Times like this when it hurts the most...my ds said...

For the whole situation. For your son thinking about it and dwelling on what D might limit for him. For us parents who read this or hear our own children crying and want to scream at the injustice. For the comments and debate on here because this is what D has done to us. Just

 

When I heard diabetics can't be in the military or pilots I almost felt relieved that I would never have to send my son off to war( even though it feels like a battleground here most of the time) but at the same time you want your children to be anything in the world they want! I am sorry your son feels bad about that. My heart really breaks for him and for you.

 

I don't mean to add into this thread hi-jacking but felt the need to add my knowledge. I know I don't contribute all that much and really haven't as of lately. Well there is a good reason for that. I'm not in the states. I am in the military.

The reasoning Type 1's cannot enlist is becuase a soldiers job is mission first period. Yes another big reason is the storing of insulin in the hot desert climate. Treating highs and lows in combat. And many of the same answers already posted.

Here is two examples not dealing with something as serious as Type 1 but maybe something to give ya'll an idea. I am allergic to bees. before I could deploy this time I had to go thru a series of tests to see how allergic I am. the reason, if i was highly immediate life threating allergic I would not deploy until i had gone thru the anti-vemon process. If i were that allergic to bees and out on a combat patrol and got stung, I would be putting MY life at risk as well as ALL the other soldiers that were on that mission at risk too. Why is that, now they are no longer focused on what we are out there to do but now focused on me and getting me somewhere for treatment. (i.e not watching for IEDs ect) Now I've put all those other soldiers in even more danger then before. (thankfully I'm not that allergic to bees)

Example 2. I am also allergic to alot of antibiotics. When I was here the first time we had limited medical access (we had docs and the basics) guess what for the first 4 months all they had were the meds i was allergic to. Can you imagine sending your child into this situation and there is a large possibility that there was no insulin avaiable?

If you wish to ask more questions or discuss this further with me, please PM me.

 

I don't think that anyone is specifically debating why the Army doesn't allow diabetics to enlist, but they do let them stay if they are diagnosed while they are in, so obviously they find a way to accomodate it - I don't know if its through a change of MOS or what.

My issue with the initial statement was that the mother said she told her child she didn't want him to have that dream because she would be scared. I don't think we should ever tell our kids that and convey our feelings onto them.

 

Since being openly gay disqualifies one for service, I don't particularly expect the military to use logic when making the determination as to whether type 1 diabetes is incompatable with service. I do understand why type 1s would not be deployed, but as others have pointed out, there are many, many military jobs where you would never be in a combat role or otherwise outside of the U.S.

 

Hang on, seriously?

Wow.

 

Yes - Don't Ask, Don't Tell. If you acknowledge you are Gay, you will be discharged

 

There's good reason for the logic of keeping people with diabetes out of the military.

In war conditions, there is no guarantee that a consistent supply of insulin or medical supplies would be available for those troops who needed it.

Frankly, it is not the military's job to have to go out of their way to take care of particular people who already have unique medical needs, in comparison to the rest of the enlistees. It is not efficient for them, and it would be a difficult accommodation to deal with, especially for the conditions that many troops are subjected to during deployment in wars, such as on missions.

They do not have the time to hunt down certain individuals that have specific medical needs, whether or not the illness is considered limiting, life-threatening, or problemsome.