On 1/17/2014 10:14 AM, F.O.A.D. wrote:

On 1/17/14, 10:02 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote:


I know of one person who entered the Navy as a drug addict. She managed
to pass all the pre-screening and physical exams but shortly after or
during boot camp her addiction became known to Navy personnel and docs.
Because she was now "government property" she was put in a "hold"
status after only being in the Navy for less than two months. The Navy
then put her through a de-tox and rehab program and then medically
discharged her under honorable conditions. She remains entitled to VA
medical care, federal housing assistance programs and other "bennies"
even though she served a total of 6 months, most of which was spent in a
rehab program.

You are paying for that in your taxes.




I never experienced the "delights" of a pre-induction physical, but a
few of my contemporaries told me about their experiences in the mid to
late 1960s. They weren't as exciting as Arlo Guthrie's saga in "Alice's
Restaurant," but I do recall them telling me the pre-induction screening
was minimalist in nature.


The physical that I took back in 1968 is a far cry from what is done
today. In our era, they would take virtually anyone who inhaled air and
passed gas.

The military services are far more selective today both in terms of who
they take and who are eligible to remain in and make it a career.