Transition hits families too

Hey Veteran Families,

Thanks for being valued members of the community and supporting your peers!

The year is steadily moving along and I thought I post here about what is always in the back of my mind. Some of you may have read other posts about my dad here but I’ll give a little back story for those that don’t know as yet. Dad was in the Navy for 16.5 years as a Chief Petty Officer but left before I was born. While I was growing up and for most of my life before I left home he worked as a civilian on various bases around Australia.

Dads work shaped our families lives and it had a real impact on me which I realised at the time but carried some challenges into my adult life. There were really good aspects of dad and his work such as using the bases amenities like the pool and seeing planes up close. And we always felt part of the community going to all the significant military memorial days. Dad would explain everything that was happening in detail and knew all about our other family members service history.

The hardest part for me was the moving to the outback when I was 12 years old because dad had a new job at another military site. Dads transition out of the Navy and into civilian life was still so focused on the military. I found the isolation hard and being away from the rest of our extended family made our family feel really small. I craved being back where I was born on the east coast as life was so different. When I finally moved away when I was 20 years old I found that I didn’t fit in anymore because I had grown up so differently no one understood me. I experienced bullying and discrimination towards me for something that was out of my control.

What has really surprised me is how unique I am now that my life has started to be something that I aspired to when I was growing up. These experiences of my dad’s transition out of service and into civilian life have shaped my life in a very unique way. Now I look back on those years in a different way and see the value of that way of life and how my dad’s transition shaped me as a person.

I’m curious about what during the transition out of service was hardest for your family -and what surprised you?

Thanks for reading and being part of the community and I’m really looking forward to hearing about your transition experiences!

Thank you

RiverSeal

Thought I'd just tag a few Forumites who might share similar experiences:

@Caring_wife @EchoGirl @CJ130 @Heyyou @Enewt95 @Cally1 @LG @CarryOnPorkChop @ccau_82 @Azalea @Oaktree @Magpie22 @rosieC13 @GalaxyGuide @Mumoftwoboys @WithTheMoon @rosieC13 @Blackfish73 @BecomingOkay @Minx13 @K-K @Ru-bee @TomBombadil