wls and the military

does anyone know if  having wls prohibits you from joining the military? 

I know that they will not let active duty members have the surgery as of now. But I dont know if having it prior will hender or not...

In 2004 I know the Army wouldn't take  those having had WLS. Times change - it might be worth looking into.

I was reading someone's blog the other day - I wish I could remember who!- and he said that he was trying to re-join (I don't know the proper military terminology), but if he had the surgery they wouldn't let him.  Their reasoning had to do with people who have special dietary restrictions can't always get to the proper food, and they don't want them getting sick in the middle of battle or something.   If I think of where I read that, I'll let you know....

I just posed your question to my husband *****tired from the Army in '93 & was a recruiter during his activity duty.  He suggests you contact MEPS medical officers through a recruiter to get a definitive answer.  However, in his limited knowledge of various wls, bypass probably would make things more difficult for a soldier, whereas lapband might be more acceptable for the simple fact that it can be removed if need be & that dietary restrictions are not as stringent as for bypass.  Hope this helps, but at the very least talking to someone at MEPS really would be your best bet.  Good luck & please, do let us know what you find out.

thanks for the info. i'm still waiting to see the doc for my consultation. lord knows when i'll get a surgery date. from the looks of it my surgery date, if i'm lucky, might be septemberish. i'm prior service, and just have to get over it. by the time i get my surgery, i doubt i'll want to go back into the service anyway!