Military Veteran Reintegration

Approach, Management, and Assessment of Military Veterans Transitioning to Civilian Life

Carl Castro,Sanela Dursun

• Publisher: Academic Press
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9780128153130
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Clinical Psychology
• Index: Psychology

Military Veteran Reintegration: Approach, Management, and Assessment of Military Veterans Transitioning to Civilian Life offers a toolkit for researchers and practitioners on best practices for easing the reintegration of military veterans returning to civilian society. It lays out how transition occurs, identifies factors that promote or impede transition, and operationalizes outcomes associated with transition success. Bringing together experts from around the world to address the most important aspects of military transition, the book looks at what has been shown to work and what has not, while also offering a roadmap for best-results moving forward.

• Contains evidence-based interventions for military veteran-to-civilian transition
• Features international experts from North America, Europe and Asia
• Includes how to measure transition outcomes
• Outlines recovery programs for the injured and sick
• Identifies factors that promote or impede successful transition

Chapter 1

Introduction to military-to-civilian life transition

Carl Andrew Castro¹, and Sanela Dursun^2     1Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA     ²National Defence Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada

Abstract

Returning to civilian life after military service is a major life transition. Most service members will re-enter civilian life successfully, but a significant number will experience challenges along the way. This chapter discusses the research into military-to-civilian transition that led to this volume and the major themes in military-to-civilian transition explored in each of its chapters.

Keywords

Compensation schemes; Life transition; Military culture; Military families; Military-to-civilian transition; Military service; Transition policies/procedures; Veteran; Vulnerable military population; Wounded service members

Military service is generally seen as a duty in nations that have conscription and as an honorable act where military service is voluntary, and many nations see military service as both a duty and an honorable act. Regardless of the reasons for serving, military personnel must eventually transition back to civilian life. Most service members will transition successfully and, as with any other major life transition, some will experience bumps in the road. For a significant number of separating service members, however, substantial challenges will arise—one of the most prominent being obtaining a good paying job that provides a sense of accomplishment, among others.

In this volume, we have tried to identify the major challenges that separating service members encounter when they leave the military and transition back to civilian life and how governments should support service members leaving the military. The authors of these chapters were members of a NATO Human Factors and Medicine Research and Technology Group, which examined this topic over a 3-year period. Many of the observations reported in this volume were enhanced by a survey of NATO nations, which was conducted to assess the support provided by various nations to service members and their families leaving the military.

We begin by observing that the military culture is a unique one, with a unique set of characteristics that must be understood to help separating service members navigate the transition to civilian life (Chapter 2). Alongside understanding its military culture, each nation must also decide who is a military veteran. How a veteran and their family are defined, after all, will determine which former service members are eligible for which benefits. Thus, the exact definition of military veteran adopted by each nation will have a profound impact on the support that separating service members receive during their transitions to civilian life (Chapter 2).

We also provide a conceptual framework for understanding the military-to-civilian life transition (Chapter 3), which is useful for identifying key predictors of both a successful transition and a transition in which the veteran is likely to struggle. This framework also pinpoints the important outcomes that determine whether a veteran has had a successful transition. Finally, the framework identifies areas where interventions might be used to ensure a successful transition. As will be seen, the conceptual framework is comprehensive, assessing multiple outcomes for determining whether a veteran's transition has been successful.

We next provide an understanding of how policies and procedures aimed at helping transitioning service members—including both governmental and nongovernmental activities—can be developed and implemented to ensure success (Chapter 4). The sheer complexity of the array of available support programs and services for separating service members can be a barrier to service access as they navigate the transition process, particularly if they are not aware that such services exist, or if they think they do not need additional supports. People undergoing major life transitions might not reflect sufficiently on their preparedness for aspects of the transition process. There is a need for tools that enable separating service members to seek and use services (Chapter 5).

Much has been written about vulnerable military populations and the additional support these populations need as they transition to civilian life. These populations are discussed in detail (Chapter 6), along with the service members who have been physically or psychological wounded during military service (Chapter 7). Service members who have been wounded in combat rightly receive considerable support throughout the transition process. Yet service members who fail to complete their initial term of service generally receive the least support from their governments, even though they are one of the most vulnerable groups who struggle during the transition back to civilian life. While most nations have sought to help those service members with the greatest need in their transition back to civilian life, more support should be considered.

Following the chapters on vulnerable populations, we turn to how veterans are recognized for their service (Chapter 8). Recognition of military service varies by nation, yet it typically includes a variety of compensation schemes. Best practices are presented on how service members might be compensated for both injuries suffered during military service and lost earnings as a result of military service. While national differences may necessitate different policies in different places, the best practices outlined in this volume are likely to improve transitions for all veterans and their families.

Families are often forgotten when service members leave the military, so the reasons for including support for families in the military-to-civilian life transition are explained in Chapter 9. In particular, the importance of developing an adequate definition of a family is highlighted here because few nations actually define what a military family is. Thus, we identify the unique needs of families in the transition process and recommend ways of addressing these needs.

Another important but overlooked issue is the role of media in the military-to-civilian life transition (Chapter 10). How the military describes the service member and the veteran is particularly important for how society will see the military veteran. A media portrayal of the military veteran as mentally ill and physically broken, for instance, will negatively affect potential employers' perceptions of military veterans. Conversely, if real issues are minimized in the media, then veterans may not receive adequate support.

We conclude this volume by identifying the essential components in the military-to-civilian life transition. While it is tempting to prescribe in detail exactly what each nation must and must not do to assist service members transitioning to civilian life, there is no single optimal approach for all nations. Each must consider its own unique national culture and historical experiences of the military in deciding how and what support to provide transitioning service members. Still, it is hoped that the essential components, conceptual framework, and best practices provided in this volume will help each nation better formulate how it approaches the military-to-civilian transition.

Chapter 2

Definition of a veteran: the military viewed as a culture

Tiia-Triin Truusa¹, and Carl Andrew Castro^{2 1}Ühiskonnateaduste Instituut, Institute of Social Studies Tartu Ülikool, University of Tartu, Estonia ²Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Abstract

The definition of a veteran differs greatly from nation to nation, having been shaped by the history of war, the nature of conflicts, casualties, involvement of the civil population in wars, and the set of sociopolitical regulations and means applied in that particular country. All these factors have an impact on who is legally considered a veteran and who is eligible for support and programs provided to mitigate difficulties in transitioning from the military system to the civilian society. However, these official definitions may exclude some service members that might experience difficulties in the transition process. One of the important factors influencing all service members is the military culture. Service members of different branches of the military or voluntary military organizations will have internalized the ideals and patterns of military culture to some extent and are influenced by it. Military culture will have important implications for how a service member transitions back into civilian life. It is also important for the society to know and share an understanding of the military and its culture to smooth the transition from the military-to-civilian society. A lack of shared military culture understanding has important implications for the type of support the veteran will need for a smooth and successful transition process.

Keywords

Civilian-Military interactions; Definition; Military culture; Military transition; NATO; Veteran

1. The definition of veteran, why does it matter in the transition process?
2. Transitioning back to civilian society
3. The veteran as an immigrant
4. Transitioning back to the civilian community: avoiding the bumps
5. Conclusion
6. References

The definition of veteran, why does it matter in the transition process?

In 2014, at the NATO summit in Wales, the heads of state and government acknowledged the demanding nature of military service and reaffirmed their nation's support to the men and women of the armed forces and their families, while still serving, but also after service (NATO, 2014). While this document does not include the word “veteran,” it certainly includes veterans in its scope. The reason is simple. In an international context, using the term “veteran” would cause undue confusion, as nations have defined who is a veteran quite differently, let alone the differences in who the public in any given country considers to be a veteran. Because this book is about military veterans transitioning to civilian life, we are going to take a closer look at who do we mean when discussing issues connected to military–civilian transition. Who exactly are veterans?

Generally speaking, the definition of a veteran is based on either the length or the nature of the service, ranging from broadly inclusive to quite narrowly exclusive (Dandeker, Wessely, Iversen, & Ross, 2006). The most inclusive and broad definition of a veteran encompasses all those who have served in the armed forces for any period of time. For example, in the United Kingdom, the length of service to qualify as a veteran is a single day. In this case, the underlying factors are the intent and initiative of the person to serve and the subsequent acceptance of service by the armed forces. In essence, a life-long binding contract exists after a single day of service. For other nations, like the United States, the length of service is 2 years, yet that service must have occurred on active duty, along with having served “honorably” during the entire time of service.

The most exclusive or strict definition of a veteran only includes those who have served in combat. Many nations even make the further distinction between being a “combat veteran” or simply a “veteran,” with the former obviously being seen in a more favorably light than the latter. In practice, however, most nations include as veterans those who have served on any type of operational mission (i.e., deployed outside of their home nation). For example, the Dutch and Australians, as well as many other nations, define a veteran either as a former or current military service member who has served on a peacekeeping or peace enforcement mission in another nation. Indeed, this definition of a veteran appears to be the most widely accepted.

Both extreme...