Before and After Military Service. It is interesting that you go into the military healthy, but in serving can get a bit beat up, and afterward have a huge system and process to navigate through. Without a mentor, how do we help Veterans answer the question, “what’s next?

Before and After Military Service: From Boots to Bum Knees

Before you join the military, you’re fit as a fiddle. Fresh out of high school or college, you’ve got dreams of adventure, heroism, and six-pack abs. You run like a gazelle, eat whatever you want, and sleep on actual mattresses. And then—you enlist.

Fast forward a few years. You’ve survived basic training, endless PT sessions, and a steady diet of MREs (which, let’s be honest, probably count as both food and hazard pay). Your body has taken a beating from ruck marches, jumping out of perfectly good planes, and maybe a few not-so-soft landings. You’ve got more joint creaks than a haunted house, and your back makes noises like a bag of microwave popcorn when you stand up. But you don’t complain much because, after all, you’re “Army strong”… or at least you were before that one incident with the Humvee.

Then the day comes when you hang up the uniform. You’re proud but also—let’s admit it—kind of limping. Now begins the next battle: navigating the VA system. If you thought basic training was tough, try figuring out which form to fill out to get your knee pain rated as service-connected. Without a mentor, you’ll feel like Indiana Jones in the Temple of Bureaucracy, dodging paperwork traps and hunting for the mythical “100% disability rating.”

VA Website…

The VA website? It’s like a treasure map, except you’re never really sure if the “X” marks where you’ll get benefits or if you’ve just signed up for a newsletter about sleep apnea. And the waiting room? It’s full of veterans swapping horror stories about their injuries, like some weird contest to see whose body is more broken. “Torn ACL? Pfft, I’ve got two herniated discs, a busted ankle, and tinnitus that sounds like an air raid siren!”

Without a guide or mentor, the question “what’s next?” can feel overwhelming. It’s like being dropped into the civilian world with nothing but a compass and no idea which way is north. Sure, you’ve got skills: you can lead a convoy through hostile territory, but somehow “professional PowerPoint Ranger” doesn’t seem like a hot civilian job title. You’re used to adrenaline-pumping missions, but now your biggest task is figuring out how to apply for VA dental benefits without pulling a hamstring in the process.

Good News…?

The good news? There is hope. The first step is finding a mentor—someone who’s been through the wringer and made it out the other side. They’ll guide you through the labyrinth of VA paperwork, tell you which doctors to see, and give you the lowdown on what civilian employers actually care about (hint: it’s not your expert-level knowledge of acronyms). Plus, they’ll share important wisdom like, “Get the seat cushion for your lower back before it’s too late,” or “No, you don’t need to salute your new civilian boss.”

Eventually, you’ll find your new groove. Sure, you might still hear phantom reveille in the morning, and every now and then you’ll reflexively call out “hooah” when someone asks you to do something. But you’ll also have found a way to use your skills and experience to build the next chapter of your life, even if your knees still crackle like a bag of chips.

And hey, while the military might’ve left you a little banged up, at least you’ve got stories to tell. Like that time you wrestled a VA claim form… and won.

The End

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If you like these comics check out my first comic book! This is a not-so-serious look at Kim Jong Un, who while I was stationed in Korea came to power. During all the briefings on the fat little man, I could not help but laugh and doodle the drawings. Hope you like the humor and learn a few real facts about the DMZ and North Korea! Consider this reverse propaganda used to take a funny look at a dangerous dictator. Check out on Amazon:

The Korean Affair: A (Not So) Serious Look at the Life and Times of Jim Jong-un