so if un-vaxed DC wants to join military...

[wholewheatchick]

This is a hypothetical question, but it is kind of a sticking point for me and DH. Baby is due in Dec. I am still researching, but strongly leaning toward no-vax. DH wants to just do delayed.

DH is a Coast Guard pilot and went to the Academy. He was vaccinated normally as a child, and has had all of the military shots ever since going to the Academy.

Anyway. He is concerned that if we don't vaccinate our children, then if they want to join the military, they will have to get all of them at once. That they might not even be accepted into a military academy without a complete shot record.

Can anyone shed some light on this for me? Please understand that there is no pressure whatsoever for our kids to join the military, but it is pretty common for military kids to become military personnel.

Thanks!

[Ruthla]

I'd think that a child would have plenty of opportunity to "catch up" on vaccinations if he or she wants to join the military.

I think you'd know by age 16 or 17 if your child was thinking of signing up at age 18, and that gives you a year or two to start vaccinating before he or she signs up. You could even delay vaccination until the child starts school, or wait until puberty and then give the vaccines for the "childhood illnesses" that are more dangerous in adults. There are so many options between "vaccinating an infant on the AAP schedule" and "18yo getting all his shots on the same day.

[Fyrestorm]

Bff's son just recently joined the Navy. It didn't seem to matter what vaccines he had in the past, no one seemed to care. They gave him a ton at one time regardless and more in boot camp.

[treeoflife3]

my husband wasnt asked for a shot record... everyone got the same stuff at the same time. he is army though... he definitely would have had time to get them though. He wanted to join almost a year before checking into basic.

[Emmeline II]

Originally Posted by wholewheatchick

DH is a Coast Guard pilot and went to the Academy. He was vaccinated normally as a child, and has had all of the military shots ever since going to the Academy.

Anyway. He is concerned that if we don't vaccinate our children, then if they want to join the military, they will have to get all of them at once. That they might not even be accepted into a military academy without a complete shot record.
Thanks!

The military doesn't ask for your vaccine record. Getting vaxed in childhood, even immediately prior to going to basic will NOT prevent him from getting "all of them at once"; he'll just suffer them twice. iirc the Academy has "basic" prior to the school year starting; they probably do shots then--I doubt they trust the varying and possibly incorrect or incomplete records of a couple hundred cadets.

In enlisted basic everyone gets the same vaccines regardless of history (with the possible exception of a documented contraindication that the doctor has right there in his hand). They line everyone up and you walk past two people with vaccine guns, one person for each arm; then they sit you down and give the oral polio vaccine--then a couple of weeks later they take you to the clinic to donate blood.

My dh was a military brat and STILL got vaccinated the same as everyone else in basic. I was also vaxed and was RE-VAXED in basic with all my childhood vaccines plus a couple more. The same for my in-laws back in the late 70s (We're all Air Force).

Any job your child wants to do as an adult that requires vaccines are going to require, at minimum, that they have been received within a few years. That he had his kindergarten or 6th grade boosters won't matter.

[WTHamI?]

I'll second what others have said, they don't care what he's already had at that point, and the other thing I'm keeping in mind is that we don't know what will and won't be part of the schedule 15 years from now. Who knows, maybe those of us who realize all those toxins are detrimental will have made some headway with policy by then (not counting on it). We are not planning to vax and if our kids decide to join the military we will deal with vax issues then. I don't really see a reason to vax them as kids just because they might join the military someday, especially when the military won't give you any fewer shots if you've stuck to the schedule to a T vs. previously having none.

[tallulahma]

dh didnt have his shot record asked for either. they just vaccinate for everything.

besides, anything you get as a baby or in early childhood would require a booster or revaccination at 18 or so anyway. they are only good for 10-15 years.

maybe your dc will be lucky enough to get measles, mumps, chicken pox roseola, etc and have lifetime immunity! then he could have titers drawn to verify his status.

[AFWife]

Originally Posted by tallulahma

dh didnt have his shot record asked for either. they just vaccinate for everything.
<snip>
then he could have titers drawn to verify his status.

Yep! My DH joined the Air Force and they did titers and then vaxed against everything he didn't test positive in. He said that most of the guys in his flight had to get EVERYTHING again. They could care less about "shot records" when you're enlisting. They care about the titers.

[nia82]

DH is AF and had his shot records. They still did titers and they came up positive for MMR, chickenpox and Hep B. Since he had oral polio as a kid, they didn't even bother with IPV. He was given though at MEPS upon starting officer training school: TDaP, HepA and Menactra. Oh and the flu shot every friggin year! I think if you enlist at age 18 you must be able to ask for titers first and consideration of your past records (if you have been vaxxed before). Otherwise, to the OP question, the military won't care if he had shots before, they'll give them upon joining.

[2boyzmama]

I entered the Air Force through ROTC, and nobody said a single thing about vaccines until I showed up at my first base (so I went through all of ROTC including the summer of Field Training without anybody asking for my vaccine status) When I got to my base, I handed them my childhood shot record and my medical exemption against Pertusis. I had to get Hep A and Hep B since those weren't on the schedule when I was younger, and of course flu every year. I managed to avoid Anthrax and Small Pox since I was pregnant much of my military career (was in 4.5 years and had two kids) Having my shot record got me out of MMR, DTaP, and IPV.

[EdnaMarie]

Childhood vaccines are irrelevant to joining the military. He will have to show his records of not getting vaccinated, but he can get all his boosters if he chooses at that point. I am very pro-vax but for a hypothetical 18-year-in-the-future military career? Absolutely not necessary.

The military doesn't ask for your vaccine record

The Army did for my DH, who had recently been re-vaccinated for things.

However, at eighteen, the child will be up for boosters anyway, so baby boosters will make zero difference in most cases.

[mrsberman]

My sister's DH just joined the Coast Guard. He is from a 100% no vax family. I urged him to get them on his own time, just in case there were any reactions, but he decided to get them all at once in basic. My DH is Coast Guard and he gets the flu mist every year. He didn't get the small pox vax because of psoraisis (sp) issues as a child.

[Asiago]

Even if that is the case someday, at least he will be an adult with a mature immune system, GI tract, organs, brain, and so on more capable of handling the load of antigens, adjuvants and preservatives (plus the unintentional ingredients that may arise).

[Pirogi]

I'm another example of a military member whose shot record WAS asked for and used to update my medical file. I commissioned through ROTC also. Maybe it's different for enlisted who go through basic and Academy grads?

[OkiMom]

I had been fully vaxed about 2 years before boot camp (after a recommendation from my doc to my dad and I was under age so whatever my dad said I had to do.. wasn't really happy about it, they gave me 10 vaxes at once) and so had several people that I went to boot camp with. The drill instructor basically said "Doesn't matter you getting them all again". That was the Marine Corps, they line you up and you go through the shot gauntlet, at least they don't use the guns anymore. I also got small pox and 6 of the anthrax shots before I went to Iraq.
Honestly, a lot of them are done right in the beginning of boot camp when everyone is sick anyway. I don't know if I felt bad because of the vaxes or because like everyone else I was just plain sick. The only time that was really bad was the 3rd time when we had to do the obstacle course right afterward. Don't run after getting vaccinated, its not a good idea.

ETA: MIght be different between services. Marines, they don't care. Doubt the Navy does either or the Army. Air Force is a little more member friendly from what Ive seen so they might care.

[EdnaMarie]

No, you have to get vaccinated for all of them in all the branches. Even humanitarian organizations routinely vaccinate their employees, all 10 to 13 at once before they go. I lost my card TWICE and have had the adult booster set, in its entirety, twice. And I'd do them all again. It was worth it.

[minkajane]

I enlisted in the Air Force in 2002 and was never asked about vax status. I got a bunch of shots in basic (they don't even tell you what you're getting) and a shot of penicillin in the butt (even though I'm allergic). At the time I never even thought to question. I had to get flu shots or FluMist every year.

I've heard rumors that if someone enlists with a religious objection to vaccination, it can be put into their enlistment contract, but they can't change their minds after that, they have to get what they're told to get. Has anyone heard of this?

It is definitely false, though, that military dependents have to get shots. It's just a scare tactic to get you to vax. DS had his 2m shots and nothing after that. They can't force a civilian to do anything and that includes medical treatment.