Staff Sergeant Lee W., a 20-year veteran of the United States Air Force shares his story with us. He talks through lifelong lessons and unexpected challenges after the military.
The world is a small place and we're all humans and we're not different. Languages might be different and our customs but we are humans and we all have the same wants and desires.
America your veterans, most often will go back and do it all over again. We loved what we did and very proud of our service, memories, wounds and disabilities. Is it too much to ask that our post service care and treatment isn't first rate without more drama and trauma?
Don't go alone. I find it particularly important with the epidemic of veteran suicide. When I see people reach out for help, they always say they feel weak reaching out. I try to reframe it as asking for reinforcements. In battle, we call close air support, indirect fire support, more personnel. I encourage them to call close air support. Call someone nearby, have them come to you, and provide support.
The military was always about adapting and overcoming obstacles and that has significantly helped me in my career, in school, while volunteering, in everything I do. As I look back over my career, a majority of my training and education involved problem-solving and I am grateful to have learned that skill.
Respect your veterans. They've seen and done things for our country that you wouldn't believe. They volunteered to put their bodies and minds through extreme stress and deploy to some terrible places in the world out of love for our country.
For all of you reading this that still have some time on contract, don't waste it. Make the most of it and do something positive. Be the leader you would want to have, and just when you think you've broken through, do it again. You owe it to the ones under your charge and you truly are molding the future and your legacy.