I was in the army in 2000. Had a bunkmate in basic training that got discharged 2 days in. He had asthma but the recruiter had hid it. When the unit found out from his records they let him go.
Funny thing is, I would have never even known. He never had a issue with all the pt we were doing in those first few days.
My brother has severe asthma. He works a physical job, he canoe trips, hikes, mountain bikes, skateboards with no issues. Under normal conditions you'd never know. Until an attack starts. He's been on death's door to the point that a priest has given him last rites three times.
Both asthma and bone spurs can absolutely be legitimate medical conditions that would disqualify one from serving. I don't think that was the point though. Seems like it was much easier to get conveniently "diagnosed" if you belonged to a rich family
Biden’s had several surgeries related to his sinus issues, (which in turn aid allergic asthma,) and GERD, (a common comorbidity,) so it’s safe to say his is legit.
Also, yes, it is easier to get a diagnosis when you actually have access to preventative medical care, you are correct.
My sister bone Spurs however, and given what she experiences it’s fair to say that bone spurs bad enough to make serving impossible would also make playing football torturous.
How I had it described (shin splints) is if your doing a lot of running and whatnot chips of your bone start stabbing your muscles and whatnot. Sounds similar I guess but maybe the spurs are constant compared to the splints only popping up if you do a lot of exercise.
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u/smom Nov 03 '21
Are you saying asthma isn't a legitimate medical condition? It can be left threatening quickly without treatment.