Anticipating Army Exit

Abstract

There is recent concern about what becomes of Armed Forces leavers. This is most apparent among leavers themselves and is a feature of short careers that compel individuals to find replacement jobs and lifestyles. Concern for one's civilian future rises to prominence in the preexit period and is confronted in resettlement processes during this time. Based on qualitative analysis of interviews with twenty-eight UK regular Army career soldiers and officers, the article argues that the final year of service-though mostly a practical endeavor-is also an important time for tackling matters of identity. The work is underpinned theoretically by a combination of Mead's pragmatism and Ricoeur's hermeneutics and constructs a typology of preexit orientation. This is an approach that casts some doubt about the utility of projecting oneself into unknown civilian futures from the context of distinctive and familiar Army relations.

The prison as a postmilitary landscape

“…to 'failure' (which can include unemployment, homelessness and incarceration). Leavers are told to expect the return to civilian life to be 'stressful', and to require some 'personal adjustment' (British Army, 2018, no page), reflecting the fact that being in the military will inevitably have influenced the development of their identities (Cowen, 2005;Riley & Bateman, 1987;Walker, 2013). Extensive research has demonstrated that military veterans commonly experience 'significant cultural, social and spatial changes' (Herman & Yarwood, 2014, pp.…”

Military personnel and the transition into civilian employment: A systematic narrative review

“…Two studies considered the value of military experience when preparing to leave. A descriptive qualitative study focused on the perceptions of British Army personnel who were leaving the military [10]. Participants generally described a naive attitude to civilian employment that was grounded in unrealistic or poorly informed assumptions about the superiority and usefulness of military experience in future civilian workplaces.…”

“…Veterans exiting the military following a longer period of service were reported to fare better than early service leavers because they have adapted well to military life and have a firmer foundation upon which to launch their civilian careers [9]. However, those leaving the service following a longer career may hold an idealised view about the value of their previous military work experience and a naive view of civilian work [10]. Finally, military personnel are encouraged to hold values that include placing the needs of the military first and viewing their role as a service as opposed to a job [11].…”

Outside the Military “Bubble”: Life After Service for UK Ex-armed Forces Personnel

“…Freddie reflected positively on the service life he gained from being in the Royal Marines: "the military made me who I am now and I think I'm a better person for it" (p. 32). An integrated sense of self, separate from how one defines self through career, is necessary for a feeling of satisfaction and thinking positively of the future (49). Mental health concerns and experiences of mental healthcare and support post-service were explored to understand to what degree (if any) participants linked postservice experiences to their current well-being and whether preor service events are integral to those perspectives which create conflicts in overall sense of well-being and coping with change after leaving the Armed Forces.…”