Military Aspies/Auties

[midlife aspie]

I was a Marine for 6 years 1993-1999. Boot camp was tough because I seem to have auditory processing issues. After training I had a lot of trouble fitting in, and because I knew my issues would eventually cause me greater grief as I rose in rank, I bailed at the end of my hitch. I did manage to snag a NAM though!

 

[clg114]

I understand that a country needs a military to protect itself and it's interests. I also respect and am grateful to the men and women in our armed forces. I just do not think that it is a good place for someone on the spectrum and I am speaking from personal experience.

"Ours is not to reason why, Ours is to do or die."

This means that it is your job is to do what you are told, without hesitation or asking why. This is how a good military force works. It is necessary. It also means that you will be required to do things that are not logical or make any sense at all. It might make sense in the big picture, but you are not told why. Just that you must do it. Clearly, this is not a good place for us.

 

[Crossbreed]

I just do not think that it is a good place for someone on the spectrum and I am speaking from personal experience.

I'd be interested if we had some kind of Aspie Corps, like the Israelis have.

Autism and ADD are being screened out in today's military, but there are things that we could do, if they would be willing to accommodate us.

 

[WittyAspie]

Perhaps I am the outlier here but one of the things that I found most difficult about the Army was the lack of predictability. Theoretically it is a structure with clear expectations, but I never knew what to expect day to day. It seemed like no one ever knew what was going on. Some days we worked out tails off, other times we sat and did nothing for hours. Either way we rarely got home at a reasonable hour. I was never able to plan anything because the Army couldn’t figure out what it was trying to accomplish. The Army’s inability to plan is one of the top five things I disliked about serving.

Other things I disliked in no particular order are: wearing dress blues, dealing with Finance and S1, lack of leadership accountability, rarely accomplishing tasks in a way that made sense, and a lack of expertise in regards to training. When I say “lack of expertise” I mean that no one ever seemed to know what they were doing. Almost every time I took a class or learned a task it was taught by someone who was clearly an amateur. It seemed like every time my unit did something it was the first time anyone had ever done it so we wasted copious amounts of time not knowing what to do.

I do not regret serving because it is an honorable thing to do and it afforded good benefits to my family, but I am so glad to be out. I would not recommend it to anyone who is bothered by leadership that insists on operating in an illogical manner.

 

[clg114]

Perhaps I am the outlier here but one of the things that I found most difficult about the Army was the lack of predictability. Theoritically it is a structure with clear expectations, but I never knew what to expect day to day. It seemed like no one ever knew what was going on. Some days we worked out tails off, other times we sat and did nothing for hours. Either way we rarely got home at a reasonable hour. I was never able to plan anything because the Army couldn’t figure out what it was trying to accomplish. The Army’s inability to plan is one of the top five things I disliked about serving.

Other things I disliked in no particular order are: wearing dress blues, dealing with Finance and S1, lack of leadership accountability, rarely accomplishing tasks in a way that made sense, and a lack of expertise in regards to training. When I say “lack of expertise” I mean that no one ever seemed to know what they were doing. Almost every time I took a class or learned a task it was taught by someone who was clearly an amateur. It seemed like every time my unit did something it was the first time anyone had ever done it so we wasted copious amounts of time not knowing what to do.

I do not regret serving because it is an honorable thing to do and it afforded good benefits to my family, but I am so glad to be out. I would not recommend it to anyone who is bothered by leadership that insists on operating in an illogical manner.

What is the difference between the military and the Boy Scouts? The Boy Scouts have adult leaders..... Apologies to those who are serving, that is just how I feel about it.

 

[WittyAspie]

What is the difference between the military and the Boy Scouts? The Boy Scouts have adult leaders..... Apologies to those who are serving, that is just how I feel about it.

I think the problem is the ease of becoming an officer. A Bachelor’s degree is far too easy to obtain for that to be the standard of intelligence for leading service members in life and death situations. Back when only a handful of people were able to get college degrees that sort of standard made sense, but the bar needs to be raised now. There are a lot of unintelligent leaders making decisions that impact dozens, hundreds, even thousands of people. I served with some really smart people and some not so smart people. The smart ones were as often the people with no authority as the others were to be the ones with authority.

 

[MonolithImmortal]

Considering that I am absolutely a pacifist, I don't think military life would be for me in any way, shape, or form.

 

[Beguiling Orbit]

Timely book (or first chapter, anyway).

 

[Rayner]

I'm wanting to enlist in the Marine Corps as an 0311. I'm not sure how being on the spectrum would effect eligibility

 

[Crossbreed]

I'm not sure how being on the spectrum would effect eligibility

I am told that today's military will not accept known autistics.

 

[Rayner]

I've heard that too. I spoke to the recruiter and he said was unsure if it would or not.


QUOTE="Crossbreed, post: 558765, member: 14191"]I am told that today's military will not accept known autistics.[/QUOTE]