Capt. Cody Kirlin, an F-15 pilot with the Louisiana Air National Guard, spent six years seeking recognition of neck injuries incurred in the line of duty after a 2019 deployment to Guam.
During a training sortie, he said he felt a “pop” in his neck while maneuvering with a helmet system designed to cue sensors in high-G environments. Subsequent pain and numbness led to a diagnosis of two herniated discs and a bulging disc after an MRI was finally conducted.
“I gave everything I had to try to serve this country and the Air Force,” Kirlin said in an interview with Los Angeles Times Media’s Straight to the Point. “And the minute I was unable to perform my duties… they tried to kick me out.”
Initial Determinations and a Later Reversal
Military records referenced in the interview show Kirlin’s commander initially determined the injuries were sustained in the line of duty, affirming they were connected to routine fighter operations. That designation is required for continued medical coverage and disability compensation.
When the case advanced to National Guard Bureau headquarters, however, the determination was changed. The reviewer concluded Kirlin’s symptoms had resolved and were later aggravated by a bike ride or commercial flying. Kirlin said those conclusions did not match his medical condition and, according to reporting by Air & Space Forces Magazine, the Air Force later admitted that one of the MRIs referenced in those conclusions did not exist.
The medical reviewer assigned to Kirlin’s file was an obstetrician/gynecologist rather than a neck or spine specialist. Kirlin said he received no explanation for that assignment.
Retired Air National Guard fighter pilot Jeremy Sorenson, who now assists service members with similar cases, told Straight to the Point he had seen comparable situations involving other medical conditions.
“I’ve seen at least a half dozen [cases] … none of them being OBGYN specialty conditions, mental health, spinal issues, and other physical health conditions,” Sorenson said.
In December 2024, a one-page memo reversed the prior National Guard denial and again determined Kirlin’s injuries were incurred in the line of duty. According to the interview, no new medical evidence had been added to the record before the reversal.
“Much like a one-page memo tried to deny me benefits, now a one-page memo tries to grant them back,” Kirlin said.
Kirlin’s case remains under review by a disability panel that will decide whether he will be medically retired from the National Guard. He has undergone two surgeries since the 2019 injury and said the process required significant time and expense.
“Very few” service members, he noted, have the resources to pursue such lengthy appeals.
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