“…while many of us try not to stand out, there are still subtle indicators. Most civilians would never notice these things, but they are dead giveaways to those who have served. Here are the top ten.” 10 Military Habits That Make Service Members Stand Out
Haha, yup, I'm guilty of a lot of those! My wife says that I could sleep on a bed of nails, and she's right. Marines seem to be the biggest offender of that one.
Those are so true about me. My boss at my current position makes jokes, he would charge me $5.00 every time I call him sir. Which I call him sir everyday. I don't wear sunglasses most of the time, but sometimes. Although I no longer get high and tight every week, but I get high fade every 2 weeks.
Okay, good point. Borrowing Rich's adage ... guilty as charged. But Army veterans are not far behind either (notably, 11-Bravo /bush). :smokin:
The problem with number 11 is that the rest of society operates differently, especially the workplace. Lots of GIs struggle with the opaque nature of many of the forces they encounter--pay, jobs, benefits, and so much more. Throughout one's time in the military, the system tells you who you are, where you work, what you do, etc. You wear your position in the hierarchy and your pay right on your clothing, and your professional identity is not only given to you, but it is reinforced fiercely throughout your career. When you leave, all of that changes. That's why so many military people seek out similar systems (governments, government consulting, etc.) where they can be slotted right in. This February, it will have been 20 years since I retired from the military. I was 36 at the time. I've moved away from that paradigm, even though I currently work for the government. (I have no job title, no job description, and I can do nearly anything I want in within my professional capabilities while acting as the organizational developer for a new organization being stood up.) In fact, the past 10 years has seen my migration from a defined career ladder and towards a protean and boundaryless professional practice. It's about as different from the military as you can get.
Navy vet here. I still do a lot of those even though I've been out since 1991, and I'm dang proud of my service. I went to boot camp an insecure 18-years-old girl. Over 80 girls started out in my company, but only 50-something of us made it to graduation eight weeks later - one girl even tried to strangle herself with her dog tags. Making it through boot camp (especially having company commanders from hell and earning their respect in the process) did wonders for my self-esteem, and set me on the road to becoming the woman I am today. So, negative (LOL... I don't say that anymore), I don't want to "let it go", as my time in the military contributed greatly to my personal development and character. :unitedstates:
Maybe much of these should be picked up by the general public. Or, to be more precise picked back up, as many of them were fundamentally dictated by society originally. Purposeful, strong presence, politeness, vigilance are traits all can use a bit more of. Being clean cut does not hurt either.
28 Nov 05 One thing I've noticed is how military people write the date. I fill out a lot of papers at work and most military and ex-military use a 15 JAN 16 or 2016 format vs the civilian 01/15/2016 format.
I agree! I read the list, and have no personal experience with any service, but I'm impressed by those behaviors.
felt I needed to add one as well... 12. Not being able to let it go. I mean I get it you were in the military. No need to wear a hat, shirt as well as stickers on your vehicles.
Some musings from a civilian: I wonder if this a NATO format or something. I know in the UK, for instance, the day, month, year sequence is the standard. Honestly, I think it makes the most sense to be in that order (increasing progression), but at work, the standard is the usual month, day, year sequence, so I go with it.