The Experiences of Veterans

One group of well-respected people are veterans. Each veteran has their own motivations for serving and have their own experiences when they return home. Motivations include wanting to serve their country, to fulfill their duty when the draft existed, to follow in their family’s footsteps, etc. Their experiences returning home differ because some veterans may struggle to fit back into society while others may not. Each veteran may have different views on how they are treated when they come home with some being satisfied and others with a complaint or two. It is important to know that each veteran is different and to understand their varied opinions.

Matthew Bartley

The first veteran I interviewed was my brother in-law Mathew Bartley, who served in the Army for three and a half years and he was deployed to Iraq. He said about serving in the military, “I wanted to fight. At the time, I was not concerned with careers or benefits. I just wanted to fight in a war”. He said he wanted to the joined the Army because he “wanted to do grunt work”. This is one motivation that is different from just wanting to serve one’s country. This reasoning might involve having pride in fighting for something that is bigger than themselves, which involves fighting for one’s country or for the rights of fellow citizens. He said serving in the Army was a great time in his life because he was able to serve with people he would die for. He also said it was also the worst time because he did not like the process of being broken down by leadership and having a lot of structure. He said it was refreshing to have less structure once he returned home.

It seems natural for someone to be willing to die for people they are fighting alongside with because they spend time together and become like family. It also natural to not enjoy every aspect of his time in the Army, which is the case for any other job. Having too much structure was not enjoyable for him at the time but that does not mean he regrets serving. When asked if he would have done it again he said, “without a doubt, I would have pushed harder to make it a career”. This shows that he does not regret serving but instead regrets not making it a career, which means structure might not bother him as much now. He said some benefits of being a veteran are “free meals a couple times of year, free college (up to a point) and that pride of having served”. He also feels veteran receive enough recognition, but he does not want people’s recognition to turn into hero worship.

This shows that overall, he is satisfied with his experience as a veteran, but he also does not want people to worship him or other veterans. One poignant statement he made was that “the military is there for force, and while we all served with the knowledge that we are at the governments whim, the real tragedy is that they didn't seem to realize they had to do something with us when we got back”. He is saying that it is okay for the use of military force in some cases but those serving cannot be treated like fodder for war. This means the United States needs to have a better plan for veterans who have a hard time readjusting to civilian life, so they are not left fending for themselves.

Paul Warnke

I interviewed my uncle Paul Warnke, who served five and a half years with six months of active duty and he was stationed in California during the Vietnam war. He joined the military to fulfill his obligation because the draft was still being used. This was probably the reason many people joined the military during the draft era because they did not have a choice. He said he would have still joined if he had to do it again. It does not necessarily mean everyone back then would not have joined if they were given a choice. He joined the National Guard and the reason he gave for joining that branch was so he “would not get shot at”. This is a choice that many people make during violent wars because they do not want to be in danger, but they still want to serve.

People can still contribute to their country and do good regardless of the branch they choose. I asked him whether veterans receive the respect they deserve and he said “in the past during Vietnam, when I would show my I.D. they would say thanks for your service and then they spit at us. It has taken a turn for the better in recent years”. The Vietnam war was a controversial war where some people were against it and unfortunately, they could not separate the war from the veterans. It would appear in recent years people have been able to realize that those who are serving and those who have served do not choose the wars, but it is the government that does. It is important to respect veterans and people currently serving, whether people agree with the wars or conflicts the United States is involved in or not.

Verna Pratt

The next two veterans that I interviewed are a husband and wife who both served in the military. The wife is Verna Pratt, who served in the Navy as a Dentist Technician for 17 years. She said women were beginning to be assigned to ships when she finished boot camp. She was 1 of 12 women to be assigned to a ship with 800 men. It is interesting that she was among some of the first women assigned to ships, which is an impressive achievement. She was stationed in several cities in the United States including Oakland, CA, San Diego, CA, Washington, DC, Camp Pendleton, CA, Arlington, VA. She also traveled aboard a ship to many different countries including Canada, Hawaii, Guam, Philippines Korea, and Japan.

Being in the Navy for 17 years allowed her to see different parts of the United States and many countries around the world. Her motivation for joining the military was so she could afford to live on her own. People naturally want to move out of their parent’s home when they are of age, so they can be free with their own rules. Joining the military is a realistic solution for many young people who want to make it on their own and do not want to rely on their parents anymore. She originally wanted to join the Air Force, but she joined the Navy instead because it had a shorter waiting list. There are many people who choose a branch based on the enlistment process. There are people who may not want to wait a long period of time, so they choose the branch with the shortest process.

Paul Pratt

The next veteran I interviewed is Paul Pratt, Verna Pratt’s husband, who served with the Marine Corps for 28 years from 1982 to 2010. He is an example of a person who makes a career out of serving in military and he was able to retire just like any other career. Although, he did not fully retire because he still has a job with the Marine Corps without the “tremendous pressure of being on duty 24/7”. This shows he is dedicated to his career with the Marine Corps because he did not even fully retire. He has been to Korea, Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Thailand, Australia, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Iraq. He has been all over the world, which is natural for being in the military for almost 30 years. He said he did not want to join the military at first and he was just going to do a summer job for the Marine Corps. He decided to join after finishing school in 1983.

He said “it was the type of challenging environment that I thrived in. It was both physically and mentally demanding”. This is another reason many people join the military because they enjoy the challenging aspects of it. It may give someone a sense of accomplishment just knowing that they were able to be tested and suceed at a tough career. Perhaps some people like the structure of the military where they can have a routine, which is naturally challenging and not something everyone enjoys. Paul said his experience serving was easy when he was single because he could focus on his job completely. It became more difficult to balance once he was married and had a family. This seems natural for any profession because having a family can become a distraction, even though it is a good one. People must find a way to balance their personal lives and professional lives. Finding a balance is probably more difficult for people in the military because they could be away from their family for long periods of time. He was using his career in the military as way to provide for his family, which required him to get promotions.

Paul said he needed to be great at his job, which “required a lot of time away from family and that did not even include deployments and temporary duty assignments”. This is a sacrifice he had to make to continue providing for his family with the career he wanted. Many veterans and people currently serving in the military go through this, which can put a strain on a family. He said he was lucky to have a wife who was understanding of what he had to do, and they are still married. He said, “many get divorced due to the stress of the military lifestyle and long periods of separation”. This shows that military life can be difficult for a family and unfortunately, many do not survive the strain. It can be difficult for one’s family because they spend a lot of time worrying for loved one’s safety and being unable to spend time with them. It is difficult on the people who serve too because they do not get a lot of time to spend with their family. This is probably why many people serving do not make it a career or end up divorced if they do.

When talking about other people thanking veterans he said, “I think the phrase, "Thank you for your Service" has become trite. It's just what you say to Veterans. I think a guilt complex from our history during Vietnam”. This seems understandable because saying thank you for your service is something people just automatically say without thinking. People may say thank you for your service to overcompensate for the poor treatment of people in the service during Vietnam. He would prefer that people just respect the country and one another as well as “don't litter; be kind; respect other's opinions even if theirs is different from yours”. It may be better for him if people do good things that will make a difference, which would respect the sacrifices that were made by those who serve. It is okay for people to say thank you to veterans and those who are currently serving but people should also do other things that contribute to society.

Final Thoughts

There are many reasons for people to join the military and each one has their own unique experiences during their service. One common opinion among the four people that I interviewed is they would join again if they had to do it all over again. This means they are proud that they joined the military and have no regrets. A common thought they had was there is a lot of help for veterans with healthcare and jobs but they have to research it to get help they need. They all had different reasons for joining the military, reasons for choosing a certain branch, and experiences while they serve. This shows that veterans and those currently serving are a diverse group of people with many different opinions and experiences.

Reference

https://thenewsonwheels.wixsite.com/newsonwheels/single-post/2018/02/07/Interviewing-Veterans