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The vast majority of American servicemembers will receive an Honorable characterization of their service upon the completion of that service. Probably on the order of 95%+…and perhaps as high as 98%.There are five characterizations of Service:Honorable,General (under Honorable conditions),Other than Honorable,Bad Conduct,Dishonorable.Plus one “uncharacterized” category:Entry Level Separation.Just as the vast majority of separations from service are honorable characterizations, i.e., an “honorable discharge,” the vast majority of those servicemembers will be in remarkably good health, and their “final physicals” will not show much, if anything, in the way of “findings” or other medical issues that deserve discussion by the physician and dentist who must sign off on the final physicals of all separating servicemembers.However…this is not say that they don’t have issues. Consider these points:Longevity: or perhaps “longitudinal” if you prefer…Many servicemembers incur injuries and/or illnesses while in the service, but they are often long-forgotten or ignored through the remainder of their service, and either not commented upon at all on the final physical or dismissed by the doctor (or dentist) as “Yes, I see the scar or the missing tooth or read the medical records about the persistent cough 4 years ago but he hasn’t complained about it recently, so he is “FIT FOR DUTY.”” Which in this context means, “I see no reason to keep him on active duty or in his reserve capacity just for this illness/injury, we will not convene a medical board to process him under the disability evaluation system (DES), and we will not place him on “medical hold” to prevent his separation at the regularly scheduled date…”But over time, sometimes immediately after separation, or sometimes a lifetime later, an injury or illness — possibly truly humble in origin and without impact on their actual service — may begin to affect the “industrial capacity” of the veteran in some way…meaning in layman’s terms that something hurts, won’t bend or move, results in pain, causes suffering, or otherwise in some manner, even if only slightly, the ability of that veteran to perform work.These are called “service-connected conditions” by the VA, once they are identified, reported to the VA, and run through the VA’s claims process for disability.The longer a veteran lives, the more likely they are to have some type of illness or injury that impacts their ability to work in some fashion (whether great or small), and that either is the same illness/injury incurred while in the service, or is secondary to a service illness/injury, meaning it is something different but was the result (more likely than not) of the body’s responses to a service injury.Ignorance: and not in a mean-spirited way, either. It is very possible to complete military service without even knowing you were injured (or ill) during (or as a result of…the same thing) active or inactive training duty service. Many orthopedic injuries take time to become painful. Cancers and other illnesses take time to grow. Mental and emotional disorders take time to manifest.Willfully Failing to Disclose the Injury/Illness: this is more common than some might think. In fact, it’s downright common. “Little” injuries (or illnesses) are just “pushed through,” and not treated or reported to medical personnel. Servicemembers do “self-medication” with alcohol and/or over the counter meds, pay for their own treatment (say with a chiropractor, of which there are virtually none in the military treatment system), or just suffer through in silence. Why?The Services have a macho culture, so reporting your little “owies” and “boo-boos” is discouraged. Some more, some less, but in general, “big boys and girls” don’t cry.Spending time (or finding time) to even go to the doctor is sometimes difficult, or going to follow up appointments where more accurate diagnostics are applied (like specialty appointments, radiology/x-ray/CT/MRI’s, etc.), ensuring continuity of care through various unit and other health professionals over time and space as the servicemember moves around from base to base, unit to unit, is deployed and returns, etc.And the biggest reason: many servicemembers are just more afraid of the consequences of reporting their “owie” or “boo-boo” — even when it might seriously impair their (current) military work or competence (or future civilian work), and even endanger themselves and their comrades at work — than they are of the “owie” or “boo-boo” itself.Failure of the Medical System to Follow Through: another common problem. More common than many might think. Some unit and base (and off-base civilian) medical professionals might not be so competent and diligent with their paperwork and follow through for those military patients who do bring their “owies” and “boo-boos” to the attention of the medical system.Every single visit to any medical professional should be recorded thoroughly in that servicemember’s health records (whether medical or dental or optical or any other provider including specialists, radiology procedures, surgeries, exams, etc.). And I am talking specifically about their military health records, not just “some” records in-house to that provider.Health notes, results of procedures, testing, labs, and exams OFTEN are not fully completed AND placed properly in the correct date and format within the military health record for each individual.Those health records that are created by civilian providers, even when authorized and funded by the military TRICARE network medical contractor (or the former dental contractor Delta Delta) are especially at risk of not being properly transferred — in full and in the proper format and in a timely manner — to be reviewed by the servicemember’s primary care provider (medical, mental health, or dental), or specialists (as necessary).Even within the military system, visits to different medical professionals on different bases, at different military hospitals and clinics (especially when deployed), are often not forwarded, filed properly, recorded, reviewed, and acted upon in a timely manner.Let’s return to the main question here: why would a US servicemember have an honorable discharge and still be 100% physical fit.Given the above points of discussion, let’s close it up:1 - It is most likely that any given US servicemember will have their service characterized as “honorable,” and they will receive the necessary documentation and records to prove it (typically a DoD-wide standardized form called the “DD-214” discharge/separation document).2 - It is quite possible that a US servicemember may serve out their required time and not have any apparent injuries/illnesses recorded, or currently afflicting them, at the time of their separation/discharge.3 - But — in my experiences of over 30 years of close association with Marines and the necessary processes and procedures for their personnel administration, service/health/dental records, DES processing, medical holds/separations/retirements — the majority of those Marines and other servicemembers do, in fact, have “owies” and “boo-boos” that should have been reported, diagnosed, treated, recorded, and followed through by both the servicemember AND their health providers (whether military or civilian, physical or mental health, or dental/optometry or other specialty).4 - Which leaves us with my personal take on the Question, and my Answer:“While there may be circumstances that result in a US servicemember receiving an honorable discharge/separation/retirement and have them appear to be 100% physically fit and able — and they may in fact be so, or their records may say so, and their final physical exam may say so — the REALITY is that most of them will already have something wrong with them…whether big or small, and either is already bothering them (even if they don’t realize it) or they fully understand what it is and have generally chosen to ignore it. Like most people around the world…when you are young you don’t want to be bothered by the bunion or plantar fasciitis or Achilles tendon that never seems to heal, or the headaches, or the GI tract issues that never really seem to go away, or the skin conditions that seem to come and go on a random basis…Thus, they are not really “100% physically fit and able,” they only appear to be so.This distinction may seem very fine, academic, and even arbitrary and yet…ask any US servicemember recently discharged (whether for honorable or not characterization of service, as that is generally irrelevant to the question of physical fitness for duty and “industrial capacity” in the civilian workplace), whether they have ANY scars, lingering aches and pains, mental health considerations, or other ailments, conditions, or illnesses that were first encountered while in the service, or have been aggravated by their service, and you will find that virtually NO servicemembers have NONE, NOTHING, ZERO…they may still say they don’t, but the reality is that most of them already have some issues bothering them, and many of those issues will indeed get worse over their lifetimes, and some of those issues will end up crippling, killing, or severely limiting those servicemembers over time. Just as their civilian friends and family will eventually have medical issues, whether from their jobs or no reasons at all…It is a condition of life: as we grow older, our own “owies” and “boo-boos” tend to build in intensity, whether incurred during or aggravated by military service. And when we once were invincible and bullet proof and the paragon of health and constitution, later on — and it’s only a matter of when — the truth of the matter is often revealed: something, and sometimes that “something” is the direct result of military service, hurts us or makes us sick.Most US servicemembers are highly fit and able upon discharge, but not all, and of those that seem to be, or claim to be, 100% fit and able, most of them are not truly at 100%…there is already something medically diagnosed, in their medical records, that makes them “not 100%,” even if they may appear to be so.”Cheers,