"It doesn't really affect me," Kreamer said. "That's why it (being disqualified from the Air Force) bothers me so much."

Kimber's exclusion has troubled her family. She would be a third-generation member of the Air Force.

"Here you got someone willing to go and serve her country," said Kimber's father, Gary.

"She cried her eyes out," he said.

The whole family was distraught, including Kimber's grandfather, who began serving in the Army Air Corps in 1946. He then served in the Air Force for more than 20 years. Her father served in the Air Force for four years.

Physical requirements for enlistment are essentially the same for all branches of the military, according to Master Sgt. Roberto Goyco, with the U.S. Air Force recruiting office in Mechanicsburg.

While the Air Force has the highest expectations for scores on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test, it tends to be more lax when it comes to overlooking legal transgressions, he said.

The Air Force also is more relaxed on medical issues such as knee surgeries, Goyco said. Other conditions, such as color blindness, would disqualify a person for certain jobs within the military.

With scoliosis, there is no wiggle room, he said.

Goyco said Kreamer may be able to work as a civilian for the military, but "as far as active duty, she would not be qualified for that."

"Different branches are willing to waiver different things, but for the most part, the standard is the same," he continued. "Scoliosis is pretty much standard across the board."

In just a few months, Kreamer will graduate from high school. And her concern about her future is growing. She hasn't applied to colleges because she was counting on joining the Air Force. And most of the deadlines for college admission are over.

"What am I going to do now?" she asked. "There has to be something else that I can do."

Kreamer has been meeting with recruiters from the Coast Guard and Navy, and is hoping they may provide her with other opportunities, although they were not her first choice.

"The Air Force is what I have wanted to do with my life for a very long time," she said. "It truly is my dream."