When we think about veterans transitioning from military to civilian life, we picture warm reunions; a picturesque movie moment as they reunite with loved ones. 

But what happens once the celebrations are over?

All at once, veterans are tasked with re-integrating with their communities, adjusting to new routines, and establishing a career outside of their service — and it’s no easy feat. Exploring the challenges that our service members face as they join the civilian workforce helps us better understand how to support them in their journey here at Coalition. 

In honor of Veteran’s Day, I spoke with Blake Feldman, a claims manager and the facilitator of the Coalition Veterans employee resource group, to understand his first-hand experience. You can find the transcript of our conversation below, where we discuss solutions for the future, unconscious bias, and more. 

What can you share with us about the journey for veterans as they leave military service and join the civilian workforce?

Blake Feldman: There are a lot of feel-good stories that are well publicized about veterans returning home from deployment, celebrating their retirement, or the end of their term of service. Those moments are wonderful. But less known are the events that unfold when the celebrations are over and the reality of the situation takes hold.  

For many veterans, it can feel like a moment of spiritual death when they realize that they have taken off the uniform for good. When you are serving in the military, it can be all-consuming to the point where it feels as if your entire life will be defined by being a soldier, sailor, marine, airman, or coast guard. While the imagery of home, family, and friends can be joyous, there’s also a sense of deep loss as a veteran learns to deal with the fact that their military service is only a chapter in the book of their whole life.

What should we know about the veterans who join Coalition, and where might we get it wrong?  

BF: In terms of general appreciation for military service, I think society has improved so dramatically from the 1970s post-Vietnam era to now. The overall trend is positive, but there is still significant room for improvement. The starting point should be understanding that hiring a veteran is not an act of charity — veterans are some of the most highly qualified candidates that you will find.  

No group in our society has been asked to do more with less since 9/11, and that translates to the value proposition that you can expect to receive from Day 1. Additionally, jobs in the military are more similar to the private sector than you might realize. There are dentists, veterinarians, doctors, lawyers, chaplains, IT technicians, personnel specialists, finance directors, operations directors, and many other military professions that require the same licensing as the private sector. In fact, the main difference is that military professionals are often given more responsibility sooner than their civilian counterparts.  

What are some known challenges that veterans face where we have correctly diagnosed the challenge, but still fall short?  

BF: It’s well known that the families, spouses, children, and even the pets of military service members bear a huge burden. We have a robust awareness and investment in Family Readiness Groups that are designed to support the whole military family including the service member. But there is still much more to do, specifically for the military spouse and children.  

The main challenge stems from the constant deployment cycle and family relocation cycle during service on active duty. Most military spouses cannot pursue a professional career because they are focused on childcare without the help of their serving spouse or because they are forced to relocate every few years. The result is a family experience without roots. We need to provide better opportunities for military spouses and children to gain entry into social and economic pathways during and after military service.

What are some unknown challenges that we are failing to address because of blindspots or unconscious bias?

BF: This is a great question and the answer is the counterpart to your previous question. We know about the struggles of the military family. What we forget are the struggles of the Single Servicemember — and it starts with unpacking unconscious bias. 

First, while on active duty it’s common for military leaders to wrongfully assume that a Single Servicemember has more time for career focus, as well as additional duties "because they are not married and do not have children." This is a harmful assumption because it devalues the free time of a Single Servicemember and also presumes that they don't have a robust personal life with a partner already.

Secondly, when the Single Servicemember leaves military service there’s an assumption that they require less support services because they are only responsible for themselves. A Single Servicemember has just as many legitimate support needs as another soldier with a family. The risk is that they won't speak up to advocate for their needs and fall between the cracks.  

Finally, Single Servicemembers tend to discover certain hardships only upon returning home at the conclusion of their military service because their loved ones were "keeping it from them so they can focus on the mission overseas." We need to do better by highlighting their service, creating an environment that encourages self-advocacy, and then providing required support as urgently as we do for military families.

You can learn more about our culture-first approach here.