Was Arnold Schwarzenegger in the military?

Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the most famed bodybuilders ever in the history of bodybuilding. The Austrian Oak has won seven Mr. Olympia titles and four Mr. Universe titles. The Total Recall star has also excelled in the field of acting and politics.

Arnold has performed as a soldier or as an action hero in movies such as Commando and the Predator. But has he been in the military? Yes, Arnold Schwarzenegger has served in the military.

The former governor of California served in the Austrian Army in 1965 as it was mandatory for Austrian males to serve in the army at the age of 18. The Austrian Oak served as a tank driver in the military.

At the same time, he worked hard to become a bodybuilder during his time in the military and even won his first bodybuilding title while serving his time in the military. Arnold won the Junior Mr. Europe title during his military days.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger opened up about his time in the military

The Terminator star has even shared a story from his military career, according to the New York Daily News. He said that he wasn't allowed to leave his army camp during basic training, but only when the European competitions were held.

Arnold claimed that he used to sneak out of the army camp that night and a friend would pick him up in a car.

Arnold Schwarzenegger (Image via eightieskids)

The Governator said that he went on to win his first bodybuilding title, the European Junior Championship (Junior Mr. Europe), while serving his time with the Austrian army. However, news of Arnold winning the title had already spread across by the time he returned to his camp. Arnold claimed that the military didn't know what to do with him, so he was put in jail for two or three days.

Arnold Schwarzenegger said the military felt uncomfortable about this, so they let him out. He claimed that the military had become his allies (not officially) after the incident.

The Conan star stated that he would be ordered to go to the kitchen to peel potatoes as punishment. Arnold said that it was their (military) other way of telling him to eat meat while he was in the kitchen to peel potatoes. Arnold said that it was his first time eating meat every day.

In another instance, Schwarzenegger spoke about his time as a tank driver in the army when he appeared on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" in 2014. The Austrian Oak said that he challenged his friend to race to see whose tank was the fastest.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and his friend raced from the top of the hill at a speed of 40 miles per hour, crashing through the trees and bushes. He claimed that he won the race even though his friend had an advanced tank.

He and his friend were asked to crawl through a mud obstacle as punishment for racing with their tanks. As mentioned by Arnold Schwarzenegger, he now owns the exact tank he drove in the military, and he paid around 20,000 dollars to bring his tank to the USA.

Since Arnold served in the military, it was a smooth transition for Arnold Schwarzenegger to act as a soldier or a cop in an action movie. He acted like he was born to perform for that particular role and he might have even put his military skills to use while acting in high octane action movies.