Long story short: September 13. 2001: I was all set to swear into the Marines: Squeaky clean background, lost a bunch of weight, kicked the hell out of the ASVAB, was ready for anything.. anything except standing there in MEPS and finding out I was Type II diabetic.
My view on citizenship is the same as Heinlein's: serve, and earn it. The difference is, in Johnny Rico's world, anyone could serve, as long as they desired to. Sick, deformed, whatever.. they'd find a place for you to earn your rights. After wrestling with this for three years, I'm coming to you guys for ideas. How to serve if you can't serve?
It seems like they could free up a lot of able-bodied men and women to fight on the front lines, if they made REMF or stateside slots available to people like me. I have to take a pill twice a day, BFD.. there's a shitload I could still do. I'm a network administrator by trade, my mind is technical, I could carry my own weight. Hell, I'd even sign a waiver releasing the government from any healthcare obligations due to pre-existing condition.
The anger always hits me in the middle of the night, when I'm reflecting and feeling worthless. I decided I'd share.