Can I join the military with some hearing loss?
I was born half deaf but it has always been my dream to join the military since I was little now im 16 and I was to see if it is a possibility to join
Observing members:
0
Composing members:
0
5 Answers
It really depends on your other qualifications.
I am blind enough in one eye to be medically disqualified from military service, but I also had an ASVAB score of 97. Given that potential recruits with that sort of ASVAB score are highly desirable, they overlooked my vision and gave me a medical waiver. They will tolerate a certain amount of deficiency if it’s countered by some form of exceptionalism.
My husband has low hearing but I don’t know if it was before he joined or after. But he had the problem throughout most of his career. It my depend on how deaf you are and if it would be a problem in what you choose to do. He was a administrator, so his work was mostly in front of a computer.
Call your local recruiter. They can explain what the criterias would be.
It may depend upon what country you live in and which area you wish to apply. More information would be helpful.
My father was totally deaf in one ear, but he served during WWII as a radioman, and then went on to OCS and served 30 years. He used to watch the hearing test operator’s body language and he faked that he could hear out of that ear.
@marinelife Testing is a little more sophisticated nowadays, so faking it isn’t really an option.
That said, certain rates/MOS have different requirements. For instance, colorblindness is not an automatic disqualification; it will bar you from certain jobs, particularly those in electronics that deal with color-coded components, but is something that one could still get into the service with.
Answer this question
This question is in the General Section. Responses must be helpful and on-topic.