We often use the word survivor when someone has experienced something that changed the course of their life.
So why do we sometimes talk about surviving service members?
Because military service does not always end when the service member leaves the military.
Some people return home carrying experiences that are difficult to explain. Some return with visible injuries. Others carry changes that cannot immediately be seen—changes in how they sleep, communicate, trust, respond to stress, build relationships, or understand themselves.
And sometimes, the challenge isn’t surviving the deployment.
It’s learning how to live after it.
Transition can require a person to rebuild routines, relationships, professional identity, confidence, purpose, and sometimes their understanding of who they are outside of military service.
That is why I find the concept of surviving service meaningful.
It creates room for a conversation that goes beyond:
“Did you serve?”
and moves toward:
“What did service change for you, and how are you learning to live with those changes?”
As a veteran and as a coach, I am particularly interested in that space between survival and rebuilding.
Not because every veteran needs to be defined by what happened during service.
Quite the opposite.
Sometimes acknowledging what we survived is what gives us permission to begin defining what comes next.
Survival can be part of the story without becoming the entire story.
And perhaps that is one of the most important parts of transition:
You survived something. Now you get to explore what you want to build.
This reflection is for educational and personal-development purposes and is not medical or mental-health advice.
Learn. Practice. Apply. Influence.
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Until next time, take care and keep shining! 👋🏽✌🏽🐝
Yes, I use AI.
I believe in using the technology and tools available to me to support my creativity, organize ideas, explore possibilities, and bring concepts to life. AI is one of the tools in my toolbox—not a replacement for my experience, perspective, or voice.
Technology continues to evolve. So do we.
