Also says he graduated from high school. Should be good enough to serve his country.
I mean, c'mon! What do we expect every recruit to be a freakin' Rhodes Scholar? Everybody knows that autism diagnoses are given out to practically any young boy who can't sit still in class.
Forrest Gump seemed to do pretty well in the army!
This was continuously documented for 16 years. Try to find a family doctor who will stick around for a quarter as long.
Graduated from high school - from special ed classes. I would expect every recruit to be able and willing to stand at attention - to receive, understand and carry out his sergeant's orders. That's not being a Rhodes scholar, but a non-negotiable minimum.
No, you are thinking about ADD, Attention Deficit Disorder. Autism is a horse of a different color. Someone with ADD could probably handle the job of being a Cav Scout, but I don't believe an autistic person could.
Not only would it be making pure cannon fodder out of him, but it would also be making cannon fodder of those around him, that were depending on him to be 100% on the job.
The recruiter demonstrated a callousness towards this young man, but he also demonstrated callousness and indifference to anyone who might have to serve in combat with him. Would you want someone who was autistic to be manning the gun turret of your humvee in a combat zone? I wouldn't.