Reserve Army- advice would be GREAT!

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Hello,

I am new to this, so allow me to introduce myself. My name is Emily; I have several questions that hopefully someone can help me with! I am going to be graduating with a BSN this coming May. My husband served in active duty Army and then the Guard in Infantry, and now he has just signed up to do 3 years in the Army Reserve as a Healthcare Specialist. I have long been interested in serving in the military, and I was told by a recruiter that if I joined, I could be in my husband's unit and we would be able to deploy together (although I would be an officer and he enlisted). The unit is based in Vancouver, WA, in case someone here is local!

I have emailed a health care recruiter but have not heard back yet. Honestly, I'm quite anxious to get any wisdom on this subject. First, I'm concerned that I will simply be disqualified due to asthma (which is completely manageable by the rare use of inhaler) and some knee trouble which limits my ability to run for extended periods, but in no other way impedes me.

Can anyone help me understand better whether I should just give up now due to my physical issues? Is there any chance of getting waivers for them? Does anyone know someone who has gotten an asthma waiver, for example?

And, if there is a chance, do you think we will actually be able to see each other or would we be kept completely separate? It's not like we want to be together all the time or be unprofessional, but I'm curious what it would actually be like being in the same unit- if we would see much of each other, even what living arrangements would be like if deployed (for example, I'm assuming there is no way to sleep in the same place, but it's worth trying to find out about!). I have heard different things.

I apologize for how long this post has gotten, and for probably asking silly questions. I just have no prior military experience, and his experience is in Infantry, which is a whole separate experience from the medical side of things. I'm very curious and would appreciate anyone's 2 cents!

Thank you so much for bearing with me asking so many questions!

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Please contact your nearest AMEDD recruiter by phone: 360-891-4938 for your area. That way you can talk to someone face to face. I never had any luck with the e-mail route.

Asthma is normally considered a DQ, but still talk to the recruiter about diagnosis, length and severity. Almost everything is waiverable under certain circumstances.

As for husband and you being in same unit: maybe/maybe not. Due to one of you being an officer and one being enlisted they may not wish to place you in the same unit, but the only one who would know for sure would be the unit commander...so ask.

Deployments: same as above, but remember that the Army has no obligation to place you and a spouse on the same deployment schedules at the same time, and likely would not. Military life is not about needs of the soldier or needs of the family, but needs of the ARMY.

Don't get me wrong, I love the Army and Army life. Husband is AD and I was AD for 7 years prior to ours getting married. During our first 5 years of marriage he was deployed for three of those years. It can be a difficult way of life for spouses who are not familiar with the way the Army does things.

Of course RA is completely different in terms of commitment, but you need to remember that more and more RA units are being activated on a regular basis and be prepared for that eventuality.

I still recommend contacting the recruiter, that way you can get your questions answered by a reliable source. Mine was really great and took lots of time answering all my question and even brought me a recruiting gift bag.

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thank you so much!! I really appreciate some outside, experienced perspective.

Emily

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