Was Jeffrey Dahmer In The Military? Comprehensive Story

Was Jeffrey Dahmer in the military? Here we go! They just can't get enough of the American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. A docuseries titled Conversations With a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes is set to premiere on October 7, and Netflix's recent limited series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story has been at the top of the streaming service's ratings for almost a week.

Dahmer committed 17 killings during his lifetime and went undetected for nearly a decade. Monster is a fictitious account of his crimes. His 14-to-33-year-old victims were often subjected to necrophilia, dismemberment, and even cannibalism during their brutal deaths.

However, during his lengthy murdering spree, Dahmer served in the military, a fact that many people are unaware of. In episode four of the limited series, the subject is covered as Dahmer brags about some of his killings during his military service. Dahmer was apprehended and given 15 consecutive life sentences at his 1992 trial; in 1994, fellow inmate Christopher Scarver beat him to death in prison.

#1. Was Jeffrey Dahmer In The Military?

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Dahmer served as a medic in the Army for three years, all of which were spent in Germany. According to The Cinemaholic and AP News, he served in the country from July 1979 to March 1981.

According to Newsweek, he enrolled at Ohio State University in June of 1978, just six weeks after committing his first murder (the 18-year-old Steven Hicks). He majored in business. Lionel Dahmer wanted his son to pursue further education, but after three months of classes, Dahmer decided to withdraw from the university. Later, Lionel urged his son to join the military, as reported by The Cinemaholic.

What Did Dahmer Serve In The Military?

According to The New York Times, Dahmer enlisted to serve with the military police; nevertheless, he was sent to a six-week medical specialist training course at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. This is according to The Cinemaholic. Jeffrey was performing health checks on patients as a military equivalent to a nurse's aide.

Later, in July of 1979, he was posted to Baumholder, West Germany, where he served as a combat medic with the 2nd Battalion, 68th Armored Regiment, 8th Infantry Division, as reported by The Cinemaholic. His first-year reviews indicated that he was an "average or slightly above average" soldier, as determined by the Distractify algorithm. Also here is information about Jeffrey Dahmer's Victim That Got Away: Tracy.

#2. Why Did He Get Kicked Out Of The Army?

Dahmer's drinking problem, which he reportedly developed as a young teen (according to Distractify), disqualified him from military service. Dahmer was debriefed on March 24, 1981, at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and granted a plane ticket to any destination he desired. According to Newsweek, he took a flight to Miami Beach, where he worked at a delicatessen for a couple of months until being kicked out of his hotel for not paying his rent.

Dahmer returned to Ohio with his father, Lionel, and stepmother, Shari, but was arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct just two weeks later, for which he was fined $60 and given a suspended 10-day jail sentence, as reported by Newsweek.

Dahmer moved in with his grandmother Catherine Dahmer in West Allis, Wisconsin, two months after returning home. After graduating, he started working as a phlebotomist at the Milwaukee Blood Plasma Center. Ten months later, in 1985, Dahmer was let go from his job at the Milwaukee Ambrosia Chocolate Factory, where he had been employed since 1983 (via HITC).

According to The New York Times, Dahmer told authorities in July 1991 that he "did not kill again until late 1984 or early 1985, when he 'found the homosexual bars.'" This was after he "did not kill again until late 1984 or 1985," when he "discovered the gay bars." Newsweek claims he was jailed multiple times for indecency, including exposing himself publicly and engaging in obscene and lascivious behavior.