@MullenLE
@Capt MJ @justdoit19 Thank you for your thoughts. It is hard not to feel very guilty about getting her medical attention that may now dash her dream of attending the AFA, especially now that she has a principal nomination. I have always been grateful for excellent health insurance and extensive access to medical care, but right now it seems that such things have put her at an extreme disadvantage or have completely doomed her prospects. I truly believe that if we lived elsewhere and had less means, she would not be in this situation.
Your daughter’s health is paramount. Always.
Not knowing the details of the DQ condition - and not asking for them - the Services do have different waiver policies. The Services’ policies differ because missions, gear and operating environments differ. Mr. Mullen is in the best position to give her insights into other Service possibilities. Or it could be one of those DQs that is seldom or never waived.
Every year, we have applicants who realize their pursuit of military service must end for medical DQ reasons. There are still ways to serve the country.
Federal agencies departments, particularly the “ABC” ones, are eager to hire college grads who wish to serve the country in the area of national security. If you can’t be a “door-kicker” or operational field agent, you can have their backs as analysts and specialists in cyber and intelligence, in forensics, communications, logistics, operations planning and other critical fields.
Below I’ve pasted some info I have used here over the years, in the hope of shining a light toward other open doors.
Student Hiring Programs: Acquisition and Procurement, Cybersecurity, Pathways, Health and Science, I&A Internship, Law Enforcement, Legal, Public Affairs.
www.dhs.gov
www.fbijobs.gov
DoD STEM seeks to attract, inspire, and develop exceptional STEM talent across the education continuum and advance the current DoD STEM workforce to meet future defense technological challenges.
dodstem.us
You can find similar student internships, scholarships, and other programs for CIA and other major agencies. There are HS, college undergraduate and post-grad programs.
Federal service offers excellent benefits and education opportunities, plus the ability to move around in search of promotions or between agencies and departments. One of our USNA sponsor daughters had a younger sister who was a math whiz, varsity athlete, all-around scholar who would have been very competitive for SA or ROTC scholarship, but her Crohn’s DQ’ed her. She majored in Applied Mathematics at a very good school, took advantage of one of the programs above and did paid work for them in the summer, and she was hired 4 days after she graduated college. She is now doing highly classified work for that agency, and starting a fully paid for Master’s at a prestigious university.
If the USAFA door is firmly closed, look around for doors and windows in other shapes and sizes which also lead to service to the country.
