Any advice on joining the US Army

[joe2006]

I was filling out several applications over the internet and one of those applications was for a computer technician job in the US Army. A few minutes after I submitted my application, the army called me and told me I had to join the military in order to get the job. I told them I was thinking about joining the army and they said I would have to pass some kind of an aptitude test and go through basic training in order to join. They already sent me one of the required tests and I completed it. Does anybody have any advice that could help me be successful in the army?

 

[Isadoorian]

I'm looking to join the CAF (Canadian Forces) myself at some point in the future, and the #1 thing I recommend, is you be in ABSOLUTE tip top shape (like, strength and endurance wise, quit smoking, etc) and practice any parts of the Basic Training and movements (turn right, turn left, about turn, marching, etc.) you can. It will help you in the long run, especially during the Obstacle Courses where you'll be expected to lift yourself up over walls and also helping your fellow Squad Members, Team Work is also to be expected.

I know in Basic Training for the CAF they do 3K Marches than 5K Marches as well. This is also done w/ all your gear, approximately 55 pounds worth.

This will naturally be quite different for the US
I suspect.

Try and see if there's any videos detailing what's to be expected.

You will also be yelled/screamed at and generally be tossed around like a pebble in a tin can. You must also have an aptitude to adapt to situations quickly and effectively.

You'll also be subject to a Medical Test as well, and may have to provide a copy of your medical history. (At least I know that's how it is for the CAF, though the US Army is surely similar)

Also, @WittyAspie was in the US Army, so he may have some more insight for what to expect

 

[Judge]

Well, to do much of anything of a specialized nature in the military will depend on how well you scored on the Armed Service Vocational Aptitude Test. With a minimum score of 31 just to get in.

Beyond that you have to pass their physical medical exam. Being on the spectrum of autism will put you under scrutiny, but may not necessarily disqualify you from serving. I suspect that you'll likely have to demonstrate an ability to work and live with others well. Not always an easy proposition for those of us on the spectrum.

Military.com has a very good outline of what the military expects of any potential recruits, so you might want to spend time on their site:

Eligibility Requirements

 

[clg114]

I was in the U S Army, but back in those days men did not have a choice. You joined or got drafted. I got out in 1967, so I am sure that things have changed a lot since then. However, there is one thing that I do not believe has chanced. The military life is not a good place for Aspies. I did not like living with a bunch of other men or having someone yelling at you all the time. It is like constant sensory overload and almost no privacy. I know that I would not have joined if I would had a choice.

 

[Derp]

You actually cant currently serve in the US armed forces if you have an Autism diagnosis.

 

[Ken S.]

You actually cant currently serve in the US armed forces if you have an Autism diagnosis.

If you even take ADHD medications and do not have ASD it disqualifies you from US military service these days.

 

[Judge]

You actually cant currently serve in the US armed forces if you have an Autism diagnosis.

To my knowledge this issue remains "fluid" with the doctors who exam prospective candidates for military service. That such considerations are entirely on an individual and subjective basis these days.

I cannot find any official source that objectively rules out military service based solely on a candidate being on the spectrum of autism. If this is not the case, by all means please post an official Defense Department source indicating this.

 

[Ken S.]

To my knowledge this issue remains "fluid" with the doctors who exam prospective candidates for military service. That such considerations are entirely on an individual and subjective basis these days.

I cannot find any official source that objectively rules out military service based solely on a candidate being on the spectrum of autism. If this is not the case, by all means please post an official Defense Department source indicating this.

Here is the list straight from the US Military.
Medical Conditions That Can Keep You From Joining the Military
Read from Neurological Disorders through
Neurotic, Anxiety, Mood, Somatoform, Dissociative, or Factitious Disorders.

 

[Judge]

Here is the list straight from the US Military.
Medical Conditions That Can Keep You From Joining the Military
Read from Neurological Disorders through
Neurotic, Anxiety, Mood, Somatoform, Dissociative, or Factitious Disorders.

I went through that list before posting the same link. I saw nothing conclusive relative to Autism Spectrum Disorder within the neurological subcategory that could objectively disqualify a candidate for military service. It would seem to me that any analysis of these conditions relative to Autism Spectrum Disorder would be subjectively assessed purely on an individual basis. That ultimately it's up to the medical doctors examining the person in question.

Is the door open to such a candidate? Yes, but it isn't wide open, either. Be compliant and helpful to the doctor examining you. Where one on the spectrum just has to let the process play out to see if they can make it to boot camp with no guarantee.

One thing for sure though. Military service just isn't for everyone. It's neither a job or an adventure, but rather an incredibly serious commitment.

 

[Ken S.]

@Judge,
You are right in that it doesn't explicitly say anything about aspergers. It does list many of the problems people on the spectrum face & being under the care of a psychiatrist. Back in the days before it was a common diagnosis it wasn't really considered. I served in the USMC from Feb 1981 through June 1984 then I was discharged for behavioral issues. It isn't easy being an aspie in the military but I did learn many things & had some unique adventures. If I had it to do over again I would have joined the Air Force.

 

[Judge]

@Judge,
You are right in that it doesn't explicitly say anything about aspergers. It does list many of the problems people on the spectrum face & being under the care of a psychiatrist. Back in the days before it was a common diagnosis it wasn't really considered. I served in the USMC from Feb 1981 through June 1984 then I was discharged for behavioral issues. It isn't easy being an aspie in the military but I did learn many things & had some unique adventures. If I had it to do over again I would have joined the Air Force.

You bring up a very valid point. The possibility of one being reassessed while being in military service and subsequently discharged. That's also something one can read about online as well. Something for anyone on the spectrum to be mindful of even if they make it past medical examiners.

My cousin served in the Marine Corps as well. Although never diagnosed, I'm certain he's on the spectrum as well. He did very well as an aviation mechanic. And very badly when his CO told him he had to do the proverbial stint as a recruiter. Requiring social skills he never had. His solution? He struck his CO. No joke.

Oddly enough I nearly enlisted into the Air Force. Just decided that I had spent enough time as a dependent, literally growing up in the military as my father was a career naval officer and Annapolis graduate. Funny to recall that my father thought I would do well in the military, while my mother thought the opposite.

Always thought that Mom was closer to the truth.

 

[Ken S.]

@Judge Yup that was the exact "Behavioral Problem" I was referring to.

 

[Judge]

@Judge Yup that was the exact "Behavioral Problem" I was referring to.

Really? You threw a punch at an officer? And they simply discharged you?

My cousin was discharged too, but only after serving a number of years in the brig.

Being subject to military law...a very different dynamic compared to what civilians get.

 

[All-Rounder]

If you will start training for exams to get in be careful about the exercises you do. My friend [met him on this site] has injured his shoulder badly due to doing exercises wrong and only one type of exercises, he tore his muscle before exams.

 

[Crossbreed]

Does anybody have any advice that could help me be successful in the army?

If you have an formal diagnosis (and they find out about it), they will not let you join.

Recruiters see your aptitude scores and either will not broach the subject or try to cover it up because they get points (of some kind) for high-tech recruits.

 

[Judge]

If you have an formal diagnosis (and they find out about it), they will not let you join.

You won't find that in any documentation involving eligibility requirements. Can you cite an official online source to the contrary?

To my understanding based on existing eligibility requirements, such scrutiny done by medical doctors occurs strictly on an individual basis as to whether or not one on the spectrum is eligible for military service.

 

[Crossbreed]

Can you cite an official online source to the contrary?

They told my children that as they were enlisting. Not only ASDs, but ADHD, too.

The easiest way to confirm that is to out yourself early in the process.

 

[Judge]

They told my children that as they were enlisting. The easiest way to confirm that is to out yourself early in the process.

"Your children".

OK, on a case-by-case basis they were deemed unsuitable. It can happen.

However that doesn't default to an objective policy that any and every applicant that may be on the spectrum of autism is excluded. You see the difference?

It also may depend on how one approaches a military recruiter. Though they are not in a capacity to really dictate one's suitability on strictly medical grounds either. That remains a decision for a military physician in a formal medical examination.

Not to mention that we do have a few members who have served. Perhaps they will weigh in on this thread as well.

 

[Crossbreed]

"Your children".

None of mine (four) were so disqualified. My daughter had a childhood dx of ADHD, but withheld that info and went off of her meds.

You see the difference?

Outing oneself early would remove all question.

 

[Judge]

None of mine (four) were so disqualified. My daughter had a childhood dx of ADHD, but withheld that info and went off of her meds.

Outing oneself early would remove all question.

Indeed, ADHD will disqualify one from military service. That much is mentioned in formal eligibility requirements, along with a few other comorbid considerations.

Though not everyone on the spectrum has ADHD either. It all comes down to specifics on an individual basis. Considerations which if not explicitly excluded, likely warrant assessment by a medical professional, and not a recruiting sergeant.

These are all things the OP must consider when contemplated the prospect of joining the military. And to accept that there are no guarantees one way or another. That you will be under added scrutiny. But there appears no objective reason not to try either, unless in fact he does have comorbid conditions that would explicitly exclude him.