Mental and physical risks must disqualify transgenders from military service

[Draggingtree]

Canada Free Press

Mental and physical risks must disqualify transgenders from military service

By Thomas W. Spoehr —— Bio and Archives August 6, 2017

WASHINGTON, D.C. — All who desire to serve their country in uniform are to be commended.  That includes transgender individuals.  Too few Americans wish to serve. 

Of course, not all people willing to serve are able to do so.  Today, only 25 percent of U.S. citizens aged 17-24 meet military entrance criteria. The most common disqualifications are physical fitness issues, including obesity, medical issues, lack of high school education or criminal records.

These standards serve two essential purposes.  They help ensure that those entering the armed forces will be able to successfully complete their term of enlistment in what is one of the most physically demanding and arduous professions in America.  And these standards reduce the risk that military service will cause harm to enlistees. 

For example, an individual who wants to enlist but who has moderate asthma would be ruled ineligible, both because he may jeopardize an entire unit’s success by not being able to contribute at a critical moment, and also because—without access to proper medical treatment—he may become a casualty.