He pitched military service with a promise of lifetime healthcare. When he needed it, the system failed.

For more than a decade, Guy Shoemaker pitched military service to potential new recruits with one key promise: healthcare for life.“You’re going to have medical and dental for the rest of your life,” said Shoemaker, a retired Army sergeant first class and recruiter who spent a year in Afghanistan.

For more than a decade, Guy Shoemaker pitched military service to potential new recruits with one key promise: healthcare for life.

Subscribe to read this story ad-free

Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.

“You’re going to have medical and dental for the rest of your life,” said Shoemaker, a retired Army sergeant first class and recruiter who spent a year in Afghanistan. “I used that phrase too many times.”

That promise held up when Shoemaker, 64, of Fort Worth, Texas, was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2021. TRICARE — the military’s healthcare program for active service members, retirees and their families — covered the chemotherapy, radiation and years of follow-up care that helped him eat and speak again.