IMPACT ON VETERANS
WHAT WE KNOW
Since World War II, comradery has played an important role in well-being – 50 years after reintegration, World War II veterans reported that social support from comrades, spouses, and family members had served as lifelong coping strategies for them.
- Each year, about 200,000 service members separate from the U.S. Military.
- Leaving the military can mean losing a close-knit group.
- Warrior Revival strives to build a sense of community, purpose, belonging, and renewed identity.
- Have an idea? We want to hear from you! Our goal is to bring what Veterans are interested in to our community, as well as to create new opportunities. If you have a cool niche that our Veteran members could participate in let us know.
- Veterans bring valuable attributes to the civilian world, such as resilience, commitment to achieving goals, exceptional leadership and communication skills, etc.
IMPACT ON VETERANS
There are over 19 million Veterans in the United States. Transitioning from the military to civilian life can involve important losses to identity, community, income, housing, routine, and career aspirations. When exiting the military, Veterans have a choice of at least 20,000 or more government and non-profit services to join. Warrior Revival aims to provide Veterans a “home” after transitioning that helps to find a sense of purpose, belonging, and community.
Often, Veterans leaving the military feel unprepared, confused, alienated, dispirited. Up to 56% of OEF/OIF Veterans report “some” to “extreme” difficulty in their social functioning, productivity, community involvement, and self-care. There is no time frame for when transitioning is expected to last, or expiration date to when difficulties last until. Research has shown factors such as negative homecoming reception, low social support can predict PTSD symptom severity and reintegration challenges 40 years post-military (Steenkamp et al., 2017).
Suicide rates remain high in the military population, along with divorce, unemployment, incarceration, bereavement, depression and substance use disorders. These challenges can lead to difficulty transitioning, along with the mindset of, “I can handle it on my own.” However, at Warrior Revival we emphasize personal strengths and overall core themes of military service (e.g. loyalty, duty, hierarchy, accountability, respect, self-less service, courage, toughness). While physical, mental health, and occupational functioning may be impaired, our aim is to normalize the reintegration process by connecting Veterans together, along with civilians. If you are a Veteran, and feel transitioning has been difficult, or you miss parts of yourself of who you were before the service, this is extremely common. Reach out to us and we can help – We got your six.
Warrior Revival’s mission to partner with community partners is to help us work together as a community to reach all Veterans at any stage in their post-military lifetime, to offer support, engagement, and a sense of belonging.
