In 2003, I left the Marine Corps to pursue a career and a life as a civilian. After numerous combat deployments, a wall full of awards, and a chest full of medals, I figured I could just walk into whatever company I so chose and they would be blessed by my leadership and hard charging motivation.
Yea, right!
My first job was selling insurance door to door. My second job was Starbucks. My third job-and this is the straw that broke the camel’s back- was waiting tables in a pancake restaurant. Turns out that the Corps did next to nothing to prepare me for the “real world” – chaotic, unfair, undisciplined, and unforgiving. With my debts piling up and my cash pile shrinking, I voluntarily had my body re-inserted into the Matrix and re-enlisted.
For the warriors who cant or wont re-enlist, the civilian world can be the toughest challenge you have yet to face. If you are currently enlisted and are thinking about getting out, be prepared. Like the cadence goes; “don’t let the green grass fool you”. There are 4 major pitfalls that threaten to curb your success: lack of a direction and a structured environment, the loss of both your prestige and your resources, and the boredom of every day life.
Lack of a Direction and a Structured Environment
Many Marines go through their enlistment with a clear path to success laid out before them: Maintain physical standards, complete PME along with TIS/TIG, get promoted. Individuals who enjoyed relative success by meeting those requirements leave the Corps and expect success in a civilian job to be equally straightforward. But in most civilian occupations, those who are able to create their own career paths and “sell themselves” are oftentimes more successful than employees who have all the right checks in the box. You might find yourself working for Managers that don’t have half the amount of talent and drive that you do, but where able to maneuver their way into position on the merits of their mouthpiece alone.
Loss of Prestige
To go from being a real American Hero – chest stacked with ribbons and a sleeve full of chevrons – to an average working civilian can be devastating to the ego. The cold, hard truth is that as a civilian your medals, deployments, and PMEs mean little more than war stories and fond memories. If you are still on Active Duty, it will be hard for you to accept this as the truth, but ask anyone who has transitioned out and they will tell you without a doubt! On a personal note, my first job after returning home was waiting tables. There I was; a three-time combat veteran and Sergeant of Marines refilling cokes for obese tourists! My ego took a hit every time I put on that apron!
Loss of Resources
“ I will never forget October 1st; that’s the date the paychecks stopped coming” – Sergeant Keith H.
While you were on Active Duty, taking care of routine medical and dental issues was as easy as walking into branch clinic. But as a civilian, what do you do if you break a tooth? Call your dentist! But who is your dentist? How much would it cost to have that tooth repaired? Do you have insurance? Can you afford it if you don’t? All of a sudden, what used to be a simple issue to handle becomes a daunting and expensive one.
It’s all too easy to get used to a guaranteed paycheck every two weeks, 30 days of paid leave every year, meals that are provided for you, and having medical and dental remind you of overdue checkups while taking care of your every tummy ache and cavity. These are all important and expensive benefits that most Marines (particularly those in their first enlistment) take for granted.
Even something as routine as going to the bank can become a major hassle after you leave base. Most Marines trust their banking to Navy Federal Credit Union or Fort Sill National Bank. The problem here is that these are small, specialized banks that do not have convenient locations in every state. After returning to Atlanta, the nearest Navy Fed to me was 20 miles away making it very difficult to just stroll in and deposit paper checks, cancel allotments, and handle urgent issues. When preparing to enter civilian life, don’t make any assumptions or take anything for granted – especially when it comes to your money and resources!
The Boredom of Everyday Life
There’s a particular scene that stands out in the movie The Hurt Locker (2008) where the movie’s main character Sergeant First Class William James returns to civilian life after a long combat tour. Standing in the cereal aisle of the grocery store, he is frozen – lost in thought, overwhelmed by choices, and broken in spirit. James struggles with the boredom and dullness of “regular life”, struggles to adapt to family life, and finally reenlists after realizing that home isn’t so sweet and readjusting is tougher than combat.
This scene strikes a chord with so many veterans because we have all felt the same way at some point in time following enlistment. Like a superhero stripped of his powers, you find yourself standing in the cereal aisle amongst the people you were once responsible for protecting and serving. To be sure, there are things that we all don’t like about being an Active Duty Marine (field day, surprise 2 year long combat deployments, inspections), but the trips overseas, taking pictures with Presidents, and the lifelong friends that you make trump all the B.S. Then, after years of saving the world and being pumped up with the myth that you are one of the “World’s Finest”, you are suddenly “demoted” to an average civilian living an average life. There are no more deployments, no more special assignments, no more nights of camaraderie at the E-Club.
This is why retirement is the number one killer in the U.S.; when the excitement of the life that you knew as a Marine is ripped away from you, the boredom of everyday life can be as lethal as an IED.
In Part 2 of this article, I will give you strategies to not only survive but thrive beyond EAS – and Im not talking about the B.S. they teach you in TAP/TAMP.