Aspie bf joining the army

Post Reply New Topic

I wasn't sure what forum to post this in...but it kind of fits here ha
anyways my bf is going into basic in a few months and I was wondering if there were any other aspie (guys or girls) that have been though it? I'm really worried about him really..I know he doesn't do well with people yelling at him and stuff. I know there's a lot of physical torment going on but is there going to emotional too? Will he come back different??? I'm really scared he's going to come back a completely person or like all cold or something. It's not that bad is it?

Last edited by aspiegf2012 on 10 Jul 2013, 2:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Same reason I never joined the Military out of the same fear of becoming a cold hearted person! Esspecially Infantry etc.

I'm an aspie who served for four years in naval intelligence. If he's a macho type he should do okay, though I will admit it was very hard on me due to sensory issues and such.

As far as basic, the physical is actually less than the workouts one would get in high school sports. The mental is a different issue, though it might have changed since I was in (80-84). The whole point of basic is to teach recruits that they aren't individuals anymore, but a part of a team. And everything is geared toward that end.

It's nothing that will intrinsically harm anybody, as countless millions of people have gone through it. The worst that might happen is that he can't take it and will be discharged. I wouldn't worry about it changing who he is though.

It's a possibility to consider.

I'm in the military and it hasn't changed me one bit. After six years, I'm still a big loner and I play video games and grow flowers at my house and my best friend is my dog and my bunny haha. There are a lot of different jobs in the military that don't involve killing people lol so he doesnt have to become cold hearted. The only problem I have is with inferior leadership and with working with idiots sometimes. I personally am not a big fan of the army but to each his own.

I was in the army during the middle 80s, and it just made me meaner but it didn't fundamentally change my aspieness. the meanerness was in reaction to being continually shat upon by my fellow dogfaces. that would make ANYBODY meaner!

That's weird... I checked with my recruitment center and they said they don't allow aspies in any field! (as in Army, Navy, Air force and Marines)

my shrink came to the recruiter's office and submitted a mental health waiver, which was allowable in the 80s.

[quote="arnoldmcguire335"]That's weird... I checked with my recruitment center and they said they don't allow aspies in any field! (as in Army, Navy, Air force and Marines)[/quote

The reason I got in was at that time nobody had ever heard of AS.

As far as today goes, this is one of the reasons I advise younger aspies against getting a formal diagnosis if they can avoid it. Without a formal diagnosis, as far as the military is concerned, you don't have AS, as they do not recognize self-diagnoses.

That explains, and why currently those with mental disorders are banned from being in the armed forces.

^^^
too bad that doesn't preclude the possibility of military service causing mental disorders to develop later on while on duty in theatre.