chriswhite said:
Hi, my son has recently shown an interest in joining the royal air force, to my suprise after contacting them today i found out that he cannot join any of the armed forces due to his diabetes. I cannot understand why, in the 21'st century the armed forces cannot find a position in their organisation for diabetics, most of them lead a normal life and manage their diabetes very well so why should they be able to discriminate in this way. If anyone can help please let me know. Many thanks Darren.
I spent almost 12 years in the RAF, and I was aware of at least two diabetics. Both were diagnosed after joining. One was my old Warrant Officer and he was about 53, staying in on a 55 age engagment (Warrant Officers can stay in until age 55). He was allowed to remain in, but had certain restrictions, ie never allowed to leave the UK, not allowed to participate in exercises, and a whole load of stuff like that. He was T2.
The other was a chap who I did the discharge paperwork for, again a T2 diagnosed a couple fo years previous. he was a Corporal, who was allowed to serve out his engagement but was also banned from promotion etc, and similar restrictions to my WO.
I do feel that your comments above would start to provide a discrimination against any non diabetics in the RAF. Watch "WARZONE" on a Monday night on Channel 5, it features the RAF very heavily, in Afghanistan. I know people that in the last 4-5 years have done 3 sometimes 4 tours there, each one a minimum of 4 months, sometimes 6. Couple to this the requirment to staff locations in Kosovo, the Falklands etc.
If your son joined, (filling one of the perceived vacancies that the RAF has this financial year), he would not be allowed to serve in Afghanistan/ Iraq/Falklands/Kosovo etc. That means that those non-diabetics in the RAF will have their return tours come around that much more often. In essence what I'm saying is that it's not right for the RAF to create a post just to have a diabetic join up. That is different however if a service person is diagnosed during their service, they can continue to serve albeit with restrictions.
I can understand your frustrations that in this modern day and age, medical advances, DDA etc, your son is prevented from following his dreams, but as has been mentioned in other replies, ALL service personnel are first and foremost fighting personnel. Yes someone may be an aircraft mechanic who only ever sees a weapon twice per year (once on their weapons refresher training and then the other time when they maybe do a weekend on guard duty), but in places like Khandahar/Camp Bastion etc they are required to carry arms and carry out regular guard duties.
Because of the nature of operations out there, some personnel work 16-20 hour shifts, get about 8 hours standdown before returning to duty. The temperature is regularly 40 degress plus. The RAF Regiment go out and patrol/secure the air base perimeter for 4 days at a time, sleeping rough/in landrovers. It's quite obvious that any diabetics would really struggle to maintain their BG in tolerable ranges. Could the RAF rely on the safety of an aircraft where the diabetic engineer has just pulled a 16 hour shift to carry out a repair/equipment change between sorties, where the engineer only got a snack break, or eat something small like a piece of fruit while they worked????
I don't want this to sound negative or condescending in any way, it's just meant to point out some of the realities of modern military service.
That said I'm a Police officer now, (just over 7 years service), that last 4 of which have been as a diabetic. Initially diagnosed as T2 on oral meds etc, but was then moved onto insulin in June 2007.
Other than not being allowed to become a Firearms officer, or PSU (Police Support Unit - riot cops to the layman!!!!), I'm allowed to apply for any role I want, subject to a medical to show I'm maintaining good BG control.