Could I gain admission into the USNA if I have asthma?

[ThomasMurray582001]

I know these questions and posts are very common but I wanted to describe my own asthma situation. Also if possible could someone link me to the latest standards for having asthma and being admitted into the Naval Academy. Alright, to start off I believe that you can gain admission into the college or the USMC which I hope to commission into if you have used an inhaler after age 13. The last time I was required to use an inhaler, or was prescribed an inhaler was when I had pneumonia, which in my opinion I'm pretty sure isn't asthma related and it was recurrent , it was a one time thing and it never occurred again. Before that the only time I ever had issues with my lungs was when I was near cats which I'm allergic to, but besides those two things I never really had to use my inhaler besides those two occasions. I was around 12 or younger when that happened anyway, it was like almost 3 years ago, and like I previously stated I don't think a temporary infection of the lungs counts as asthma. I personally think if I did have asthma it would be Allergy/Cat Dander induced asthma, I don't think cats walk around in places like the desert of Afghanistan especially, dogs yes but I'm not allergic to them. The only thing I'm worried about is my guardian was filling out paper work and put I had asthma, obviously I technically do but that's not the scary part, the scary part is I got a notice/paperwork asking whether or not I need an inhaler during school, I never in my school career have had to use an inhaler in school or ever had one reserved in the nurses office or something. If they hold an inhaler for me and it's in the system I have an inhaler reserved for me then I am done, I'm probably going to tell my guardian I don't need one. But still do you think I would be able to join with this history or using my inhaler?

Thanks

 

[FalconsRock]

There are many threads that talk about asthma and allergies that you can find on the DoDMERB forum. Take some time and do a search and you will find answers to your questions. In my experience, asthma is a diagnosis made either by your primary physician which is usually followed by visits to an allergist or pulmonologist that perform pulmonary function tests to confirm the diagnosis (usually after several situations where you might have had breathing issues). Using an inhaler once for a bout of pneumonia after the age of 13 is not the same as using an inhaler for a known diagnosis of asthma. Being diagnosed with asthma and using an inhaler for said diagnosis after the age of 13 is listed as a DQ in DodMERB. But no one here is going to say that you will be DQd or not. This is something that you should discuss with your doctor and if you do have asthma, it is not the end of the world. First and foremost, you should take care of your health. Talk to your guardian about your concerns and get to the bottom of the situation. Good luck in your search.

 

[F15DOC]

Asthma is a DoDMERB DQ but there are plenty of members of the services with asthma.
The most I have seen are in the US ARMY, but if you have true asthma, the US Air Force is out, waivers for asthma are rare, rare, rare.
Not sure about the US Navy...