While I was on active duty in the Army Type 1 diabetes immediately disqualified you from military service.
I recently discovered two Army officers who've been sent to Iraq and Kuwait who have type 1 diabetes. A long time ago (before the All Volunteer Military) one could stay in the military with diabetes if you had some rear echelon job with no obvious requirement for combat. The advent of the All-Volunteer Army ushered in the "All soldiers are equal" concept. Everyone had to meet the physical training standards, everyone had to maintain weight standards and EVERYONE ostensibly could be in combat. This is the applicable regulation.
[{Military Regulations}] I misunderstood something in publishing this link.
The reasons for this are obvious to anyone who knows about diabetes. Diabetics become slaves to their blood sugar. Failure to control your blood sugar can have serious short and long term complications. In the short term, shock and death and in the long term; kidney failure, blindness and a whole host of other complications. My niece who became a diabetic at age nine, had an insulin reaction while driving when she was in High School. She somehow managed to pull off the road and her track coach (rather than the police) found her. If the police had found her she probably would have lost her license. As a result, she tests her blood glucose before she turns on the ignition of the car. Even a registered nurse (me) can become really frightened finding someone with an insulin reaction. A severe reaction requires quick reaction and sometimes intravenous glucose. Stress can really raise havoc with blood sugar.
Now I find that the son of one of my Vietnam buddies is in the Army and developed Type 1 diabetes. His father (pharmacist) thinks the immunizations might have created the auto immune reaction. The Army first said that his MOS (military occupational specialty) was "critical" (satellite intelligence) and they asked him to stay on active duty. Then they said they needed him in Kuwait and he wouldn't go to Iraq. In Kuwait he would have Insulin, supplies & a stable work schedule. At the last minute, he was deployed to Iraq & is now In Baquba @ the FOB, working night shifts and also pulling patrol duty 2 weeks at a time wearing 30 lb of body armor in 100+ degree weather. In May, he called home to say they had run out of insulin syringes & needles & he had to use TB syringes with standard needles. Now 40+ years ago we were taught to convert insulin doses when TB syringes were available...but NOW??? Insulin needles also not available. His parents shipped Insulin syringes/needles to him in late May & he received them in June. Medical supply stated they will not be able to get the supplies he needs anytime soon. So his parents will have to continue to send what he needs.
I was furious hearing this as I can't fathom 1) being a diabetic in Iraq and 2) that the military is so inept to do this to a soldier.
Then (while stuck for 1 1/2 days at Dulles Airport...don't ask) I met a family and they told me the same story. Son was promised he'd be in Kuwait. I told them to get ready for the care packages. How many others are there on active duty, in Iraq and Kuwait?
As far as I'm concerned this is criminal. Both these men could die (or be responsible for others dying) because their MOS's are critical.
Strange they had to discharge all those Arab linguists who were LGBT. Apparently even though there is an extreme shortage of linguists, their skills weren't critical.
This is just an example of how criminal this administration has become.
I told the parents to call their congressmen and Senators and I'm in the process of doing same. When will every see the light and recognize how this administration has wrecked the military....besides everything else they've touched.