Comment by ike2792

I don't think most civilians realize just how strict (and absurd) the screening process is. When I went to enlist at 17 I had a cut on my knee that started bleeding during one of the medical tests (they make you walk across a tile floor on your bare knees for 10 yards or so). The doctor running the screening station wanted to make me come back a week later once the cut healed, otherwise they were going to fail me. Thankfully someone more senior overrode him and I was able to enlist. People get disqualified for having used marijuana once as a teenager, for well-controlled asthma that hasn't flared up in years, or for seeking treatment for anxiety, depression, or ADHD. Once you are in the military, you are strongly incentivized to not seek treatment for anything that could get you medically separated, particularly any mental health issues whatsoever. I understand there are standards but the current system basically assumes that any issue is disqualifying until the recruit can prove it isn't (and sometimes not even then).