Going Civilian

Why it’s not as simple as packing up your gear

BY JON R. ANDERSON - STAFF WRITER

Remember when you first decided to join the military?

You knew service in uniform was more like entering a foreign country than starting a new job. So you soaked up all the information you could find to prepare for the transition.

And then you did it again before that first deployment. This time you really were going to another country, and you had to learn the people and place, as well as tactics and technical skills. You knew survival could depend on it.

And now you’re prepping for the next adventure: life after the military.

Whether you’re retiring after 30 years of service or leaving after a single tour of duty, chances are you’re focused on logistics — where to live, how to get a good job or find the right school. You’ve put a spit shine on the résumé, zeroed in your interview skills and learned how to maneuver through the red tape of transition. But are you ready for the culture shock?

Oh, didn’t you realize? That place you’re going to call home — whether it’s the town you grew up in or any other dot on the map — is not the place you think it is. Even if you’re just moving off base, everything will be different. It’s not because the place has changed. It’s because you have.

And that changes everything.

It’s different here

Transition from the military is not a simple matter of moving from one career to another, said Dr. Sydney Savion, a retired Air Force captain who studied the transition experience of retired military officers for her doctoral dissertation in human and organizational learning. It’s more like moving home after living abroad for years.

The experience is “classic culture shock,” she says.

“You are accustomed to a relatively stable economy, full employment, intolerance to delinquency, a low crime rate, a unique code of justice, a richly diverse population, cohesive communities, reverence for seniors, high standards of dress and fitness, and a much-coveted universal health care system.”

Much of that goes away when the uniform comes off.

The shock can be all the stronger for being unexpected.

When veterans struggle to adjust, “often it’s a case of their expectations not being met,” said Tony Barrick, a psychologist with more than 30 years’ experience working with troops and veterans, including a stint as the director of the Fleet Family Support Center at Naval Station Everett, Wash.

With all the difficulties of wartime service, it’s natural for service members to think that things will get easier once they shed their uniform. Making a new start may be tough, but it can’t be as hard as serving in combat, right? Don’t be so sure.

“They thought it would be easier, but they find out civilian life has its own stresses and challenges, too,” Barrick said.

Competition for civilian jobs and promotions is tough. The GI Bill makes it easier than ever for veterans to go to college, but school brings its own challenges. For those not drawing Basic Allowance for Housing through the GI Bill, the reality of suddenly paying for your own housing and food while contributing to medical care can be daunting.

Meanwhile, there are the natives. You may find that classmates and co-workers couldn’t find Afghanistan on a map, much less have a clue about what’s going on there. Still, you’ll have to find ways to relate to them without the customs and courtesies of the military — and that can take a learning curve.

“It was almost a pensive time for me,” Savion says of her first months as a civilian. After 21 years of service, first in the enlisted ranks and then as a plans and operations officer, “retiring was a very emotional experience.”

Read Full Article at MilitaryTimesEdge