CHAPTER 6Detaching

“My whole life had been defined by the military. [Transition is] a whole change process and I think a lot of people just take off the uniform on Friday and go back to work on Monday for a government job or contractor and they never really take the time to go through that process. To be open to the change and understand that you may have been hired because of what you know from the military, is not what’s going to keep you successful.”

—OFFICER, U.S. ARMY1

“DETACH” IS A COMMON WORD that can have multiple meanings depending on the context in which it is used. In the context of military transition, I define it as a verb, meaning to mentally step away from the defined lifestyle of the military. Detaching is an internal process ...

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