Veteran Isn’t Our Occupation

Black Sheep Militia Article 3

Hello Ladies & Gents! Welcome back to another segment in the Black Sheep Militia section. Today, I wanted to speak to all of you about a common misconception I run into every day. It is not something that occurs only in my life, but in all veterans I personally know. Evidently, if this is happening more than once then it must be happening to others as well. What am I talking about? It is the common misconceptions veterans deal with. At some point in time, the general public began treating veterans as if they were discarded shells of who they once were. Well folks let me tell you being a veteran isn’t our occupation.

Being a Veteran is not our profession, it is not our pastime, or our hobby.

We don’t have a residency. It’s is not our habitat as if we are some sort of animal. Being a veteran, holds it value not in the time we put in doing our jobs, but the time we put in with our brothers and sisters. It is the values instilled in us that make us unique. Whatever the reason may be for us joining the armed forces, we continued because of our friends and family. That is what it means to be a veteran.

Unfortunately, we live in a time we’re being a veteran is a full time job, that leads nowhere most times and is full of misunderstandings. Where hero is easily underrepresented and overtaken by the word unbalanced. I’m talking about PTSD folks. The blanket statement given out faster than Oprah hands out prizes. It is the one acronym that I find most people are experts in. This is quite laughable if you ask me, but I know out there one of my fellow vets is not getting the opportunity they deserve based on their merit because of PTSD.

Being a veteran has become an occupation where we must take first place in the PTSD triathlon. Regrettably, post traumatic stress disorder is not just owned by us Vets, but somehow is easily interconnected with us. To make matters worse, it is always portrayed as violent and vicious in most media. When in reality it could be as simple as not being able to sleep or feeling anxious at times.

Well doesn’t that sound like the rest of the population?!

Now don’t get me wrong there are varying degrees to PTSD. Clearly, different variables require different levels of attention. And yet, we find ourselves at a crossroads where veterans are the poster child for this unjust culture. At some point, we will need to ask ourselves two questions. First, are we satisfied as a society to continue to consume information that is heavily one sided. And two, are we, as people of intelligence, as black sheep, going to continue to partake in this ignorant lifestyle.

It is only in our american culture where we see more commercials for military recruitment than we see for veteran resources.

This is comical to say the least, but quite embedded in our society. Ask yourselves, as the public, are you ok with using the veteran community as nothing more than a set of handy me downs. As veterans, we are comparable to tattered rags being passed down from one government agency to the next. Where the mere process of receiving benefits can take years.

Imagine if you will, going to work and not getting paid for the time you put in. Now, what if your 401k, medical insurance, and other benefits were withheld or simply made difficult to attain. Well ladies and gents, this is what we as veterans go through. The process is intentionally difficult to discourage us from pursuing further. I myself have been waiting three years for VA Benefit approval. Now, I am not saying to forcibly go out of your way for us, but begin to understand and comprehend what it means to be a veteran.

Again, being a veteran isn’t our occupation.

Trust me when I say that not only will you be a better person for it, but you’ll gain a loyal friend along the way. As I said before it is our values that set us apart, veteran and active military alike, are a micro culture that instill these values day and night so that we may be better for us and others as well.

Believe me when I say that we are not different. We fear like the rest of you. Whether it’s fear from acceptance, culture, transitioning out from one life to another, abandonment…etc. The only difference is we have one more higher hurdle to get past, but with the proper education and understanding, the hurdle gets smaller thus allowing us to be who we are, which is human. At the end of the day, as veterans, all we want is comprehension not apprehension.

To sum it all up, remember that there is more to being a veteran. Of course, it is a large portion of who we are, but it is not our only definition and certainly not our occupation. To learn more about PTSD, click here. If you’re a veteran or know one, please feel free to comment down below or email us your thoughts. Subscribe to our newsletter to get notices of our new articles. If you would like to rep your Black Sheep Heritage, visit our shop here.