Considering the number of veterans in the U.S., there are still simple things civilians don’t understand about military life. Whether it’s family, war, or post-service careers, there are a lot of misconceptions out there. Here are 5 myths about military life, busted.
The first is when you want to tell your superior something unpleasant, you must say ‘permission to speak freely.’
We’re not sure if anyone has said the words “permission to speak freely”. This is not the norm in the private sector, and we’re not sure a young private who saw it in a movie would try it with his or her First Sergeant. This one is simply Hollywood embellishing military stories.
The second myth is that in the military, you must get used to the way drill sergeants talk, because that’s how everyone speaks all the time.
They just simply don’t. We’re sure there are some military occupations where that is more common— but overall, the military is a respectful and professional environment. Nothing makes a specialist more eager to do a good job than to be treated with the respect of a future sergeant. And young privates are industrious when empowered to get a job done. However, there are dressing downs and spot corrections, and in basic training, the instructors shout because they need eighty new recruits to hear the lesson being taught.
Number three is that our military doesn’t have time to have a family.
This one is a matter of perspective. Family life can be hard in the military, and military spouses do an amazing job. There are missed holidays and depending on your unit and MOS, preposterous op-tempos. But enlisting doesn’t mean you won’t be able to call mom from your permanent duty station. It doesn’t mean you won’t be able to call home while in a combat zone. As for the consequences of starting a family, the Defense Department has worked hard to improve maternity leave and to expand paternity leave. The Army has twelve weeks of flexible maternity leave for mothers who have just given birth, with six of those weeks available to be taken whenever the mother wants during the first year after birth. Paternity leave has been expanded to just shy of two months, a giant leap from the originally allowed ten days.
Number four is that being on active duty means you have seen some gruesome things.
For most service members, war does not equal combat. Though the seemingly endless wars overseas have changed dramatically since the mid-2000s, there has always been a rear, and that’s always where most military members have served. If servicemen and women are serving during a war and deploying to combat zones, the majority are in support roles. Some are fixing machinery, cooking meals, driving trucks, maintaining computers, supporting admin, or logistics. In a combat zone, for everyone soldier whose job description includes combat, 2.5 people are in support positions.
Last but not least, is that our military cannot easily find a job after active duty.
While not all skills learned in the military apply in civilian life, business is oftentimes more governed by principles than job-specific skills. Organization, management and leadership skills apply equally to any job, no matter the industry. Several agencies in the federal government also offer hiring preference for veterans. The same is true for the private sector, where such companies as Home Depot, UPS, Amazon, and Starbucks are famous for their preference for veteran employees.
