Wheat Gluten Allergy

[upsidezdown]

Hi all,

I have had the opportunity to mentor a kid from my school district for about 6 years now. My best friend and I have always taken him "under our wings" and helped him out with anything from homework to to boy scouts to physically cocky seniors at school. He has wanted to go to USAFA for awhile now, and is well on his way to being tripple Q'd by the time he can apply.

However, he is allergic to wheat gluten. This prevents him from eating many of the foods that most of us don't even think about before grabbing a slice. I understand that anything is waiverable, but I'd like to be able to give him an honest look at his chances of actualy getting a waiver. He's a freshman this year, and the last thing I want to see is him get his heart really set on USAFA and not make it because of something that's way beyond his control.

He takes things I say very seriously, so if his chances of a waiver are one in a million I'm sure I can convince him to persue a civil aviation career or something of the sort instead of military.

Aside from USAFA, would ROTC be any more willing to give up a waiver?

Thanks in advance!

 

[RetNavyHM]

Common food allergies are very difficult to obtain waivers for. Wheat glutten is a very, very common food, and as you say, I'm sure he looks at product packaging very closely.

I would never tell someone not to apply, and not to be a smartass, but he would probably have a better chance of winning the lottery than getting a waiver. Of course I've been wrong in the past, and in 3 years who knows what will happen, but if I were him I would start to focus on other pursuits.

 

[upsidezdown]

Thanks for the help. That's about what I had figured on. He is a very intelligent person, and there are tons of other careers he would excel in. It's early enough that getting him away from the AFA path shouldn't be too hard. From what I've seen, the great thing about aviation is that it's such a diverse area... plenty of others things to do if one doesn't work out.