Aspie joining National Guard, thoughts?

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but not if the "routine" is punctuated at unpredictable intervals, with sheer terror.

Not sure about the Guard, but I looked it up and Aspergers was definately a disqualifying medical condition in the Active duty military. I say 'was' because the Aspergers term & diagnosis no longer exsists in the US medical system and people with that old diagnosis are now grouped more generally in the Autistic Spectrum. I am not up on the new names and such. You are allowed to apply for a waiver and still possibly get in, but it is supposedly not easy to get. I would think with your JROTC and other accomplishments you could make a strong application for a waiver, but I wouldn't get my hopes up because it is just a very difficult waiver to get.

As far as how you would fare in the military there were quite a few very pertinant comments above. The service you pick and the job you get (and be sure to go in with a guarenteed job if you do) are very important. You may find the general organization and methodology of the military goes along fairly well with Aspergers. But you will have to be able to always do whatever you are told and in any sized group and be able to function with anyone. Once you get past the initial training phases you will eventually have routine stable periods inbetween more intense events such as deployments. The service and job you choose are a big factor in how much you can expect to deploy, and many jobs do not deploy frequently.

Basically you will have be confident that you can do anything that an NT can do. You don't have to excell, just have to be able to always complete the task. There can not be anything normally expected in your service and specialty that you can not do because you have Aspergers. And yes, some DI or TI is inevitably gonna get right in your face and scream bloody murder for making some mistake. It happens to nearly everyone at least once or twice. But if you stay focused on just doing what they tell you to do, it won't happen a lot. And if it does happen just concentrate on correcting whatever it is they want done. Once you do it like they want it, they move on to yell at somebody else.

I would say, if you want it badly, that is what you really want to do, then go for it. That desire to succeed and wanting to be there will normally be all you need to get thru it. But you have to be the type that doesn't have meltdowns.

i was autistic [high functioning/high intelligence] and schizotypal when i was inducted into the army, due to a waiver granted upon examination by civilian psychiatrist who filled out waiver documentation for me. of course, that first day in the reception center made me curse the day i was born. and that was before basic training!

That's a personal opinion not a reason someone with AS, would not wanna fight.

The military is only for a small fraction of the total population nt or not.

I have a buddy who loves the military goes well with his AS.

His lack of empathy, and machine like consistency is what gets him through when his nt counterparts melt.

Obviously it's not a very good summer job, but if it's a serious interest I would suggest it as a rather valid option.


On a side note I do have to mention, that although I believe in the war in Afghanistan I can't misrepresent that the war in Iraq is a war crime from my perspective.

It's listed as an automatic disqualifer with no medical waiver (even Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not otherwise specified is an automatic disqualifier).

I was just curious.

It's a disqualifier in the American military. What about the Canadian military? I don't have any intention of joining I just want to know.

It says "That disabilities aren't automatic disqualifiers, but they will get reviewed." Believe it or not, Bipolar Disorder is not an Automatic disqualifier in the Canadian Forces which indicates that they are more lenient.

I can't emphasize the importance of research enough. Go to a recruitment center near you and explore your options. It's a big commitment and you don't want to regret it. Speaking with a recruiter and asking questions may help you sort out whether it's right for you or not.