What Things Were Difficult to Communicate to Family and Friends About Your Military Service? Login & Share to Win!

The sense of urgency and the need for readiness.

How I felt after leaving the military-it changed me because being home didn't feel right-I didn't feel like I belonged there and was lost and didn't feel I had any purpose.

It was hard to make them understand the person that they used to know no longer exists because, after my Service-Connected Traumatic Ear and Brain irreparable and permanent Injuries and Symptoms, I had lost some of my memories for months, and the new person I had become was a stranger to me, to my family and friends. Furthermore, my character, personality, and mood had all changed. How can you explain that to your family and friends?

I’m very fortunate to be married to a fellow veteran. I don’t need to say anything because he knows exactly what I’m feeling because he has either been through it, or going through it when I am. My mom lives 4 hours away and my dad is in a different state, so when I do have issues explaining things to them, my husband is right there to help me.

The inability to talk about the most interesting aspects of my job because they wouldn't understand or the fact it was classified. It made it hard to answer the question "What do you do?"

Being so dedicated to an institution !

How I could appreciate wearing the same thing every day!

World is now full of " tossers and wankers" .

the requirements of the military were always something my family didn't understand. "Why don't you just tell them to piss off?" was a common response if I told them I had to do something unpalatable. Not having much agency in my earlier years was very tough to explain. It did get easier as I progressed through the ranks

What I had to do at times, still can't tell my wife nor will I. When my son joined the Corps I dreaded the day he would return and know what I went through. He's the only family I can talk to about it now and I'm the only one he can talk to.