MEDICAL SEPARATION AMONG CAREERISTS

Abstract

The last 10 years have presented the Marine Corps with the challenge of continuous deployments to hostile environments at an unprecedented rate. This study examines the correlation between deployment tempo and medical separation rates for Marines who have shown an intention to remain in the Service by reenlisting past their first term. It does so by comparing the probability of medical separation for careerists relative to other causes of separation. The data comes from the Marine Corps Total Data Force Warehouse. Interaction effects were measured using a Linear Probability Model and probit estimations. Key variables in my study are gender, a 9/11 partition, and the number of deployments. Medical separations are defined as acute sources, such as loss of limb, degenerative sources such as back pain and other long-term ailments, and medical retirements. Among those separated, I find that the increased deployment tempo in the post- 9/11 era leads to decreases in medical separation rates, particularly among those with two or more deployments. There is also a notable additional decrease in medical separation for female Marines who have deployed.