I realized/found out tonight I will never be able to serve as a nurse in the Naval Reserve Nurse Corps because of having the sleeve. :( :( :( I want to say that I would still have had the surgery if I had known that beforehand.....I *think* that is true. I suppose I could reason that I wouldn't have been able to meet their height/weight requirements if I hadn't had the surgery.

You would think I would have researched it, since being a Navy nurse has been a lifelong dream....but I didn't think about it at all. I am only just now licensed as an RN and was going to wait a few years before joining.

Majorly bummed. I feel like I'm mourning the loss of my dream.

I have so much respect for those in the military and felt that serving them and my country as a nurse would be the most rewarding career possible....perhaps working as a civilian in a military hospital or at the VA would be just as fulfilling.

My original dream was to be a career Navy nurse.....but I got pregnant and am doing the single parent thing. I figured the reserves was going to be a happy medium (with my parents taking the necessary steps to care for my daughter in the event of a deployment/activation/whatever). I was going to wait til I got a few years of experience and then join the reserve as a nurse. Oh well. New plan!

The military didn't accept single parents when I joined because you would have had to deploy which would mean leaving your baby behind. Even if you didn't have the operation then I'm not sure that it would have been a good thing for you and your baby to be separated for weeks, months, or even years at a time.

I'm not sure it's possible to eat high Protein in the field especially when you are eating MRE's. This last field exercise, the soldiers barely got Water and were out in the field 3 weeks.

Surprising about the MREs. I have one of the cheese packets. Not a bad protein count. You could also try to get the MREs with the meat Entrees. I wonder if they stopped the ham? We were the first units to get the MREs in the 80s. Up until then it was Vietnam era C-rats. YUCK.

High protein is always best, but it is not imperative that a strict high protein diet be followed while in the field. I think the training would kick the butt of any carbs you ingested. As for the lack of water, we sleevers need hydration as much as any other person and are no different one we are healed except for the stomach capacity for solid foods.

The military didn't accept single parents when I joined because you would have had to deploy which would mean leaving your baby behind' date=' has that changed? so even if you didn't have the operation then I'm not sure that it would have been a good thing for you and your baby.[/quote']

Not the case for the army. There are many single patents enlisted. They just have to sign a form giving someone custody of their children while deployed.

Not the case for the army. There are many single patents enlisted. They just have to sign a form giving someone custody of their children while deployed.

From what I understand, single parents are denied enlistment unless they agree to give up custody altogether in the first place. However, if you become a single parent after joining the military then, yes, you would have to give up custody to someone else while you deploy. I hear heartbreaking stories about people that have had to give up custody of their children to strangers just because they have to deploy. I just can't imagine how awful it is for the little ones who don't understand what is going on but are nevertheless left to live with complete strangers when their parent just disappears for months or even years. How sad it must be for those poor babies when their parent(s) never does come home...

I understand that the military spends millions if not billions of dollars every year trying to convince you to sacrifice your life defending oil and poppy fields on the other side of the world but, unfortunately, I don't have that kind of money to try to show you what a blessing it is for you and your family that you are unable to join the military.

Cleo you are turning this into a political discusson so I am out....I support and defend my country against all enemies foreign and domestic and will continue to advocate that it dosent mattter if we have a democrat or republican in the white house.

From what I understand' date=' single parents are denied enlistment unless they agree to give up custody altogether in the first place. However, if you become a single parent after joining the military then, yes, you would have to give up custody to someone else while you deploy. I hear heartbreaking stories about people that have had to give up custody of their children to strangers just because they have to deploy. I just can't imagine how awful it is for the little ones who don't understand what is going on but are nevertheless left to live with complete strangers when their parent just disappears for months or even years. How sad it must be for those poor babies when their parent(s) never does come home...

I understand that the military spends millions if not billions of dollars every year trying to convince you to sacrifice your life defending oil and poppy fields on the other side of the world but, unfortunately, I don't have that kind of money to try to show you what a blessing it is for you and your family that you are unable to join the military.[/quote']

Cleo my husband is a proud member of the military and has been for the past 15 years. We have 6 children and it is just as tough on them being home with me when their dad leaves for a year at a time. But, there is a lot of honor in being enlisted and I for one am very proud to be a part of this life. For some people it's not about money, it's about American pride. Our children are resilient and understand the sacrifices they make and feel a lot of pride for their dad. What you are not seeing is the millions of dollars the military shells out for programs to help children of deployed soldiers. Kids aren't signed over to strangers. That's actually illegal. They are signed over to the other parent or another family member. When my husband is deployed, our kids and him stay connected via Skype as well as fb, yahoo and yes, the telephone.

Cleo my husband is a proud member of the military and has been for the past 15 years. We have 6 children and it is just as tough on them being home with me when their dad leaves for a year at a time. But, there is a lot of honor in being enlisted and I for one am very proud to be a part of this life. For some people it's not about money, it's about American pride. Our children are resilient and understand the sacrifices they make and feel a lot of pride for their dad. What you are not seeing is the millions of dollars the military shells out for programs to help children of deployed soldiers. Kids aren't signed over to strangers. That's actually illegal. They are signed over to the other parent or another family member. When my husband is deployed, our kids and him stay connected via Skype as well as fb, yahoo and yes, the telephone.

I was in the military and defended my own right to tell the truth whether anyone likes the way it sounds or not. Furthermore, I understand that most people join the military for honorable reasons, as did I, but the military doesn't honor its people or their sacrifices the way that it should or used to. The military mission has changed from defending Americans to defending corporate interests and, quite frankly, your husband's life is worth more than corporate interests. I think that it's terrific though that he has you to encourage him. I also think that its terrific that people in the military are still adamant about defending Americans.

By the way, it is not illegal for soldiers to sign temporary custody over to strangers since installations have families on stand by for the sole purpose of accepting children whose parent(s) have to deploy. Some single soldiers don't otherwise have families that they can leave their kids with when they have to deploy.

I was denied entrance into the peace corps because I told the truth about taking Prozac for 1 week. From that point on I will never share my medical history with anyone. I was self pay so it isn't in any of my medical records. I would lie - bottom line. The gays and lesbians had to do it... f**k that they won't let you serve because of this operation. If I can pass the PT test then it really isn't any of their business.

I was denied entrance into the peace corps because I told the truth about taking Prozac for 1 week. From that point on I will never share my medical history with anyone. I was self pay so it isn't in any of my medical records. I would lie - bottom line. The gays and lesbians had to do it... f**k that they won't let you serve because of this operation. If I can pass the PT test then it really isn't any of their business.