Three reflections one year post military retirement – Part 2

The defining characteristics of a profession is an often debated topic with arguments for and against naming certain careers as a profession. Most would agree a profession requires formal qualification or specialized training and generally speaking, professionals are guided by some sort of oath, code or licensure. The most obvious examples of a profession using this definition are doctors, lawyers and engineers.

Yet the debate continues. Are professional athletes members of a profession? Is someone identified as a “professional” the same thing as a member of a profession? Are plumbers and electricians members of a profession since both have specialized qualifications and licensure? I certainly do not intend to enter into this debate, as we could blog forever on the topic of defining a profession! But I will assert those who serve in the military are most definitely members of the profession of arms.

Those of us who served take great pride in the exclusivity of this membership. Less than 1% of the US population can claim membership within the profession of arms and our profession is really like no other. Beyond the basic role as one of our nation’s most valuable and important instruments of power, the profession of arms is an all-consuming endeavor. Perhaps with only a few notable exceptions such as doctor or clergy, a member of the military serves within their profession 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year. I’ll pull on this thread a little more as we go along.

An aspect of being American is we often define ourselves by the work that we do. So how does one successfully transition from a trusted member of an esteemed profession back to civilian life and working a j-o-b? Believe me, this has been the cause of much reflection over the past year since my military retirement! Some veterans are fortunate enough to transition straight from the profession of arms to another highly regarded profession. Military doctors, lawyers, pilots and chaplains may fall into this category. Other veterans may view that since considered a “soldier for life” and technically on the “retirement rolls” of the military, they still belong to the profession of arms just in a retired status.

But for the vast majority of veterans, we will take off the uniform and begin working a 9 to 5 job in our civilian lives. These second careers may be well paying and respected, but jobs nonetheless. Simply put, most veterans will go from being identified as a member of a profession to worker.

Which leads me to my second conclusion after a year’s worth of reflection, post military retirement. As veterans transitioning back to the civilian life, we must make peace with the fact we will most likely never be a member of such a personally rewarding profession ever again. This sounds easy, but let me tell you, this probably has crept into my head more than just about any other thought over the past year. As I talk with my fellow recent retirees I know I am not alone.

Most often this inner conflict hits me when I am at my civilian job, banging away on some power point slides. Are the contents of the charts I’m working on important? Perhaps to my management or the stockholders of the company. But when compared to the work I was doing in the military just a short time ago, in the grand scheme of life, my civilian job just doesn’t stack up.

Don’t get me wrong, I probably banged out 100s of power point charts while serving 24 years in the Army. It’s the contents and purpose of those charts where the difference lies and is good representative of the basic difference between working a job in the civilian world and serving in the military profession. Even the most boring quarterly training brief in the military focusses on the very real training / readiness tasks to ensure Soldiers are prepared to engage in what could be a life or death struggle. Most civilian jobs are a far cry from this level of importance!

Similarly, almost daily in the military, service members are concerned with very real tasks with very real consequences, such as the movement of personnel and equipment from A to B. Poor planning or follow through could result in very bad outcomes. While some jobs in the civilian world may have similar challenges, they most likely won’t involve military vehicles, 70 ton tanks, combat aircraft, ships and most importantly human life!

Furthermore, going back to how the military profession is a 24/7/365 sport, military leaders are directly responsible for helping the led work through the many challenges of life, from love to loss and just about everything in between. It just isn’t the same back in the civilian world. Don’t get me wrong, I know my management cares about me and I must admit I’ve been very impressed with my company’s response to COVID. But it’s completely different.  I don’t think if I called from the hospital, there would be anyone from my work to pick me up, develop a recovery plan and follow through!

So how do we make peace with the fact that most of us will never be a member of a demanding but rewarding profession again? First, and as was mentioned in part 1 of this blog, fully embrace and understand that service in the military profession is relatively short and will end for all of us. Sure there are a handful of senior officers and non-commissioned officers who may serve 40 years, but due to the very nature of the military profession, the majority of us will never come close to 40. The norm is to serve honorably for three to twenty years or occasionally up to thirty years then transition back to the civilian world. This is in stark contrast to civilians who may commonly work in a profession for 40 or more years. Put another way, its simple physics; it is impossible to serve an extremely long time in the military profession so we have to accept it and move on.

The second way to come to peace with no longer being a member of the military profession is to embrace working with the 99%.  Veterans sacrifice a lot to protect the American way of life for the 99% who chose not to or are unable to serve, so when you do take the uniform off and rejoin the workforce, enjoy it! When I feel that twinge of self-pity about no longer being a member of the profession of arms, I remind myself that for the first time in my adult life, my Family is living what most Americans consider a normal life.

The phone doesn’t ring at all hours of the night, there is no inherent danger associated with my current job and the hours are great. Although the daily feeling of serving something greater than myself is gone, I still possess great pride and reflect fondly upon my time in service. Those of us who served worked hard for our and everyone else’s freedoms, now enjoy it!

Lastly, find another profession. It’s never too late to attain the requisite qualifications for a new profession. Depending on the chosen profession, this could take some serious commitment and dedication, similar in some ways to that required in the military. A new profession could help regain that sense of identity and belonging that was lost when we took off the uniform.

Above all, as veterans we must acknowledge the transition from member of the military profession to worker is real. Tackle this fact head on and come to grips with it. Talk to other veterans and family or write about it! Each of us will take a different path, but in order to successfully transition from military service back to civilian life, we must make peace with the fact we are no longer members of the time honored military profession.