In the years since I retired from the military, I have grown and adapted to life outside of a world that condemned individualism and critiqued through attention to detail. As the Sheriff of Baghdad John McPhee has said, "You don't learn anything by being all highspeed in a team. If you want to really learn how to solve problems, go out alone and without support." That statement he made on the Combat Story YouTube interview really struck me as wisdom. When you are out of the military, the real test of a man and a warrior begins.
One thing that has always made me cringe is blind veteran pride. The pride where people leave the military and can't understand that they are not a hotshot. It seems that these veterans know society is blind about the true nature of the military and they can't wait to look down their nose at others for not attending that contractual fraternity of dysfunctional brethren. They have no team and no capabilities that made them dangerous in said fraternity, yet they seriously are blind to the environment they have been plunged into. All they seem to focus on is establishing their spot in a pecking order, because the common excuse is that "so few" people can or will serve in the military. That pride and mindset is mirrored by politicians as well. God forbid anyone say anything bad about their service.
I can tell you that I had no illusions when I was retired that I was going into a scary world will no help and only a few encouraging words. My training and experience was based off support at all levels, and now there is just me and my dog. Personally I count myself lucky that I had that realization that I totally lacked any skills to play the lone wolf game. Not to mention that I already knew how little the world cares about your service. I had confidence that I had a fighting spirit that would help me stay vigilent and ready, but I needed to refine and adapt my fieldcraft into tradecraft. I was confident that I could use SOME of what I was taught but it was a long time before I really was able to distill what I was taught down into useful material. The base of what was left was initiative, self-sacrifice, and attention to detail.
It took a few years of me spreading out my wings and really letting in new lessons and ways of fighting and operating in a non-permissive environment alone. Anyone who spent years in the conventional military and thinks what they learned is even scratching the surface of being good enough, they are delusional. That is why it is a transition from the military to the civilian world. different way of life, way to communicate, and especially a new way of fighting.
One lesson I will say I learned fast is that real fitness is a base for you. What is real fitness? Fitness means physically ready for a particular task or set of tasks. Going to the gym and trying to get as big as possible is not enough and in fact will handicap you in many ways. I would point you more towards a fighters fitness which includes functional strength endurance. Most fighters you see are lean but with a hardy figure that has enough fat on the body to keep going. Drop the bench press and go for push up variations, and drop the running in place of short sprints and jogging with a ruck. With that said, you might want to get a Krav Maga membership and drop the Jiu-jitsu focus that the military seems to have many vets on. Bob the asshole tends to bring friends, so the one who stays on their feet has a greater chance of winning out here. Remember, the military is teaching you to fight when support is nearby, so going to the ground with an oponent is about buying time. Now you are alone so you not only have to maintain fitness, but now you have to maintain that capability to survive a fight against multiple attackers. Your battle buddy is not there anymore. It may just be you and possibly now a family, which brings me to the next part.
If you haven't already, pick up and read The Sentinel by Pat McNamara. This book will give you tips and tricks to go from plain old boring vet into someone who can actually focus and utilize their skills in a manner that will be an asset to their community and family instead of an on edge liability. Again, out here, you are going to be alone so you are going to be the one they look to for support, security, strength, etc. Good Luck!
If you get out of the military and are super disappointed by the rest of the world and their work ethic, I totally get it. However, if you truly search within yourself, this laziness can be your opportunity to outperform and therefore succeed. Don't let pride handicap you because I promise you are not adequately fit for operating in this environment until you make a few fundamental changes that the military engrained into your DNA. Good news is that the basic qualities are useful, but the application is quite different. Anyways, have fun operating in the civilian sector and not making an ass of yourself.
RSS Feed