My story with West Point and the Army (A long read but an important issue)

JJ11

USMA 2026
Joined
Feb 27, 2021
Messages
5
While my experience with West Point has largely disillusioned me with the military and the Army, I am not writing this to be vindictive. Rather, my intent of sharing this story is to caution the ambitious SA applicants on this forum and highlight serious issues with the state of the military in the hopes future officers, veterans, and public servants help me fix this broken system.

I am an ex-member of the West Point Class of 2026. I was separated as a result of a medical evaluation board (MEB) for a condition I developed at the start of my Yuk year. Here is my story:

I have no military family background and was inspired to pursue a service academy after attending a camp during middle school. During these early years, I spent countless hours volunteering and becoming a leader in the community. After eight years of dedication, I received and accepted my appointment to the United States Military Academy. During my time at West Point, I was in the top 3% of my class with a near 4.0 CQPA. I was a member of a variety of clubs including the USMA Sandhurst Black & Gold team, and spent upwards of 300 hours tutoring my peers.

During late-fall of my Yuk (Sophomore) year, I began to get sick with what would eventually be a diagnosis of severe ulcerative colitis, a chronic, incurable inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). At first the symptoms were minor, and I attempted to treat myself before pursuing medical attention. After a few weeks, the condition worsened and I went to the cadet clinic to get medication and treatment. At the time, the cadet clinic was under renovation so all informal medical appointments were moved to a small room underneath the stairs in an academic building. Other than curtains to conceal two examination beds, it was an extremely public area with no privacy. Furthermore, the nurse who checked me in was dismissive and made a humiliating comment after I told him I had been having symptoms for a few weeks. IBD is independently embarrassing, but made exponentially worse in an environment where illness is ridiculed. The embarrassment did not stop here. I told the doctor my symptoms and knew I needed a corticosteroid, but they refused to prescribe it and instead had me do a variety of tests over weeks to confirm what I had previously told them. I trusted their judgment as medical professionals and went to pick up the tests. They needed me to take stool samples, which was fine except for the fact I was living in the barracks with hundreds of my peers and subordinates. This may seem like a small detail, but it is immensely difficult to be a confident leader when doing these tests in a public area and I wanted to highlight it.

While waiting for the results, my symptoms continued to worsen. I felt weak, fatigued, and struggled to get through the days. At the time, I was balancing 22.5 credit hours with Sandhurst practice, and felt like I was falling apart. When the tests came back in late October, I learned I was severely anemic due to internal blood loss and needed to schedule an endoscopy as soon as possible. When I went to schedule this procedure, I couldn’t get an appointment until three months later in late January! Naively, I trusted the system and didn’t think I had any other options. I dropped one of my classes and would later quit the Sandhurst team in an attempt to reduce my stress.

Shortly after Thanksgiving, I got significantly worse to the point I couldn't eat anything due to such visceral pain. I vividly remember keeling over the counter in Chemistry class while my partner did the entire lab because I couldn’t even think. My instructor would later tell me that medical appointments were not an acceptable reason to miss class - this sums up the military better than anything. They preach “care for your people” until it breaks some nominal regulation. I went to the Emergency Room because it was impossible to get basic medical attention anywhere else. They did a CT scan to confirm everything I was telling them, diagnosed me with colitis, but still refused to give me the steroid. They gave me antibiotics and told me to wait until January. As I was getting discharged, the nurse literally told me I needed to pray more so my condition would go away on its own. At this point I lost all faith in the West Point medical system, but did not think I had any other options.

After enduring December and January with severe symptoms, I had lost significant weight (170 - 145) and was largely discouraged with life. After the endoscopy, I finally got my diagnosis. I was in the hospital for almost three days but they still wouldn’t give me any medication! It took a week of fighting to finally get in touch with a doctor at Walter Reed who prescribed me the steroid I asked for in the first place - over a phone call! I started a case with the patient advocate to investigate the process but they didn’t do anything substantial. A few weeks later I started a biologic medication and was referred to the Med Board process where I was recently retired. While this medication is effective in reducing my symptoms, there was absolutely no reason for the condition to get as bad as it was.

This experience taught me there are significant problems with the military and how it treats its people. While my condition is bad, my thoughts are centered around the lower enlisted, veterans, and similarly vulnerable populations who are overlooked and ignored when they seek help for serious ailments. For more malicious diseases such as cancer, every month delay in treatment increases risk of death by 6-13% (British Medical Journal). This easily could have been my situation, and there are countless cases of military personnel unable to obtain timely or accessible care - exacerbating potentially fatal conditions.

I now intend to pursue a career in law privately representing veterans and service members who are victimized by the system they swore their lives to defend.

To future cadets: understand that you are committing to more than just an experience. Your actions and decisions will dramatically alter the REAL lives of soldiers who fully trust in you. Listen to them. Care about your job. Stay for the right reasons, make competent decisions, and help me fix this broken system for those who deserve it most.
 
I too will be following. I am visiting my DS this weekend. Leaving last night I was filled w pride after a great afternoon w him and his buddies. This story above is perhaps the other side of the coin and I am sorry to read it
 
Following as well.

My sister got ulcerative colitis after having her first child. She couldn’t have any more children, so they adopted three.

It was a horrible disease - constantly sleeping. She went to the top doctors in New York City. It took years to get the right medicine.
 
For the OP, best wishes for reaching a good state of disease control and finding a good path to completing your education and launching into the working world down the road. You have been candid about your experience. I cannot imagine the mental strength you must need to cope with this diagnosis at a time when your peers are overflowing with good health and few long-lasting or severe physical issues. Most of all, I am sorry this has been your individual experience of military healthcare and culture one year in.

If you explore federal civil service down the road, tuck this designation into your career folder. People with certain chronic diseases can qualify.

Speaking more generally, the OP shared their experience and how it happened for them, a year into military life at USMA.

For parents and those contemplating military life, please evaluate the OP’s difficult, frustrating, saddening and worrisome experience within the context of millions of people in uniform receiving healthcare through the military healthcare system, as well as after retirement, and the veteran healthcare system. I was blessed to have had 26 years of good, often outright wonderful and occasionally professional but not warm healthcare, for both routine care and “scary stuff.” I collected 2 significant diagnoses near the end of my military career that I am still dealing with specialists for, and will the rest of my life. I had an overall excellent personal experience. Like any large healthcare system, TRICARE Prime is not without flaws in processes, providers, service. My experience was the opposite of OPs, and I can see why they are disillusioned and have extrapolated their assessment of the state of the system, after the year or so they have had, to an overall negative view of military and veteran healthcare. It is not like that, all the time, for all the people, but people can and do have negative experiences, just as they do with civilian healthcare.

OP has learned how to advocate for themselves and navigate difficult processes, systems and people at an early age, skills that are valuable life-long. I wish them health and success in their new path.
 
Last edited:
As a veteran who has dealt with the broken system, thank you. I hate that you had to go through that but I appreciate you want to use that to help others. Truly speaks of your character. Army lost a great leader!
 
I will agree that the military healthcare system is broken in many ways. I would caution that experiences vary, and military healthcare is not how all of the military operates.
 
I now intend to pursue a career in law privately representing veterans and service members who are victimized by the system they swore their lives to defend.
I am sorry this was YOUR experience, but if you go into the practice of law, please don't let your experience cloud your judgment and handling of other's cases. Every medical situation is different, and there are two sides to every story. Yes there are veterans who can benefit from legal representation, but you will not be able to provide effective counsel if you look at every case from the perspective of your experience,
 
OP: I am glad you shared your story and sad to read it. I 'm sad as a veteran and a father that you had to go through this.

I think it sheds a light on why most folks never seek medical attention for minor items. They don't want to be labeled.

I can't even image the mental side of what you went through.
 
Back
Top