Am thinking of joining US Naval Reserves ( or Coast Guard )

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Like it says , I am thinking of trying to join the Reserves of either the US Navy or Coast Guard .
I am at , vis the NR , the absolute upper age of eligibility , going by what they list on their site . ( However , too , they give waivers , at times , as well . )
Frankly , I am hoping that a good score on the written test is what would get me in - That , and the San Francisco area isn't the best military-recruiting area in the US , recruiters have quotas to fill...I assume my Aspie-ness might make me good at filing/alphabetizing/mumbering things - even swabbing , cleaning , painting , I imagine I might go in , if I do , as a basic Seaman .

Wouldn't being on the autism spectrum automatically disqualify you? Not that I would join right now anyway, seeing as there's some wars going on.

Can you survived swimming test and training? If not you shouldn't join the Coast Guard unless you like swimming.

Not to mention the cold and hot water....

Go for it.

I served active duty Air Force during the first Gulf War. I don't regret it.

Keep in mind that even though it's the Reserves or Coast Guard, during wartime a soldier is still a soldier, no matter what they tell you. I knew a kid that joined the Reserves not too long ago, and within a few months of training they sent him to Kuwait, then Iraq not too long after that. You may already know they can send you wherever they want during wartime, just thought I'd warn you.

Military Service is a good thing to do. I am glad I did it.

You're not a Soldier in the Navy or Coast Guard. You be a Sailor! Arrrrrr!!

No one has to know. Its not like he's joining the Special Forces or something that requires a high-level security clearance. The military population is like a snapshot of the general population - all kinds of people are serving, with the exception of course of the overweight (gotta stay in shape) and the mentally ret*d, and of course the convicted felons.

I'm in the military (Army) and right now I'm getting counseling for my life-long issues which I've self-identified as ADHD and very, very likely Asperger's. The psychiatrist seeing me doesn't want to label me with any diagnosis that will go on paper and inhibit my career or future since he doesn't yet think its necessary. Even if I HAD been diagnosed, as long as I can do my job and perform my duties then there's no need to know.

...To start with , re: Mage , and Nomadic , no , I guess I wouldn't talk about it .
Frankly , I suppose AS could be seen by the military as " mental retardation " , too .
However , I have noted that MiliCom - a site that , though not officially military-affiliated , is quite pro-the military , advertises on WP ! !! !! !! !!

i would suggest coast guard... their officers don't have a stick up their butt... (sorry if i offended someone)

the coast guard treats their people more like family... and you normally stay closer to home, though there are overseas assignments... they are the ones that run intervention on drug boats down here in florida, they help stranded boats, they do all sorts of cool stuff...

now there have been a couple of threads on this, but AS may or may not be a disqual for the military... so i would suggest a don't ask don't tell policy... it isn't under mental retardation more like can your team members feel like they can trust you ... social integration...

I wasn't around enough Mud Duck Officers to make a valid comparison so I'm not offended. But that line ^^ is hilarious. The majority of Officers in my Squadron were actually pretty nice. I can see were smaller Commands might create more camaraderie.

...Yes , I realize that .
I d believe:
(1) The Navy has had very little role in the present Iraq/etc. war
(2) To such extent that it has , it hasn't really involved much situations where there's real chance of being shot/bombed at ( As opposed to an Active Duty situation 200/100 miles from the war area . ) . (3) To the extent that Navy personell would be sent there , I think that it would tend to be full-timers...Who , say , are stationed at a base here in the States , which would leave me filling in there !
However , YES , it is a bargain I would be signing , and , if I was fairly sent to battle , I would go - That's the bargain - Besides which , I could hardly do otherwise in such a sit. , could I ?????????

...When I commented about this military-oriented site that has adv'd here , the policy wouldn't let me put up their full name ! !! !!
I am at the upmost age given in the " How Old Are You ? " in the Naval Reserve's web site , tho I think that's for " previous service " , and , actually , I believe Recruiters have lots of power to give waivers .
I assume that maybe?? the CG demands somewhat younger , better-conditioned people - ( Since everyone , essentially , is taught rescueing-from-drowning training , which I don't believe would be the case in the Navy . ) Can someone point me to the rules of the CG-CGR ?
Actually , there are some health issues with me that I might have to fuzz over/hope the recruiter wants to be fuzzed over - I am fairly heavy , for one .

...I'll ask you since you're in the Services now...How should I act with the recruiter ?
At this point , I've made a app't 2B picked up tomorrow ( The 'cruiter is in Daly City , just outside of S. F....) tom'w .
I should make a good impression , obviously .
I have thought that , if one is asked " Why do you want to join ? " , one should NOT just say " noble " things , such as " I just want to help people , Sir . " , one should , too , mention wanting the educational benefits ( I don't know that there's all that many anymore but I think one should say it anyway ! !! ) , too , or you'll seem " un-natural " , there ...
I am assuming that , if I can get to the written test , I could - hopefully - score well enough .
Is there some " Sample Written Test " somewhere on the Web ?
Not cheating - just a " type of questions/typical " thing .

...I guess this " How do I act ' normal ' ????? " shows how Aspie I is , um ?????????

You don't have to say anything! Ha! Its not like its a job interview where what you say has any real impact on being hired. Its the military - pass the test (oh and any ret*d can pass the ASVAB), be in decent shape, and get through basic training and you're in. There isn't much more to that. Just try to relax, go easy on the stimming in front of him (people still mistake that for being nuts) and be yourself.

Be warned: I can't comment on how the Coast Guard does it, but in the Army, Basic Training was NOT about alone time at all. If you're a hyper-sensitive Aspie then it could suck. Be prepared to be around people all the time for quite a few weeks, maybe months depending on your job training. Rooming with people, etc etc. I remember my roomate at my first AIT used to like to get up real close in conversation, as well as arguments - I had to yell at him to back the *#$% off once when I couldn't take it anymore. I got used to it and had to deal. I DID like the structure and routine of Basic Training...it was kinda serene, not having to plan my day out one bit myself...