How Long Was Jeffrey Dahmer in the Military? Why Was He Kicked Out from Military? Did He Kill There? – The documentary “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” on Netflix reveals the tale of how Jeffrey Dahmer murdered seventeen people and maintained his anonymity for so long. The audience learns how frequently the serial killer came dangerously close to being apprehended from numerous instances featured in the show. There were also instances in which he could have been easily stopped, but the victims felt as though the legal system continually let them down.
Dahmer admitted to killing seventeen people, but given how simple it was for him to kill someone and go undetected, one has to wonder if the real number of his murders was greater. The precise time interval between his first and second killings is what stands out. A few months after the first murder, Dahmer joined the army. Has anything occurred there? Why was his military service shortened? Let’s investigate.
Recommended: How Did Serial Killer Jeffrey Dahmer Get Caught?
How Long Was Jeffrey Dahmer in the Military?
Between 1978 and 1991, American serial killer and sex offender Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer, popular as the Milwaukee Cannibal or the Milwaukee Monster, killed and dismembered seventeen men and boys. His later killings frequently entailed cannibalism, necrophilia, and the permanent retention of body parts, usually the entire or a portion of the skeleton.
Dahmer was ruled to be legally sane during his trial despite having been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, schizotypal personality disorder, and psychotic disorder. On February 17, 1992, he was given a sentence of 15 years of life in prison for the sixteen murders he had committed in Wisconsin and was found guilty of fifteen. Later, for a second murder committed in Ohio in 1978, Dahmer was given a sixteenth life sentence.
Dahmer didn’t know what to do after graduating from college. He was enrolled at Ohio State University by his father, Lionel Dahmer, who wanted him to specialize in business. But he never seemed to care about going to college, and his grades were dismal. Dahmer dropped out of OSU after three months, although his father had already paid for the second term. Lionel advised him to enlist because of his growing drinking problem and lack of a clear future plan.
Dahmer joined the military in January 1979 and completed his medical training at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. In July 1979, he was transferred to Baumholder, West Germany. There, he worked as a combat medic for the 8th Infantry Division’s 2nd Battalion, 68th Armored Regiment. He continued working there until his honorable release from the military in 1981.
Why Was Jeffrey Dahmer Kicked Out of the Military?
Dahmer had been battling alcoholism before enlisting in the service. His father had believed that serving in the military would aid him in this endeavor, but he was mistaken. His worsening drinking habits further hampered Dahmer’s performance. He was ultimately honorably released from the service in March 1981, one year before his three-year enlistment was over, under Chapter 9 of the Code of Military Justice, as a result of his alcohol misuse.
Although his drunkenness rendered him unfit for military service, it was thought that the difficulties he had there wouldn’t carry over to his civilian life. He was transferred to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, on March 24, 1981. Following a debriefing, he was given a plane ticket to go wherever he wanted to go. He decided to go to Miami Beach, Florida, where he stayed for a few months before returning to Ohio to be with his family.
Did Jeffrey Dahmer Kill While He Was in the Military?
The Army decided to investigate Dahmer’s service history and determine whether any unsolved incidents from that era were connected to him after the killings committed by Dahmer were made public in 1991. To see whether any crimes fit the pattern and could be linked to Dahmer, the police in Germany also investigated files from the time he had been there. They discovered nothing.
It was later discovered that Dahmer had sexually assaulted two men while he was in the Army, even though no unsolved murders or disappearances could be linked to him. He shared a medic unit in Germany with Preston Davis, 20, who said that Dahmer drugged and raped him. Despite his inability to recall specifics, he was grateful “to be alive to tell the story.” Preston moved to a different ward after the incident, but the trauma followed him and impacted his personal and professional life.
Billy J. Capshaw, 17, who shared a bunk with Dahmer after Davis left, was the subsequent victim of a sexual attack. Capshaw endured the serial killer’s abuse for a longer amount of time than Davis did. He claimed that while Dahmer had been a kind guy when sober, he had changed into a frightening and dangerous individual after drinking. “I don’t know, but I had probably been raped eight to ten times. He was using motor pool rope to tie me to the bunk. He removed everything I was wearing. He claimed he would beat me before or after sexually assaulting me.
Dahmer was transported to the dispensary for a test using a rape kit after Capshaw reported him, but nothing further happened. Dahmer continued his assaults for an additional seventeen months with no consequences. When he later learned that the test findings had been disregarded, Capshaw remarked of his superiors that “they tossed me to the dogs.” In “Dahmer on Dahmer” on Oxygen, Davis and Capshaw each discussed their experiences. They are now buddies and support other victims of sexual abuse in the military.
All the Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story episodes are now streaming on Netflix.
