Does Anyone Else Have Recurring Dreams About Being Back In the Military?

All The time. No big deal as per my therapist, she linked the dreams to increased civilian life stress, Nobody has an Idea what I did just that I wore the uniform at some point. See a Stress DR. they spent their years learning while we were serving AND learning. PS Tylenol pm Seems to amp up the dreams.

I left the service in 1979. Up until maybe 5-6 years ago, I would have dreams I was back in the Army, back in Germany, away from my family. Not sure if they stopped, or I just sleep so crappy now, I rarely dream, lol, but thats my epxerience.

Everyday. This time of the year is harder then others.

Hello Anthony, this is not all together an uncommon experience. Usually, it is episodic, and I think it because for those of us who experienced a long period of Military association we unconsciously wish we could still go back and continue I that lifestyle. This too shall pass, so instead of being concerned about the dreams..... En joy the moment, after all, they beat the crap out of PTSD!
Regards,
George

On and off I have dreams and once or twice I can remember what I have dreamt. Fortunately me I don't remember a lot but sometimes I do and we'll it is weird when I do. For a few times I just can't seem to get anything right, like being late to which I have never been late for duty or work. Not being able to find the correct things or objects to do my job. We all have insecurities and we'll an imagination and I believe our minds wander. That just puts us into something we have done for most of our lives and make something out of it. When awake you have an asurance that everything is great but your imagination or dream will always go or have fun at your expense.

I often have dreams of being in military. I actually started having them before I retired. I never saw combat while in the military. However a lot of my dreams have been combat related. I seeked counselling through the Va and spoke about them, even made a partial journal of them. I have had them so many times i can recall each one in great detail. I retired back in 2005 and still have them on occasion

I retired from the Army with 20+ years in l991. It's funny that you ask this question because I had such a dream last week. I don't remember much about the dream, but when I woke up I remembered parts of it. It wasn't a scary dream in fact it was enjoyable.

Yes. I retired in 2000 and still have dreams of being back in uniform. They are not unpleasant by any means as I feel I am still able to perform as well (if not better) than I was when I was less than 60.

I dream about every night about the Military days. I also have dreams about re-deploying back into Iraq! I have PTSD though, you might need help if your dreams are unsettling, or you have some night terrors. I take meds that help me to not hit, crab, kick, or pull my wives hair in my sleep during bad dreams.

I served 23 years and have been retired for nine. I think the military was such an important part of my life, most of my memories are military, so I dream. Fight dreams have slacked off, now I often dream of friends and good times. Last week I woke my fiancee by dressing down a recruit. It woke me too. Had to laugh.

oh my...I retired in 2002....and still have dreams about reporting to my first ship...with no uniforms....same dream, over and over....weird

I have but have no desire to put back on a uniform! Keep the good life you have and be grateful for having the time you did in the military and be thankful for what you have now! I am! Buy yes I have had such dreams! What I wrote here is what Intold myself over and over til it stuck.

all the time - mostly variations of that bit at the end when I was retired from the guard and still waiting for the technician retirement to kick in (it took a year, most people it's 2 months), and mostly those little mistakes getting blown up to big stuff (almost nightmares)

I've been out for 10 years, and also have these dreams. In my case, I'm back on the Carl Vinson for a fourth deployment. I see that I'm twice as old as anyone, all pretty much out of high school, and I'm already on the watchbill for a post I haven't stood in, well, 10 years. I wasn't married when I was in, but I am now, so I have that sinking feeling when I'm in the dream that I have to leave her behind for at least the next 6 months (well, that's how long most of my deployments were back then, sorry about nowadays. My last one was 8 1/2 months if that helps). I'm not as well-off as we'd all love to be, but I'm happy, back in school for web design (thanks, GI Bill), and am surrounded by cats :) .

most days I do, esp. when see so little common sense in civilian life.

Usually 2-3 times a month.. Mine are NEVER pretty.. Definitely NOT my choice to dream what I do. I will say, just like my service is part of me, so are the scars, visible or not! Meds do help, w/o them I would probably be in much worse shape! I always said I didn't want to depend on meds, well that outlook changed. I had finally had enough of trying to deal w/ it myself.

Hell yes I do!! Both good and bad. Love those dreams!!

Sure did! Retired in 2005 and still have those dreams occasionally. Some were good dreams and some were nightmares. Not sorry that I only served 20 years and like you I have a successful post-military life.

(Mind you I'm generalizing) IRT my service related dreams; sometimes they occur often, though I can go long periods without having any dreams related to my service. I sometimes think that there maybe triggers in our daily life that may be cause for these dreams to occur, or a kind of reflection, it's not all a negative experience. The simple fact is that our service experience was a very imortant part of our life, I remind myself when I need to. Our service experience helped us develope our character and the way we I look at and manage life's common challenges, how I feel and think about things and how I tend to manage or mitigate our daily challenges. Those experiences such as combat and the loss & fear associated with it is there as well though I try to turn that into a positive, just making life around me as blessed for others as I can possibly and reasonably do. One of the best self medication tools we can use to help us manage anxiety, stress & sometimes fear associated with our military and or combat experience is be of service to people in need, help someone, be available to someone in need. Our dreams will be with us as long as we live. How we feel, and what we do after we dream is up to us....Semper Fi!

Oh, yes. Oddly, it is always either my first assignment, or my last assignment. Sometimes I'm just continuing along like it was in real life and don't realize there is anything "off" about it. Other times I have the sense that I am "back" to the assignment somehow from somewhere else. I have also dreamed that I am retired but somehow keep my clearance and all my badges and just keep showing up in uniform and working. That might be because we had a Colonel in real life who did exactly that: retired, got re-activated, then was right back at work again!