SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- At a time when the world was enveloped in the Cold War, Austrian teenagers were required to spend at least one year in the military. Among those young men was Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Now, a decision he made in those days may come back to haunt him during his recall campaign to replace Gray Davis.

KTVU has learned that the actor turned candidate went AWOL from the Austrian Army when he was 18 years old. Schwarzenegger climbed over a wall and attended a body building competition without permission from his superiors. He was imprisoned for seven days in a military stockade.

When asked about the incident at a campaign stop in Sacramento on Thursday, Schwarzenegger chose to let spokesman Sean Walsh speak for him.

"He broke the rules and he was punished for breaking the rules," Walsh said. "Some kids jay walk, some kids drive too fast and some kids break some infractions…He was a young, young man."

The revelation is just the latest incident involving Schwarzenegger, who also has been linked to smoking marijuana as a young man and also a magazine piece in which he admitted to using women merely for sex. U.C. Berkeley Political Scientist Jack Citrin said characater questions are becoming a growing problem for Schwarzenegger.

"You're talking about a person who's entire campaign to become governor is predicated upon his personal qualities," Citrin said. "His personal character, his strength, his ability to stand up to pressure…his willingness to do his duty. And so any news that chips away at that image is bound to have potential political consequences."

While admitting it was a serious violation, Austrian Consul General Donald Burns downplayed the incident.

"When his commanding officer found out about what had happened (Arnold won the competition) he said 'This is so good for the army, you can now train as an official part of your military experience.'"