Make and maintain connections
Things turned around for me when I started organizing get-togethers with my buddies from deployment. When you get together with someone you were deployed with, who you may not have seen in a month, or years, it takes two minutes for it to feel like we were never apart. The stories start, and the memories are there, and I can feel like Mark is right there with us. - Military Veteran
Connecting with former colleagues or other Veterans through groups, associations, Facebook pages, or informal get-togethers (whether in person or online) puts you in touch with those who can understand your experiences. They speak your “language” and know the challenges you face. Reminiscing and sharing stories can create a sense of camaraderie, help you feel less alone, and may identify helpful resources and strategies.
New connections
It can be helpful to focus on finding connections with new communities in service and civilian life. It may feel challenging to build relationships without the structure of the organization. Remember that you formed new relationships through postings and deployments, and you can do it now too.
I know my strengths and weaknesses and I know the people that I’ve met. These are people I can hang out with because I want to, not because they’re in the same office. Those relationships are just hopefully gonna get stronger. It’s a little bit of an adjustment. But I’m trying. - RCMP Veteran
You have talents and skills and a work ethic that can be very helpful to many organizations. You might choose to volunteer or seek employment. The relationships developed in other organizations can give you a new sense of belonging and purpose.
Sometimes I find myself in a place where I’m uncomfortable reaching out but I’m struggling, so then I try to redirect myself again to the other people in my life: What about friends? What about family? Who am I reaching out to? How can I get involved in other things? And most military units have some kind of Veterans’ group, there’s always a retired group. - Military Veteran
Sure, I wasn’t gonna be sharing a foxhole with some random city guy, and it’s true that the people I went to Afghanistan with are family. But, you know, I hardly talk to any of them anymore. Still, man oh man, it takes like four minutes to catch up when I do see them. It feels like yesterday that we were all out on deployment, and there’s this connection that I’m never gonna lose. So, it’s not that I lost those connections, but I also developed other meaningful relationships with civilian counterparts, whether that’s my neighbour or the people in my running club. - Military Veteran
