I'll show you a loser."
-The kind of person I want on my team

[JK]

I knew that taking anti-depressants (obviously) disqualified you for Army service, but I didnt know that also counted for past use. I talked to an Army recruiter on the east coast earlier this year, he filled out a card, I mentioned I'd taken antidepressants for a while a few years back. I didn't end up seeing him again, he never followed up. Here on the west coast I saw another recruiter, he filled out a card, didn't ask me any medical questions, I saw him again a few times and took the ASVAB. Got another call last month and he said he'd prefer to drop me from his file to save paperwork if I wasn't going to enlist in the next month or so. He said he'd fill out another card when I decided to enlist. So...do you suppose the information from that first card was entered into a database? Would I be taking a huge risk if I just didn't say anything about the depression meds at the MEPS if I decide to enlist? Or could I still possibly get a Ranger contract if a few years ago I was on antidepressants for a condition milder than full-blown clinical depression, something that definitely wouldn't have required hospitalization or even extensive therapy? I haven't taken the pills in a few years and I've been just fine. I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks.

[ZeroG_1]

So i means im going to have to go into regular navy for a couple of years before i can sign up for BUD/S. Does my normal Navy job have to be one from the BUD/S A school list?

[SolidStrike]

DeepSand, you need to learn to shut your mouth when the time is right. How can you just smash these "facts" into people with Asthma/other medical condition's faces? I bet this has been most people's on this boards dream. And you just come up and go, "Move on with your life, you dont have a chance." Think about others, man

[Sweetbriar]

I try to leave you guys alone, but the kid treated for depression has gotten a rough deal unnecessarily. Adolescent depression isn't usually the same as adult, and is often treated thru drug therapy as a cheap and easy option over counseling. It probably isn't a long term problem, and the best thing for it is to act like it isn't and work on his running times! Honest!

[Nissan]

Now Deepsand you know as well as I do what MEPS don't know won't hurt em. I've seen so many guys with asthma go through MEPS and come out on teh other side its rediculous. You'd be surprised how easy it is to get by and I've seen many people with asthma SCUBA dive I had one in my SCUBA class he had a few extra procedures to learn and it wasn't reccomended he do it but he did it and is now certified in OW Advanced Deep, Wreck, Dry Suit, Nitrox and a few other little odds and N's..this was after qualifying in July. Now this stuff about anti depressants, I have no clue what so ever so I'm gonna stay quiet on that and say this if they can do the job let them do the job but don't modify anything so they can..just keep going

ZeroG This is for you...You must be in teh navy to be a SEAL no matter what you can inter service transfer or goto teh fleet but ask for the SEAL Challenge in your contract if your serious if your not don't waste the spot. You DON'T have to chip paint on the USS Neversail to become a SEAL.

RKW the best advice for that inhaler thing is...What inhaler??

And on a final note SolidStrike thank you for saying that last bit I wouldn't have put such clean words there. And besides Don't quit and you can achieve anything...even if ya have asthma or anything else...don't give up and you'll succeed no matter who stands in your way.

[LRSC Grunt]

deepsand(eric),

Are you saying that there has NEVER been a person that completed BUDS or RIP/Pre-Ranger/Ranger School, US army SCUBA school, or even MFF, ect... and successfully completed their tours KNOWING that they had a chronic ailment and lied about it? Some of the hardest and most successful soldiers I know are the ones who overcame personal obsticles. The ones who NEVER use it as an excuse for failure. Did you know that General Patton was Dislexic? Or did you know that Einstein was Attention Deficite? If you were to ask them about it they would tell its all in your head. I agree that if someone had asthma so severe that it was crippling, or if some one had Depression so severe that he was suicidal, some one that allowed it to take over their life, or someone with something really serious that does hinder themselfs, then they should not be allowed to enlist. But if its something that isnt bothering the person, or misdiagnosed at one time then they have all their right to enlist, even if it was in Spec Ops profession. And no they cant find out about your previous medical history. According to a family friend, of which was a shrink in the air force and is currently running her own practice, said that by law they can not track down civilian medical records unless it was involved in their criminal history record or if the person was committed by a judge to a mental institution. They cant, it infringes upon the patients rights for doctors and insurance agencies to give that information out. Welcome to America http://www.specialoperations.com/ubboard/smile.gif

And Also... The military does not test for steroids in their "routine drug tests". However they do submit a special drug test specifically for steroids only if the person is suspected of using it. Also..The medication for asthema that is refferred to as a "steroid" is not an anabolic/androgenic steroid nor is it even closely related. Did you know that cholesterol is a steroid/hormone too?

On another note:Manic Depression

Just because the kid is diagnosed with depression because they have an over reactive parent due to being a normal teanager doesnt mean they have a serious problem. Most shrinks diagnose it because they tell the parents what they want to hear, which in turn brings more visits, which in turn brings in more money. Even if it was a problem, isnt that what basic training, BUDS, Ranger School..ect is there for? To break them down to nothing, then build them back up into a self confident, proud, and mentally stronger person? I say this because I was diagnosed with depression when I was younger and I can tell you this. I have a chest full of awards, coins, and a stack of good counseling statements to say otherwise. Am I manically depressed? I think not.


Zero G,

Like I posted above. Your gonna have to serve three years or see combat to get your US citizenship. Im pretty sure that you are correct about needing to have your citizenship before you are even considered for BUDS, my ex roomate has to get his citizenship before he is even capable of submitting his packet for SFAS(its a security clearance thing). If I was you I would contact the Navy recruters via 1-800-USA-NAVY.


[This message has been edited by LRSC Grunt (edited 11-14-1999).]

[SILENTOP]

Right on LRSC Grunt! Do you think SEALs want a real good athlete that has never been challenged in anything physical? Those are the people that when they finally run into something hard they quit cause there not use to challenge. APOC you will always run into people like DEEPSAND that like nothing better to crush peoples dreams. People like this are the people that keep you motivated. Prove them wrong! When I was younger I ran into people like this all the time. Now I love to see their eyes pop out of there head when they see my training schedule!


[This message has been edited by SILENTOP (edited 11-14-1999).]

[ZeroG_1]

LOL. Im not even an immigrant yet. I plan to move over to the US very soon though. But the prospects of me getting a green card anytime soon appears very grim for me. Ive done some researching and from what i see, it may take 10-30 years to get immigrant status. Correct me if im wrong.
-hopeful dreamer.

[JK]

Well, I'm not taking pills and haven't been for a while, so there's no need for me to smuggle them into the barracks.

But I'm still hoping someone can tell me: would the info from card the east coast recruiter filled out have been entered into some database if I never followed up on that visit and never went to the MEPS? I'd prefer to be honest about it. After all, practitioners these days are handing out Prozac for dozens of conditions. Even premature ejaculation, but I don't suppose that's kept anyone out of the service.

Finally, can anyone repost that web address for army medical requirements?



[This message has been edited by JK (edited 11-14-1999).]