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

All the time and we should. For most, our 20's & 30's were spent serving. There are a lot of old memories good or bad that will be remembered. I always like to tell my wife the dreams because they always have a weird twist which makes her laugh and me too sometimes. Congrats on Retirement. PS. Civilian life is quite the change. Enjoy the new challenge.

My friend in Arms, contact the VA or TriCare. Dealing with it is easy to say, sometimes. We all handle our Time in Service in different ways. You also have the Veterans Hotline that can provide guidance, if you are not near a VA your Tri-Care covers counseling. Nothing is wrong with you, your service represented the span of your entire adult life, it is who you are.

Good luck!

Sp4 Byron Skinner Relax and enjoy the memories MSG Di Fondi they are about a lot more then the USArmy, they are about a way of life. Each generation of us go through the same process. Change right now is intense and its not going to decrease any time soon in the Army. Its the new guys turn MSG Di Fondi

I'm not a psychiatrist or psychologist, but I hardly think it is PTSD; judging by the number of responses of the same type of dream. You could just buy a dream interpretation book. One of the most common dreams are being back in high school and failing, having to do it over again and so on. This sounds very interchangeable. Back in the military with back in high school. It all has to do with stress of your new life and adjustments to being out of the military. From one dream interpretation book: "To dream that you have to repeat high school, (hear I would insert military instead of high school) suggests that you are doubting your accomplishments and the goals that you have already completed. You feel that you may not be measuring up to the expectation of others. The dream may occur because some recent situation may have awakened old anxieties and insecurities..."
I think you are simply experiencing life and some of it's trials. Nothing that you can't handle. :)

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 do dream about having to go back in for whatever reason. Most of the time I am yelling at people because they don't know or don't care that I am a Master Sergeant. Plus I have been having dreams about going back into the Infantry - only spent my first four years as an Infantryman.

I've had dreams of fighting to stay in until I reach my 20 years. I was medically retired just shy of 18 years. I wanted to do 20.

I've had the same "type" dream continuously for several years now. I retired after 20 years in the Navy. In my dream, I'm back in the Navy, its always around my 21 year mark, I know I retired and dont know why I'm still there. I have no uniform items whatsoever and my unit is either about to deploy or has just deployed. Different dreams every single time, but with that basic scenario.

Absolutely, yes....

I retired Back in 2004 with 22 years. and keep having dreams about being deployed and back with leadership from back in the early 1980's. I'm in my 60's now and can't imagine being back in the military. PT would kill me with all the arthritis I have now.

Those are called "Nightmares"

25 years of service for me and I have VIVID dreams at least 2 or 3 times a week. Sometimes of specific things that happened or regarding specific people, sometimes about nearing the end of my service and not being able to get my retirement processed (have that one a lot), sometimes about being on some assignment or mission and sometimes it goes well other times it goes to hell. Every now and then I dream about going back in at my current age, but usually in my dreams I am my younger self. Some are good, most are so-so, and some are bad and disturbing but they almost always wake me up and make it very difficult to get back to sleep.

I retired in 2015 and cannot go 1 week without a dream about suddenly being back in the Navy. Last night, I dreamt that I was back at my old command and we had a major weapons inspection, but I was a shitshow. I couldn't find all of my uniforms items. I struggled to find my boots and had to run around in my coveralls at the exchange with sneakers on trying to find them. Every dream is the similar. I end up back on the boat or in my old unit and can't accomplish a task, because I can't find something.
I make loads more money now, have all the free time I want, being self employed and enjoy my relaxed post military life. I have no desire to go back in and would refuse if they offered.
I think I just became so used to performing under pressure and problem solving, but now that I have no worries, my mind still craves it; That, or I really do subconsciously miss it.
I don't want to call it PTSD, because that doesn't seem fair to those that have actual combat experience. I'm not stressing over it and sometimes it's nice to run into old buddies in my dreams. I'm just tired of waking up and saying to myself, WTF was that all about?

I retired from the Army Jan/2013 and also served in the Marines for ten years. I still have dreams most nights it’s part of our being. There are time I wake up and don’t go back to bed. It’s who we are.

I've never looked into it but now I see there's others having the same dreams. Very similar and still have them from time to time. Usually having to do with uniform or equipment not functioning. Being in at my current age of 40 and holding my old rank. Haha. Very real dreams. I do have a great career so definitely not about that. Interesting though.

All the time

Yes, i retired 19 years ago and too often i dreamed im back on AD.

I served 6 years and got out back in 2004. I still have recurring dreams about being in the military, just of everyday life. I’m also living a very happy and fulfilling post military life and career, but when I have these dreams I awaken very sad or almost in tears from nostalgia. It’s disturbing. In my case, I did not want to leave the service but I had a life changing event happen and I was forced into the decision. I do truly believe I am better for having left the military so I’m very perplexed as to why it feels like I made a mistake when I wake from these dreams.

In the past four years or so, I have been dreaming about being back in the Army. Different places, different units, and always in the reception/integration phase. I'm always unorganized, and missing a part of my uniform. And to make it worse I have the lower enlisted Soldiers looking at me, wondering why I'm so ate up.

Constantly!