Bosun117's Story

Bosun117, a member on WrongPlanet.com, contributed their AS story. Thank you for the story and I hope that things are alright for you now. I'm sorry for all of the difficulties you've had and hope that things will improve. It's not wrong being different and some people need to start to recognize that. Good luck with everything x


"I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome back in my sophomore year of high school, when I was about 16. Even before then, I'd long suspected that something made unique from my peers. I'd struggled for a long time with judging proximity, tending to stare, and speaking softly, which sometimes got me into trouble (unintentionally) with my peers, particularly with members of the opposite sex. Whenever I wanted to talk to a girl that I had a interest in, I'd freeze up with terror, looking extremely awkward in the process. This, I thought, wasn't what it should be. Turns out I was right.

My struggles continued in college, when I entered Mass Maritime. In addition to issues judging proximity and speaking in a soft voice, my Aspergers caused me to be a reserved, cautious individual. This actually worked very well during my freshman (4/C) year, as it helped me stay out of the spotlight and, therefore, out of trouble. Unfortunately, this worked against me during my sophomore (3/C) year. In the spring semester of sophomore year, 3/C cadets are given the option of applying for Squad Leader positions. I applied, went through the whole program, and then ultimately wound up being DENIED the position that I'd applied for months earlier. When I asked my Company's XO why I'd been turned down, she mentioned how I was unpopular with the female cadets in the company for my tendency to stare, stand too close, and say too little (all of which fit the popular description of a "creep"), and that incoming cadets (the new freshman) might end up feeling the same way. Then I dropped the bomb on her that I had Asperger syndrome, and that all the reasons for which the girls hated me stemmed from it."

To this day, I remain without a formal leadership position within the Regiment of Cadets.