Assimilation To Military Culture Analysis

This book puts emphasis on the transformation of an American citizen into a marine and the importance of sustaining the change. It is imperative because our war fighting ability depends on a lasting transformation not only during the time of the individual’s Marine Corps career but also when he or she returns to their civilian communities.

The reading of interest is “Anybody’s Son Will Do” by Gwynne Dyer. The author was primarily focused on the intense resocialization civilians experience during military basic training. The idea is that those who enter basic are socialized into soldiers and killers, which in return creates efficiency. Dyer argues that any man can be changed through physical and mental pressure, isolation and exhaustion, all after losing their civilian identities.

When I first started to research about how the American society helps discharged soldiers, I first wanted to know what type of help society offer to them. The article “10 Organizations that Help Veterans Transition to Civilian Life” published by Vista College helped me view a plethora of organizations that offer help to veterans. The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) organization helps “connect veterans to one another and educate them on,” issues and benefits they could get when transitioning

When I see the word ethnocentrism before I knew what it actually meant. I always thought of it as term used only with African Americans people but used in some sort of played down way not to offend or be looked at as racist. There has been times when I hear someone say something about an African American person hair and say things like “That is ethnic hair” to avoid saying it is nappy or dreaded. I would just ignore it and think in my mind like wow they are trying hard not seem racist. It was for me going to the Army’s Equal Opportunity Leaders Course was then I was finally educated on terms such as discrimination and ethnocentrism. It showed me that I had to fix my way of thinking even though I never looked at anyone’s race as inferior but

Imagine as an immigrant one enters into a new life unfamiliar to the culture and the expectations of a new society. Faced with so many challenges and uncertainties, how does one fit into a new environment or align oneself with existing resources for a successful cultural transition? Veterans transitioning into civilian life may experience similar challenges and may require a multidisciplinary approach consisting of improved communication, understanding and the perception of the underlying issues which contribute to the challenges veterans face with assimilating to the civilian life. Although, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the most talked about issue with returning veterans, there are many more issues that ensue. For example,

In actuality, veterans continue to face barriers on their process for resocialization. Despite the effort that society puts in to ease such transition veterans find difficulty adapting to modern society due to a warfare identity. The military trains its veterans with the purpose to make them stronger in personality as well as to teach them how to control their emotions. Veterans are force to assimilate the military culture by detaching from their very own self-identity prior to the military. The identity that has been created by the military is also responsible for the negative stigma that our veterans’ currently suffer in today’s society. They are often portray as, murderous and violent. These traits are not strictly related to combat, but

Give them meaning” (Cleland).Once they get home , close to no one understands them. Their doctors, friends, and even family members can’t help them, so they end up getting alienated by the people they love most. Until we understand how to help the returning veterans, nothing will ever get better for them. Topic: war stays with veterans, and it always manages to find to mess with them

The U.S. military produces some of the bravest most heroic men and women on earth. From the moment the oath of enlistment is made to the time of separation or retirement, these courageous souls endure a number of amazing, historic and sometimes unbelievable events. They are praise for their service and lift even higher for their sacrifice, although most are unaware of the true sacrifices are made by some of these men and women. The most visible sacrifices or “outer sacrifices” are loss of life or loss of limbs while the inner wounds are bouts with depression, sexual assault, divorce, and most common alcohol other drug abuse.

Historical facts reveal that veterans struggled with re-integration of life and communities they left behind and understood after the Civil War and other wars that followed. During pre-eras veterans were exposed to traumas that resemble those of the twentieth century e.g. trapped in post-war nightmares, injuries, shell shock, effects of depression, and long-term ramifications of psychological and physical health because of war experience (Martin, 2012, p. 12-15).

Before I read this book, I had a limited understanding – it’s still limited due to the fact that I’m not a soldier, nor have I fought in a war – of how those who fight these wars for us are truly affected by the actions required. When we think of a soldier returning from war, we think of them as a hero, which they are, but we fail to think of how they’re could be feeling about the things they had to do. We fail to understand that PTSD is real and common in many soldiers; we fail to understand that we shouldn’t treat them as a “ticking time bomb” , but rather a fellow citizen that needs our help and understanding. We fail to see them as anything more than a soldier; we fail to see their humanity. This book opens up this disconnect a little more. Though the characters are fictional, we are still able to see real feelings that soldier face during and after the war, thanks to O’Brien’s experience. Though there still isn’t a perfect understanding of these feelings that soldiers face after war, the book has helped me to understand just how big this disconnect is. Though these feelings very well could be felt after any war that the nation has fought in, I feel like disconnect between veterans and civilians was broadened after soldiers returned from Vietnam. Civilians had seen on the television, for the first time,

Anyone who owns a television, or have been near one for extended periods, have seen the numerous commercials put forth by the military to garner new recruits. They show pristine specimens in the crisp, clean uniforms. However, the commercials do not show the dead men, women, children, or comrades that haunt the minds of combat veterans. Nor do they show the panicked veteran who cannot even take out the trash because, while the veteran is aware that they are home, “insurgents love hiding explosives in garbage on the side of the road” (Venables). Combat vets return home to find themselves engaging a different war, and one that they are often not trained to fight. Michael Venables notes in his Forbes article that more veterans are losing this

The intended purpose of this study was to describe and understand the identity development of student veterans as they transitioned from active duty service members to students at a higher educational institution. This study was “phenomenological” in nature and focused on seven individual, veteran, full time students completing their first undergraduate degree at CU Denver. Despite the increased number of student veterans on campus, there remains a continued lack of understanding regarding this section of the student population at colleges across the United States and as I learned, here at CU Denver as well. It is important that campus administrators have a solid understanding of student veterans’ needs and experiences in order to better assist them while they are here at CU Denver. In my study I concentrated on the actual experiences of seven student veterans attending college full time. This method was chosen because of its in-depth interview nature and the focus on participants’ lived experiences and worldviews. Veterans have detailed life experiences that are often not understood by non-veterans so in explaining some of my findings we civilians could have problems relating or understanding. Because of the time limitations involved in this project, interviewing a larger number of participants was not feasible, especially considering the attention to detail required for personal, one-on-one discussions. Furthermore, since the study focused on student veteran identity

Many scholarly journals and articles solely focus on the effects of war mentally and physically on soldiers. Veterans returning home after being away at battle go through something known as Post-traumatic stress disorder. This can involve problems with adjusting to a so called normal life. Nightmares keep them awake at night, reliving the traumatic experience of the battlefield again. Any loud noises can trigger the feelings and emotions of being pulled back into war. They fall into destructive habits, allowing isolation to break apart once strong and sturdy relationships. Although this book does not focus on Post-traumatic stress disorder among soldiers, many of the trauma survivors go through the same situations as veterans.

Another facet of the warrior ethos that Pressfield discusses is the brotherhood that all warriors share regardless of upbringing or personal beliefs. It is commonly known that military members who share harsh, traumatic, or even funny events become closer through the bond of a mutual experience. This is particularly true for Marine infantry; many of my Marine friends grew up in different areas of the US, with different values, ages, religious and political beliefs. However different we all might look on the outside, the fact that we’ve all been through good times and bad with each other makes us closer than any civilian could understand. After being a Marine, I find that I’m close to, and always will be, than my civilian friends who I’ve known for years. Along with this, Pressfield talks about how, under all the glory and allure of fighting for one’s country exists the real reason that warriors fight; for our brothers in arms. Political beliefs, government stances, and flags go out the window, only to be

When working with service members, their families and veterans it is essential that as a social worker, I understand and respect the military culture. Cultural sensitivity is very essential when interacting with the military community. The military represents a unique cultural group with its own language, behaviors, and beliefs (Luby, 2012). The military is its own diverse community and is made up of different ethnic groups, gender, sexual orientation and spirituality. Globalization is rapidly happening in our society and this type of globalization is also visible within the military community. Being social workers, we will be working in communities that