Navy SEAL medical question

[dawgsfan10]

Hi, i'm Charley and i'm new here so sorry if this is in the wrong posting area.
My question requires a little back ground so bear with me. When I was about 18 months old I had a mild febrlie seizure. For those of you who don't know, a febrlie seizure is only caused because of an extremely high fever it has nothing to do with kind of head injury, it is not a medical condition. A few hours later I had a second one and my parents took me to the hospital which discovered the high fever was caused by sinus infection. About a year later I had a third one and they then took me to a neurologist who told them that it would be extremely unlikely I would have another one and if I made it to age 6 I would NEVER have another one (it is medically impossible). I am now 16 (you're probaly thinking just another naive 16 year old who wants to be a SEAL but that dreams gotta come sometime) anyway I have never had another one since then. It is IMPOSSIBLE for me to have another febrile seizure and I have never had any kind of head or neck injury that could cause a seizure or develop a condition that causes them because i've "grown out" of it is the phrase used. I have also always been a very healthy person. So my queston is of course could the fact that I had a febrile seizure effect if the Navy would allow me to become a SEAL. If yes does it require a waiver. If no should I just lie on the medical evauation at the MEPS and hope they don't find out (my brother is in the army and he said they don't check your medical records, they just have you fill come form out and thats it). Aslo if yes should I inform my recruiter (I haven't talked to one quite yet) about this, as I understand a lot of recruiters have a habit of telling you what you want to hear and then you don't get it. So basically my fear would be if I went into the Navy thinking everything would be ok and then when i'm at boot camp and i'm locked into a certain amount of years the Navy then says I can't be a SEAL and I have to do something else because of this. PLEASE HELP this is very important to me. Sorry for the long rant and thanks in advance for your answers.

[wackychick]

Well those are very specific health issues, and only a recruiter can tell you for sure what the answer would be. But you are right - sometimes talking to the wrong recruiter will get no solid answers, or might finish you off before you even get started. We know that the mere mention of some issues (that will also go away with agw, such as some types of asthma problems) that is the end.

We also know of individuals who have made the decision to just not say anything about any asthma that they had when they were kids (or whatever) and it has turned out fine for them and they have enjoyed a long and happy career in the military. It is a hard thing. You need to find some recruiter you can TRUST who won't fill you full of bull, and will tell you the real deal without crucifying you for what you have no control over.

We have heard of every story in the book all the way from guys/gals sliding by quietly keeping their former ailments quiet, to kids going all the way to the surgeon general for a waiver for something that hasn't effected them since they were 2 years and still can't get into the service. It sounds like a gamble, but you need to find an honest recruiter you can trust... Keep us posted and good luck - if being a SEAL is your dream, go for it!

[dawgsfan10]

Thanks for the response. My neighbor's son is a former Navy SEAL, do you think he would know this infomation and if not could he get it? Also, do you know if the medical requirements are the same in each service because i'm friendly with my brother's old army recruiter and I know he would not lie to me. I also found out that about 1 out of every 25 infants get febrile seizures when their under the age of three so over the course of the SEAL's history there must have been SEALs who had that same problem.

[wackychick]

from what we understand, the requirements across the different branches of the military are very very similar but not exactly the same. The people you mention who are you are friendly with or who you are fairly close to would be an excellent place to start. You should talk to all the people you can - you will probably find that there are just as many opinions, or "advice" about the issue as there are people you ask... You will ultimately have to make the decision yourself, but it does help to sound out everyone possible. good luck!

[armywife1314]

most all branches requirements are the same except since your wanting to be a SEAL its not the same they're a lot more strict. my best advice is to talk with the army recruiter and he may be able to speak with a navy recruiter that is trustworthy and also you should try calling different navy recruiters and ask questions. just know that being a SEAL requires a lot more than people think.