Quote:
Originally Posted by TunedOut
Yes, I read one of Dr. Grohol's articles and it really was helpful. 
What service were you in? I served in the Air Force for a bit more than 6 years. While I really enjoyed it, serving has a tendency to make us feel less connected when we get out. That is because we leave our hometowns when we join then when we get out, many of us end up somewhere else but no longer enjoy the camaraderie that we once had with others that served.  |
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TunedOut I was in the Marines, but only for 10 months. I was honorably discharged as an E-3, Lance Corporal. I am now 100 percent service-connected. I avoided the VA for 20 years because of fear. I am somewhat feeling safer now that I am there. It is hard for me to consider myself a veteran though. I never deployed, and my original injuries that got me honorably discharged were a pelvic stress fracture and a fracture to my foot. I experienced military sexual trauma while in service. I did not tell anyone, even when a different Marine reported something and got her attacker sent to the brig. I dissociated, so I cannot remember a lot about the last months I was in.
"Homecoming" was what my VA therapist asked me about initially. Our discussions centered around what you mentioned regarding feeling disconnected. Our common veteran family upbringing comprising our basic training and military culture seemed to dissipate abruptly upon discharge. How we remained connected to our military culture coupled with how we were received from our civilian loved ones upon homecoming mattered. Our adjustment back into civilian life mattered as well.
I have a half-nephew in the Air Force right now. His helicopter crashed, and he was the only survivor. He is still in. My sister showed me a picture he had taken with President Trump a few years back, which did not make big news, but is floating around there somewhere. I do not know my nephew that well though.
I have a friend from 20 plus years ago still in the Navy. He is now an officer, but he began as enlisted. He is now working for a War Unit.
My half-brothers were both in the Army during different eras, one being in the Vietnam War, the other in a later era, maybe Korean. Both of them are disabled.
I was only in from 1995 to 1996.
I am not really connected to many veterans yet. I want to be, but it is hard for me to feel safe sometimes. Please do not take that the wrong way. I do not even speak with my half-brothers that much.
I miss the service though, even though my MST made me afraid. I miss the PT, the uniform, the training, the teamwork, the hierarchy, and even the Mess Hall.
What do you miss about your service? Have you made any connections through veteran groups like the Vet Center or Team Red White and Blue?