# Interested in Jack Kerouac? Check out his mil discharge record & psychological eval

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interested-in-jack-kerouac-check-out-his-mil-discharge-record-psychological-eval/320517>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [September 7, 2005, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interested-in-jack-kerouac-check-out-his-mil-discharge-record-psychological-eval/320517 "2005-09-07T14:39:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interested-in-jack-kerouac-check-out-his-mil-discharge-record-psychological-eval/320517/1 "2005-09-07T14:39:12Z")

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Via fark at the Smoking Gun. Interesting read.

[Hit The Road, Jack  
Records: “Schizoid” Kerouac’s military career a short story](http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0906052_jack_kerouac_1.html)

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**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interested-in-jack-kerouac-check-out-his-mil-discharge-record-psychological-eval/320517/2 "2005-09-07T15:26:59Z")

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Another insane genius then. I’d have susspected bipolar from reading “On the Road” but functional Schizophrenia also makes sence of the sometimes extreme energy his writing displays.

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**Author:** ![chefjef](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e480ec/32.png) [@chefjef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chefjef)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interested-in-jack-kerouac-check-out-his-mil-discharge-record-psychological-eval/320517/3 "2005-09-07T16:19:15Z")

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Yeah, I once did a report on him for school and the man had a LOT of psychological problems. Cool writer, though. Thanks for the link!

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**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interested-in-jack-kerouac-check-out-his-mil-discharge-record-psychological-eval/320517/4 "2005-09-07T16:48:34Z")

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I know I’m probably the Lone Ranger on this, but “On The Road” was a huge disappointment for me. I just didn’t get it. I wanted to get it! I know how important he was to the Beat Movement. I know there’s something there. Just not for me.

I even read it as an adult to try to apply life experience to what I was reading. Nothing.

I was a wild child with plenty of eccentric friends and adventures, and this simply did not speak to me.

This link, though, is very interesting. I’ll have to send it to my brother (a guy who “gets” Jack).