WWW.CITYGATENETWORK.ORG MARCH/APRIL 2019 13 Point of View We can talk about statistics, but trying to fit into the “real world” after military service is something only those who have been there understand. ET News interviewed several veterans who were homeless to get their perspective. “We try to come back home, and that’s where sometimes we have problems. It’s like the cross between the two worlds. There’s a lot of misapprehensions about military guys,” Terry Hamilton (U.S. Navy 1978–1982) said. “Really a lot of people who, you know, certainly don’t understand us. Let alone want us around. Due to their fear. We’re not bad guys. We just go through changes.” “You get out, you’re lost kind of. You’re part of something, and then you get out and then you’re kind of not,” Sandra Fuller (U.S. Navy, 1995–2000) said. “So many of us come back broken. Come back, you know, mentally broken, physically broken.” Navigating life outside of the military can be a shocking change for men and women who served in the armed forces. In the military, most resources are all under one roof; in civilian life, resources are scattered around the city and have to be found. The following areas can be especially difficult when transitioning out of military life. 1Housing and health care cost money. Having to be more mindful of financial management and planning one to five years out is a huge piece of the transition, says Lieutenant Colonel Rynele Mardis, the southeast region director for the Army’s Soldier for Life program. Housing is one of the top three areas of need among veterans. “If a family is accustomed to living on post, the process of procuring a loan, securing a house, going through a home inspection—all that can be daunting, especially if it’s happening later in life where many people have experienced that earlier,” Beth Kubala, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, says. 2Vets aren’t part of a unit anymore. But a similar type of camaraderie can be found outside the military. “For a new veteran joining a workplace, whether it’s a really small organization or a large one, I think step one should be identifying other veterans within the company,” says Colleen Deere, executive director of American Corporate Partners—a nonprofit that provides career counseling, one­on­one mentoring, and networking opportunities for transitioning service members and veterans. Some companies also have veteran affinity groups or employee resource groups for former service members. 3People talk differently. If you’re used to barking orders in uniform, you’ll need to tone that down at your new office. “In the military, the communication there is really precise—and it has to be when you’re talking about people’s lives are at stake,” Deere said. “I think civilian communication tends to be a lot more subtle and nuanced.” “I do think that it’s extremely difficult for vets to talk about [themselves] and what they, personally, accomplished as part of the mission,” Deere said. “It can be tough to look at it in that way.” Typically, service members are used to focusing on what their team did as a whole. In a job interview or performance evaluation, however, you need to know how to sell your own accomplishments and make clear why your skills are an asset. 4Questioning authority is okay. “In the civilian workplace, I think it’s expected that employees are—from time to time—going to disagree with their boss,” said Deere. But former service members may not feel comfortable pushing back, or they may not even realize that they can (politely, of course). While a lieutenant may have made decisions without consulting members of the platoon, a boss in the civilian workforce will likely ask for input. Source: Military Times Culture Shock Understanding the jarring realities of civilian life for veterans The experiences of homelessness from the perspective of veterans