Transitioning out of the military is a journey not spoken about as often as it should, especially for post 9/11 veterans. What happens is an identity crisis of sorts where you existed as one thing- taking months to earn that identity- only to have it evaporate in an instant.

I speak with vets who’ve deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, and a recurring theme is how incredibly hard it is to separate themselves from the persona developed through serving. There are several reasons for this, one of which being the total institution structure of the military.

Like myself, post 9/11 vets who signed up during the early 2000s did so under an umbrella of retribution- whether intentionally or not. I joined for debt free access college, but that didn’t negate the fact America was reeling from one our greatest tragedies yet.

Most who enlisted during that period were made to feel like they were integral to their unit if not the fabric of society itself. You’re told this by your chain of command. You hear it from politicians, and elected officials. You get a free Grand Slam from Denny’s on Veterans Day

You make friends that you work with, live with, and party with. You deploy. Some of your friends die. You deploy again. Maybe a few more times after that. Through all of the shit, you still feel like you matter. After all, every 3rd third vehicle has a “support the troops” ribbon

And then one day, you’re handed your DD-214, a sheet of paper that effectively turns off the lights on everything you were during the most formative years of your life. But even when you’re out, maybe you have friends who’re still in so that connection isn’t completely severed.

Maybe every now and then you receive a call about a friend being killed or committing suicide after a particularly nasty deployment, and that psychologically pulls you back in a bit. The bubble you once existed in- even though you’re now completely out- never quite goes away

It can be hard living in 2 completely different worlds simultaneously. On one hand, you lived through defining moments where the stakes were literally life or death. On the other, you have finals or a work project due by EOW. Things that feel trivial despite their important.

Sometimes you carry the weight of your experiences with you permanently, through visible or invisible injuries. All of this to say, transitioning out of the military can be a long and difficult journey. And America is still inexplicably unprepared to offer substantial support

Any way this thread has typos but it’s 1am and I’m drinking Jameson