Oct 23, 2019
The transition from the military to the civilian world represents a huge cultural shift. Let’s explore why it is such a big adjustment, the different kinds of transition, loss of identity, what the challenges are, and what helps during the process.
Special Guests
Dr. Anne Irwin served in the Canadian Forces Reserve for 15 years, retiring as a Military Police officer with the rank of Major. Her PhD thesis (“The Social Organization of Soldiering”) was based on extensive field research with a Canadian Regular Force infantry unit. Anne has taught courses in military anthropology both at the University of Calgary and at the University of Victoria. She facilitated the Good to Go course at CFB Esquimalt back in 2015.
Pauline Sibbald has been a social worker with the MFRC since 2010. She facilitated the Good to Go course with Dr. Irwin at CFB Esquimalt in 2015. She currently works at the Transition Centre Esquimalt.
Highlights
- What is transition in a military setting
- Anticipated vs unanticipated transition
- 7:32 Why it is so particularly challenging
- Loss of identity
- 10:23 The military is a particular subculture of Canadian society.
- Finding sense of purpose, what a good transition looks like.
- Holding on, letting go.
- 14:30 Don’t recognize themselves as a veteran, they identify themselves as a retired military member.
- 20:45 Rites of passages in three phases, importance of knowing you are in liminal phase
- Solution is no “one size fits all program.” Different people respond to different programs.
Quotes
“I think that research shows that our brains are actually hardwired for that kind of lifestyle. But most of us don't actually have that experience. We don't live in that kind of lifestyle, but members of the military do. So I think that there's probably something that's very profoundly rewarding, or that feels like it's like a fit for people in the military. And then having had that experience, and leaving it behind, can be very, very challenging.” – Dr. Anne Irwin
“The military is not like a job where you walk away at the end of the day, and you can leave it behind, it claims your whole identity.” – Dr. Anne Irwin
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Thank you
- This podcast is made possible by funding from True Patriot Love Foundation.
- Thank you to Organized Sound Productions for their help bringing this podcast to life.