REAL Advice for Trigger Pulling Door Kickers

My advice to help the civilian workplace transition for enlisted combat arms:

1.Understand that many civilians with no military experience will be more sensitive about social issues than yourself.
2.You must be able to show co-workers(especially subordinates), some level of empathy and civility.
3.If you are questioned or choose to talk about deployments, be very selective who you share your combat experiences with. You don’t want to be labeled the “crazy veteran.”
4.STAY HUMBLE. ( most important)

Looking back to my active duty years as a lower enlisted infantryman, I recall leaders telling me and my peers to just “embrace the suck” or you are weak. Such might be the case if it’s a life or death combat situation. However, if you are in an office environment and most blue collar type environments in the civilian world, this will most likely not be the case. Here is a realistic example. It’s a cold, wet, and just nasty day outside at your civilian job. There is work that must be performed outside in this type of weather. A subordinate complains about the weather and implies in front of others that you are making a mistake having them perform the work given the current weather conditions. The individual also complains about how they will be cold and possibly wet. You must be able to show these workers a level of empathy and civility that quite honestly in an infantry unit would be frowned upon and even considered weak leadership. In the civilian world, if you tell these individuals to suck it up, more than likely there will be a complaint. You will end up being reprimanded by your boss with a human resource representative there to document it. Not good for you. Maybe in the civilian workplace your supervisor wants to micromanage your activities, or even worse, you are in an environment of toxic leadership. It is better to keep doing your job to the best of your ability and realize that they likely have never lead individuals in combat like you have, at a stress level that most of them cannot comprehend. STAY HUMBLE. In the long run, this will be advantageous to the way you are perceived by the people who matter (leaders and managers who are not toxic).

Remember the guys that washed out of basic training because they weren’t able to deal with the stress? In the civilian workplace, you may be working with that type of individual. They will not understand the satisfaction of catching an HVT(high value target); or that time you and your platoon defended and fought off an enemy attack on your JSS(joint service station) in Iraq. So, maybe just keep the stories to yourself; or when you find out you work with a legitimate fellow combat veteran, talk to only them about it.

My fellow veterans, I had an advantage transitioning to the civilian world after my initial four years of active duty by joining the National Guard. I suggest you do it as well. It will enable you to form connections with other veterans who are a step ahead and have already made a successful transition to the civilian world. It will also keep you connected to the military. This is, in my opinion, a huge positive psychological advantage in your efforts to transition. I give you all this advice not only with the utmost respect, but from real world experience as well. Good luck.