Veterans need to help those coming out of uniform transition.
Why do we make military members feel disloyal to the institution when they want to get out? If less than 1% of Americans have served in the armed forces, wouldn't we stop and celebrate these men and women?
I found myself asking this question last week. It started because I had a Zoom call with a young Sergeant about her upcoming EAS. She felt lost and had many questions about what she should do next. She had asked her superiors, but most of them told her to reenlist.
I thought back to my experience. Even after serving 20 years, when leaders would ask me what I wanted to do next and I would reply that I planned to retire, they didn't know what to say. I even had one tell me not to tell anyone or my colleagues would think less of me.
It made me realize that it's not that these men and women don't want to help; it's that they don't know what to say. They are either in the military or Government Service and probably have not gone through this transition.
So, over the last year it has become clear that there are a lot of veterans that want some advice and direction from someone who has been in their shoes. I speak to them all the time, but it's time to formalize it and learn from each other.
