I knew guys who did have that support network who went from Camp Pendleton to LAX handling luggage.
I was blessed. Sad for them.

Though it is not always the case, I find that some people (especially the knee jerk anti-mil types), feel shamed by a personal sense of impotency and lack of self worth, and envy the sense of pride, accomplishment, and especially the public recognition that many veterans receive. The idea that all veterans are stupid and were unable to find a job or meaningful life before the military is pervasive where I go to school. It is pretty easy to tell who doesn’t like you right off the bat, because they will either tell you (uncommon, very few people have to stones), or patronize you (common). I about had an aneurism laughing when a dude in one of my classes talked about the need to “empower” veterans, because we are all incapable of taking care of ourselves without “military welfare”. Everyone is entitled to their idiot opinion, so I just laughed it off. Regardless, it’s a widely held view where I go to school. Nobody I served with craves “empowerment”. Most of us don’t seek or require a spot at the victim’s table to beg for handouts. As the war winds down, and more veterans reenter the workforce, we’ll just go on to be successful somewhere else.

I am currently using my last semester of benefits and want to provide some insight based on my experiences with the GI Bill. I would recommend that veterans wanting to attend college save up enough money for at least six months of living expenses. It is not uncommon for me to wait 2-3 months from the date I filed for my benefits, until I start to receive them. Things that can delay your benefits include but are not limited to: congress making changes to the GI Bill, government shutdown(remember when Obama wold not promise old people that they would receive their social security; The same applies to the veterans and the GI Bill), increased number of vets going to college, your university messing it up for you, no apparent reason at all, any combination of the aforementioned.

I would also recommend you save up enough money to pay for at least one semester of tuition and fees. I recently heard of a veteran getting kicked out of his school, despite having a 3.949 GPA, and only having one semester remaining until he graduated. This student was kicked out of the university for not paying his tuition; Not all university’s do this, but many will. The morale of this story is to be frugal; Just because you are out of the military does not mean that they can’t screw you. Do not worry if you have to pay tuition out of your own pocket; the VA will reimburse you(eventually).

Do not plan on going to an Ivy league school, your benefits will not be sufficient.

“There are two things they don’t teach you at Harvard Business School: How to cope with defeat and how to use a shotgun.”-Homer Simpson

I have enjoyed your site- particularly when it comes to reporting on firearms. I am not a vet, I did not serve. However, I respect and honor all who go into the armed forces. My father was an Airborne Ranger. Personally I did attempt to follow in his footsteps but was unable due to health. I am now in the professional field of project management. In my experience with interviewing recent combat vets for jobs I think vets are given a diservice from the culture of the military.

Many come in and list off the different experiences they had while serving. However, they are not able to translate their experience into how it differentiates them from candidates who have direct experience within a given technology. Many vets need coaching in simply answering questions and relating the experiences of combat in overseas service to a work environement without sounding as if combat alone gives them an edge.

I have been proud to have vets serve on our teams. If there are any vets who need assistance with resumes or coaching please feel free to reach out to me. I would be happy to assist in providing context and tailoring the resumes to given fields of interest.

I sometimes wonder if it’s because, since Vietnam, there is a taboo associated with questioning the character of Veterans, as if simply enlisting in the military makes you Pat Tillman, and now the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction.

Thanks for your blog. I appreciate the time and effort you put into it.

V/R

MM2(SS)

I personally think it’s a bit of an overreaction by the American public because of the aforementioned paragraph. But honestly, I honestly have no idea how this is in the US. As a proud Dutchman I have never seen a veteran soldier begging for food. It’s usually people covered in silver paint or seashells doing that. And they’re not convincing me that’s an illness…