The people at MEPS told him to expect a visit with a Navy Doc soon after arriving. Turns out it was four Navy Docs, that took 6 or 7 vials of blood. His condition was more severe than typical, calcium was leaching from major bones into his blood, causing loss of bone mass. He should have been off the medication months before he went.
You are correct, recruits can stay in the rehabilitation platoon as long as necessary. A kid with the same condition was there 13 months, with, no improvement in his blood work. That kid broke his shoulder in basic, due to the problem not being caught.
They told him every case was different, and he wouldn’t be going back to a platoon until he was ready. On the basis of that, he elected to give it a couple of months. He volunteered for shit detail every day, and cleaned parking lots all over San Diego county. Got several good sunburns (it was July). It was his call, and after being there for two months, he decided to come home. He felt like he was spinning his wheels. The Corps said no harm, no foul, we’ll take you back, no question, when your blood work returns to normal. He hasn’t decided if he wants to go back, and at the last check that wasn’t a possibility anyway.
We have several friends in software engineering, computer science, and computer engineering who are between jobs as I type. One, since last Thanksgiving. The boy looked around, and decided being an electrician seemed like a safe bet.
Take it for what it is. He has handled it well, in my opinion.
Best,
Ted
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See you at 2:30 AM.
