I have some pretty big news to those of you that have been reading my journal for the past couple years. It seems the higher-ups in the Navy have decided that I am unfit for duty, and should be discharged. They have recommended my case be submitted to the Physical Evaluation Board (PEB). The PEB basically reviews the medical evidence and makes determinations of fitness or unfitness to continue service. If the service member is found unfit, the PEB then determines the percentage of the service member’s disability compensation using the Veterans Administration Schedule for Rating Disability (VASRD). Depending on the severity of the injury, the service member either receives medical retirement or severance pay. Read more…

Had my physical at Newport on Monday; it was as bad as I expected.

After leaving Boston at 5AM we arrived at Newport Naval Hospital at 6:20AM. I checked in and was given a blood test, urinalysis, a hearing test, eye test, a full physical, dental exam, and this was all before lunch. After lunch I had my meeting with the orthopedic doctor, who didn’t feel comfortable starting a med board without knowing what is wrong with my leg. He orders some x-rays (which didn’t show anything) and told me I’d have to get a CT scan and come back down to Newport.

Yesterday I spoke to a SSgt at Quantico who tried to explain things to me as best she could. When a candidate it hurt at OCS, he/she is sent home to heal. The healing process is only supposed to last 6 months. Because my injury was so bad, we had to ask for extensions beyond that 6 months to allow time for the leg to heal.

It has been a year and a half since the injury happened, and I’ve started losing hope that things will ever get better. I was given the option to go to my primary orthopedic doctor at BMC and have him write a letter saying that we shouldn’t do the med board now and that I “should get better soon.” I can’t bring myself to give up not knowing if I’ll be in good enough shape to return in 6 months. I don’t want to end things with the Marines and regret making the decision the rest of my life. So I’ve decided to see my primary ortho doctor and get his opinion and possibly get that letter from him. I see him 11 Sept.

(By the way, the little good news that came out of my trip to Newport was that my eyes are still perfect, my hearing was the best the examiner has ever seen, and my blood tests were near perfect)