Martial Arts Legend Bruce Lee Was Once Rejected by the U.S. Military

There were very few things Bruce Lee hadn’t mastered in martial arts. And yet, the legendary fighter worked obsessively to shape himself into the perfect martial artist. There have been many lores about him, tales that people are often in awe of, such as he was faster than the camera, or that he practiced martial arts even during his regular chores. While they remain embedded in people’s minds, one of the lesser-discussed facts about Lee is his rejection from the US military. It’s not because of something he did, or didn’t follow. Instead, it was primarily because of his medical conditions.

While some sources suggest that it’s one condition, others hint at multiple conditions that may have prevented Lee from joining the military. Let’s delve into the lesser-known aspect of the man’s life.

The medical condition(s) that prevented Bruce Lee to join the army

Just as Bruce Lee was starting to build his career in the US, American involvement in the Vietnam War reached its peak. The Vietnam War started in 1955 and wasn’t over until two decades later. The system of conscription in the Vietnam War made many American youths enlist themselves, and Lee was part of it. He wanted to join the army and rigorously trained for it but didn’t make it.

Several reasons have come forth for Lee’s rejection, and it had to do with his medical condition. While it is speculated that he had an undescended testicle that stopped his enlistment, it has never been substantiated. However, Bruce Lee also had poor eyesight. This was another one of those facts that he hardly spoke about and people found it hard to believe due to his near-perfectness in martial artistry.

Read More | ?Went With Lighter Weights?: Bruce Lee Received Bodybuilding Tips From His Martial Arts Students, Revealed in His Biography

But Lee suffered from near-sightedness and that became a major obstruction to his joining the military. Several instances from his life hint at the fact that he used to wear contact lenses, but gave up on them later since they were uncomfortable. He then wore large-sized ‘coke-bottle’ goggles.

The afflictions that troubled Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee’s condition is not a rare one by any means. More than 40% of Americans suffer from Myopia, and for Lee, it was detrimental to his military plans. However, he never stopped pursuing what he loved doing. And that was martial arts. Lee’s career in Hollywood was also thriving around the same time, and with Enter the Dragon, he reached a new high.

Unfortunately, right around the peak of his career in Hollywood, the ‘Little Phoenix’s’ life was cut short. It wasn’t his prevailing medical conditions, but instead, he had seizures and headaches on the sets of his last film where he suddenly collapsed. One other theory that floats around as to why Lee didn’t join the military, is because he was a Chinese citizen. But there is no evidence for that theory.

Watch This Story: ?The Real Reason Why Bruce Lee Had His Armpit Sweat Glands Removed