The military and aspergers

Post Reply New Topic

I did 20 years in the Navy.

It was NOTHING like I expected. The regimented lifestyle or mindset doesn't always exist. Someone earlier brought up surviving in a locker room environment, I think that's very apt. Promotion and discipline in the military are very much affected by how much people like you, and 'fake it 'til you make it' will only get you so far.

The USMC is probably the worst candidate for someone on the spectrum to do well out of the 4 (5) branches of US Military service. The level of stress put on those guys in boot camp is ridiculous. They break people and fit them to a mold. From what little I know about AS/ASD, that doesn't usually work to well for us.

I was in trouble over and over in my career, and my promotion stalled out before I was even at ten years because as you get to higher levels, interpersonal skills/relationships are more important than actually being good at the job.

So what would be the right steps to joining the Army. I have been talking with a doctor, and she said I can.. I have also done a lot of research on if some on can join the army with Aspergers it looks like it is a possibility!

I was in the Navy. I do not have AS, but I do have some traits. The regimented parts of it were very good for me. Prior to the Navy, I tried to go to college, but failed despite my high IQ. The structure of the Navy helped me complete my bachelor's degree while enlisted. It superimposed structure that I did not have when I first tried to live on my own.

But my point in posting here is that looking back, I knew more than one person while on AD who had AS. I didn't realize it at the time because I didn't know what AS was, but now that I know what it is, it was clear they had AS. They did very well. I am sure one of them has retired by now. If you can get the right designation, certain AS traits can actually be very beneficial/useful. Attention to detail is highly prized in the military. So is the ability to adhere to strict routine. I realize not every person on the spectrum has these traits, but many do.

I do agree that the USMC might be difficult for someone who is prone to emotional overload however. I worked in a hospital setting and some of the USMC recruits ended up there with various forms of mental breakdowns due to the stress of bootcamp. I have heard, however, that bootcamp is not as stressful as it used to be, at least not in the Navy. I hear they now have something called "training time out" that a recruit can call and the CO has to back off. Sounds great, I suppose, until you realize that if you can't handle a CO screaming in your face, how will you ever handle war? Not everyone is cut out to be in the military. Bootcamp should be the time to figure out, right off the bat, who isn't. If your son can make it through bootcamp (I found going into it with the understanding that the purpose of bootcamp is to break you of your individuality and to make you part of the collective whole, made it not so bad. I understood the purpose, it made sense to the desired outcome, so I just did it), then he might find a nice place for himself. While I have never regretted not reinlisting, I have never regretted enlisting either. It was a good place for me while I was there.

If you are like me and get stressed out amongst too many people around you, or if you "stim out" or "shut down" like some others here on the forums, then i would advice against signing up for a military position and going for a civilian position instead. There is plenty of work that needs to be done that does not require you to wear a uniform.

You also need some basic social skills to be able to interact with other people. You need to be able to deliver information clearly and concisely. You need to be able to follow rules, but still have great deal of integrity (you can still go to the union rep, or change position if you run into an as*hole or a psychopath - which you probably will sooner or later since the military attracts psychopaths, which is my experience.)

As for pure academical requirements, it varies depending on what type of job you do.

I think I may have answered this once before, but in Britain you have three shots at joining up, by which time and I mean the second you're starting to believe that logistics aren't for you.
There are many heated debates on money being spent wisely in our economy but no one is willing to keep our Naval ships in operation and I think its sad to see a sharp decline in the numbers of recruits and people getting laid off for no reason.

I did 10 years and one month in the RAF. I had bad problems with the people. I was in engineering as a technician. After a problem I had I was sent to 11 squadron for a year. They said that I would fit in as it was a squadron for people who were individuals like me. The guys were crazy and for the first time in my life I was accepted. They even asked if I wanted to stay at the end of my year.
I got a letter asking if I wanted to go to Porton Down. Luckily I met a guy who had been experimented on there and he had a strange twitch so I threw the letter away.
I hated most of my time in the military. I joined the shooting club and I got so good that I became a marksman. I had to lie in the grass on the Dutch/German border and shoot muslims from South Molucca. When I picked up my SLR 7.62 rifle they used to jolly us up by telling us to get the brown bunnies.
I learned to smoke and drink. I used to parachute at Weston on the Green. One day my parachute failed and I had to use the reserve. I didn't enjoy it after that - I realized that it could be dangerous. I then took up hanggliding and flew around the Mosel in Germany. That was beautiful.
The training I had helped me in later life when I bought a sailboat to find an island that wasn't inhabited in the Caribbean. I could strip the diesel engine down easily when it broke down.

I thought about joining the military at one time, lack of opportunity but mostly just to gain the respect and admiration that I see veterans get in this country. Nobody likes or cares about me so I figured maybe they would if I served. I do not believe I would ever be allowed to serve with the diagnosis I have, you can't omit that or else it is considered fraudulent enlistment which can get you dishonorably discharged and maybe courts martial + sent to military prison.

If the stress of basic ends up getting to you, causing Asperger's to rear its ugly head, you could end up getting kicked out for fraudulent enlistment, though it's rare that you would be prosecuted for it. Getting kicked out might take a while, as it's not instantaneous, and you could find yourself in basic training in limbo for a few weeks.

If you get kicked out in basic, though, you wouldn't get a dishonorable discharge. More likely you'd receive an uncharacterized entry-level separation.

Still, you don't wanna tempt it.

OP, he should not lie to the military about his diagnosis or omit his diagnosis from paperwork, no matter who tells him it's ok.

What kinds of accommodations does your son currently need? What are his sensory needs and aversions? What coping strategies has he developed to handle stress?

I don't think it's a good idea for anyone with a disability to enlist in the U.S. military. With other jobs, if you can't get the accommodations you need and rhe job is just not working out, you can quit and sue if needed; not so with the military.

I know you can get medical waivers but I'd honestly be surprised anybody with an official diagnosis being able to join the US military. If you're self diagnosed, you might be able to get by with plausible deniability but under no circumstances can you lie in your enlistment. Omitting something is the same as lying to them. There can be real serious consequences for fraudulently enlisting, a dishonorable discharge is something you have to wear around you neck the rest of your life.

Did you read the 5th post in this thread?

I was told that under no circumstances could I join any branch of the US military, its possible to get a waiver but don't count on it