A Case Study of Military Transition to Civilian Life

Service members experience significant challenges reintegrating into the civilian sector following military service. To research causes of the challenges new veterans face, a qualitative case study was conducted in which military veterans were interviewed and participated in a focus group to obtain information about their perceptions of military leadership and the transferability of their skills to the civilian setting. A review of artifacts, such as military basic training and leadership manuals, was conducted to check the consistency with which military veterans perceived their leadership and transition experience to match the military’s stated expectations and training. The conceptual framework for this case study included principles of transformational leadership. In this study, veterans from Post-9/11/2001 appeared to experience military leadership training as stated in military basic training and leadership manuals. There was a discrepancy between the leadership training and transition out of the military experience between the Pre- and Post-9/11/2001 veterans, which provided insight into potential future studies as well as an understanding of how military training changed over several decades. The primary goal of the study was to obtain insight into how the experience of transitioning out of the military could be further eased for newly exiting service members. The implications included the need for further study in how recruits are trained and readied for service as well as other studies that not only identify roots causes for difficult transitions but also the best way to assist exiting service members