What does opportunity look like for many Americans?

For many of us, it might involve attending higher education or a trade school that allows us to contribute to our world. Some select individuals choose to serve our country. They put their own needs on hold to serve the greater good. While many of us serve in the public sector and gain experience through years of work in our chosen field, our Military members don't have the same experience of working in the civilian world and may have a hard time making the transition. Our service members average about 15 years in the military. They are in the military world, which is vastly different than civilian work, although parallels exist.

For many of us, we may change jobs, careers or move to another state. All of these things can be stressful for anyone and may be magnified for a service member transitioning from the military to civilian life. Our military members work within a team environment with a particular hierarchy that they must abide by, and have little experience working in the corporate world. They focus on learning leadership, teamwork, and advancement within a highly structured system. Imagine being sent to another planet for two years and instantly trying to assimilate to our "normal" world on the return. Earth could be quite frightening if you stop and think through the details. This is an extreme example, but I think you get the point.

When transitioning members leave the military, there is a loss of identity for a time (for some not all). Letting go of the old and trying to grasp the new. It can be a very lonely road trying to assimilate to the world at hand. And the longer you serve, the harder it can be to digest. That's why we like to connect transitioning or retired military members with a career path that they can move to after their service to our country. Now there are many career paths that our military members can choose when they retire, but we found that emergency services are a more natural progression from service to our country to helping local communities through fire and medical care.

We ask that you stop and think of any transitioning military or veteran that could use a hand up in making the Fire/Paramedics career path a reality and introduce them to our organization. Remind them that their service to our country can and will add value to their new world. "You must look within for value, but must look beyond for perspective."- Denis Waitley