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Strong Like Bull, Smart As Rock
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This young person contacted my veterans club for advice as to how to enlist in the Army in spite of having a history of ADD which required Ritalin use. As I'm not a recruiter and I never was, I didn't know how to advise him. What follows is his e-mail verbatim. Any ideas Guys?
From: Bryan
Sent: Wednesday, April 21, 2004 2:08 PM
To: junioriva@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [junioriva] Re: Advice needed
The medication I took was ritalin, for attention deficit disorder,
which I no longer suffer from, and have not suffered from for years.
My doctor would likely swear and attest to that as well. I took the
medication on doctor's orders and under his close supervision. I
stopped taking it around the age 13, one year over the army's cut off
for stopping taking medication. My academics are great, and the
medication was taken before high school so it doesn't factor into
helping my grades in anyway. The recruiters said I'll need a waiver,
and that waivers are seldom granted... So it would appear my only
mistake was being open and honest about things as instructed to. I'm
not a criminal but it seems they're treating me as one. I know people
who have criminal records for assault and other various crimes, and
they are in the reserves right now (These people are from my high
school). It just seems to me that taking medication at age 13 rather
than age 12 should have little or no bearing on whether you get in.
The recruiters suggested that I get letters from doctors, teachers,
etc, and I write one myself about how I am fine and would be able to
serve well. But they have already said a waiver is hard to come by,
so what do you suggest? Somebody else suggested that I call my
Congressman, tell him about my situation and politely request he
assist me.
I have his e-mail address if any recruiters want to contact him directly.
Gold Class 92-03
The Warrant Officer – an officer appointed by the Secretary of the Army based on a sound level of technical and tactical competence. The Warrant Officer is a highly specialized expert and trainer who by gaining progressive levels of expertise and leadership operates, maintains, administers, and manages the Army’s equipment, support activities, or technical systems for an entire career. WTF? Who's Mr. Pillow Pants? - Clerks 2
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Hard Charger
 
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Shoot Blacksmithsix a PM she is a CPT with the Recruting Command in Chicago and seems to be pretty squared away (for an officer )
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Seasoned Vet
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Best of luck to him. Too many children years ago where wrongly diagnosed with ADD, ADHD, ADDG, etc, and were put on Ritalin, among various other medications. 
Evil Unchecked Grows, and Evil Tolerated Poisens The Entire System. Jahwal Nehru ------------------------------------------------------------- In the beginning of a change the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.
Mark Twain.
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Anti-social
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Too many children years ago where wrongly diagnosed with ADD, ADHD, ADDG, etc, and were put on Ritalin, among various other medications.  What do you mean 'years ago'??... Its still going on. Hell its worse than ever. Don't even get me going on this subject (one of my pet-peeves)... They even got ADD for adults now (check out the latest U.S. News)
1/508th Abn Inf, 82nd Abn Div 81-83 1/4th Inf (Mech), 3rd Inf Div (USAEUR) 83-84 SGT\EIB\Recondo "Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies." - Groucho Marx
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Seasoned Vet
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Last Login: 10/22/2008 8:18 PM
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What do you mean 'years ago'??... Its still going on. Hell its worse than ever. Don't even get me going on this subject (one of my pet-peeves)... They even got ADD for adults now (check out the latest U.S. News) I was'nt aware that it's worse now, then it was a few years back. I saw a few reports where the journalists where slamming the head docs about drugging so many kids. Back in grade school, I was hyperactive, short attention span, fidgety, (wait a minute!! I still am! ) So they tell my mother to take me to see a shrink, she refuses, they (school guidance counselors) call DHS. We wind up in court, the judge orders me into 'counseling' which amounted to, draw me pictures of how you feel, and take these nice little pills.  Luckily, we moved to FL a short while later, and I was taken off them, but for a few months afterwords, I was really screwed up from the meds. (side effects) I think drugging kids, (some do need it) is an excuse for not giving them the attention they need, or getting to the cause of their problems. It's an easy way out. Does'nt anyone think about the long term side effects of putting children on narcotics which alters the chemical makeup of their still developing brains?  Yea, I saw the commercials for adult ADD. The ones I see tell ya to take their online test to see if you have it. http://www.adultadd.com/2_2_recognizing/screener.jsp
Evil Unchecked Grows, and Evil Tolerated Poisens The Entire System. Jahwal Nehru ------------------------------------------------------------- In the beginning of a change the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.
Mark Twain.
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Hard Charger
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Seasoned Vet
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I had read somewhere that the single factor kids on Ritalin had in common was not economic, race, single parent homes, but who their doctor was. It was something like 20% of the doctors prescribing 80% of the Ritalin.
Go with God, but make Him walk the point.
If you load a mudfoot down with a lot of gadgets he has to watch somebody a lot more simply equipped - say with a stone axe - will sneak up and bash his head in while he is trying to read a Vernier. - Robert Heinlein
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Anti-social
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Sorry for hijacking the thread, but like I said this is one of my pet-peeves... DEA REPORT
ADD/ADHD Statement of Drug Enforcement Administration
At the conclusion of the Conference on Stimulant Use in the Treatment of ADHD
(ADD/ADHD, AD(H)D, ADD-ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Attention Deficits, Attention Deficit Disorders, Hyperactivity)
San Antonio, Dec. 10-12, 1996  "Today, we have concluded a national conference of experts from the fields of research, medicine, public health and law enforcement brought together by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to examine issues concerning the prescribing of stimulants to school-age children for the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD (ADD/ADHD, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, attention deficit hyperact | | | |