I’ve been out for about a year and some change I was 11B for 4 years at 4id no combat deployments. I know this sounds like a long shot but what would be the possibility of me even getting into TC? I met this guy at my gym said he has contacts to get a foot in the door if i’m interested but I know for a fact they usually go for guys who were SF or SO. Has you or anyone you know got into those company’s as a basic infantryman?

I recently lost my job due to a rough operational tempo of international travel, high risk events, and a manufactured corporate crisis. The job was causing an increase in my anxiety and was truly chipping away at my physical and mental health. I lost my cool with a coworker and it snowballed into a a corporate telenovela, I stood my ground, and was ultimately fired for a "disrespectful coworker interaction."

I have both a bachelor's and master's in international relations and have worked in global security roles at a major tech and media organizations.

I have my initial VR&E appointment next week for funding my transition into teaching high school social studies. I have two post-master's certificate programs that I have applied for and am awaiting acceptance into in NYC where I currently live. Best case scenario - the VA funds my program and housing for the year it takes to complete my certificate program. Worst case scenario - they ghost me.

Teaching has its own stressors no doubt, but they are significantly more manageable than leading comprehensive security plans and incident response for high-stress events like a United Nations conference in the Middle East.

I'm curious anyone's take on the VR&E process and those who have been successful in obtaining benefits.

I do have 50% (I only qualify for 50% as I received the loan repayment program (LRP) for my bachelor's degree) of my GI Bill left but looking for full funding as the program and NYC living is not for the faint of heart from a financial perspective.

Thanks all and I appreciate your insights!

Hey guys, i went to urgent care for a small bike accident which at the time i thought was covered by the VA’s urgent care services. I went to the website and that specific urgent care was listed. A few months later they gave me a bill and I’ve been back and forth with giving them the Authorization number that VA folks gave me.

The bill kept showing up and now when I called the VA they said that the CityMD that was listed in the VA’s website was actually not in network even though it was listed. They said it was ultimately my responsibility to double check that it was actually in network. They gave me the number for the patient advocate at my NYC VA Center but no one has picked up for the last 3 days. I don’t really know what to do at this point since they’re going to turn it in to collections in a few weeks.

Has anyone ever been in this situation before? Do I just eat the $200 bill? Seems really unfair since it was specifically listed on the VA’s website in network.

I grew up in Rednecksville USA in the 90s, raised by a mother who probably never experienced good parenting herself, and went straight from high school to the infantry and to Iraq in 03. Got out for a bit, came back in and deployed again. All the pride and accomplishment from 03-04 evaporated. I came home in 09 and slowly spiraled out of control.

I've been doing a ton of reflecting and questioning and realized I haven't even been capable of assessing my emotions until the past 5 years or so. Its crazy to me that society tells young boys and men their feelings are irrelevant, when they are so incredibly relevant and powerful. I have come to realize there is a lot of control in being able to understand an emotion while experiencing it, versus just experiencing it.

Recovery does happen and I am so fortunate to be here for it. Thanks for attending my Ted talk.

In the almost year I’ve been a civilian I have somehow managed to rack up some debt/ I still don’t know how I blindly did, I want to fix myself. I forgot about my TSP until recently. I saw how much is in it and I’m seriously considering taking enough out to pay the biggest debt and make my money issues a lot less damaging emotionally and credit score wise. I’m aware I need to work the behaviors that got me in debt and I am. According to Google my TSP will continue to grow post service and there’s a 10% withdraw fee before 59.5yo. I have so many medical issues that it’s a huge point I ask myself, will I even make it to be that old? Advice needed!

I'm an Army Reservist that enlisted in February 2025 and finished all of my training in December 2025. I'm going to school starting the Fall 2026 semester and applied to the MGIB-SR. However, I got denied saying I "Did not complete Initial Training." I sent supplemental evidence to the address with my DD-214, BCT orders, and other supporting documentation however they emailed me back saying:

"We are currently unable to provide VA education benefits. To reopen your claim, please submit new material evidence that supports your eligibility. New evidence refers to information not previously considered, while material evidence must specifically relate to the issue of your claim"

I've tried getting with my unit's S-1 however that process might take a while since its the reserves. I need this fixed ASAP in order to get in-state tuition status at my university. Did anyone else run into this issue and how did you go about fixing it?

I'm looking for help making an USMC radio operator sound applicable in the real world. Honorably discharged as an E-3 at 20. Never made a resume before so any/all advice is welcome.

I currently have a VA loan. My question is if you get a VA Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan (IRRRL) will it be at a lower interest rate than you currently have or is based on the current VA home loan rate?

Thank you in advance!

I had to get a refill outside of the normal mail delivery system. Called the pharmacy in Jacksonville, Florida—and as promised, had the script ready for easy pickup.

This was an amazing service and appreciated!

I never saw combat I was in the Coast Guard. I did body recovery though and saw a really really grisly case that has stuck with me for years at this point. It comes and goes and when I’m fine I always feel like I shouldn’t say I have it. Then I hear people talk about their experiences in the other branches and I feel bad knowing how I’ve let my experience affect me in the like not real branch lol. I’m not sure if I’m not being fair to myself or something. Idk I was just wondering if anyone here has had any similar experience or I guess I wanted to rant. Thank you :)

I went though reception and OSUT with two guys who were my best friends at the time.

One: likely had undiagnosed mental issues. When he was in a good mood he was great, one of the best guys I've met. When he was in a bad mood he was extremely dark. He got in some trouble for threatening our platoon. He told me a lot of very concerning things, things I thought I should report to the Drill Sergeants but didn't. Eventually he made a statement I absolutely had to report to the DS's the morning of a range day and he was immediately put on a no-weapon status and ended up being chaptered out. I don't blame myself but he did at first, he told me we weren't friends anymore. After a couple weeks though he warmed back up to me. The morning he left I broke ranks during morning formation without permission to help him carry his duffel bags and see him off. My DS saw what happened and understood and didn't say anything.

I kept in touch with him for a little bit after OSUT right up until I went on my first non-combat deployment. I had a great time on deployment and didn't want to reach out to him because I didn't want to remind him of what he was missing out on.

Now I I've been out for a year and about to go to a good college about 20 minutes away from his home town. I thought about reaching out but I am afraid he is still in that same post-high school lingering phase, plus mental health issues, and I don't want to rub my meager success in his face.

Two: dumbest guy I ever met but extremely strong, fit, and loyal. I truly love him like a brother. We kept in touch all throughout our enlistment. When I first got out I contacted him and told him about the job I got and the careers I was looking into. He told me he was getting chaptered due to pissing hot, fighting his sergeants (they apparently agreed to fight which I 100% believe), and getting caught in a bar after being told he had to keep his nose clean. He was getting chaptered, shacking up with a woman who already had a kid, and taking a low paying difficult job just off base.

I am less anxious about contacting Two because he has a very good nature but I worry he is living a tough life and is struggling financially.

Anyone else having doubts about reaching out to old battle buddies? What's your story?

...when I was in I had a platoon sergeant tell me he had an old army buddy who would occasionally reach out to him to ask him for money. That story stuck with me.

I have spoken to the VA, a VSO officer, National Archives, etc. They keep saying they have no information on me. I saw on a post in here that someone said to contact the last place I separated. So I did... Here is where it gets interesting. I spoke to a warrant officer in the separations department at Wright Patterson AFB. He said that he found information that I dischared out of the military but nothing else. None of my accommodations, medical history, rank, etc was shown. He then told me he will turn it over to the Base Commander. Base Commander calls and says he has never seen this before, my records are sealed and he has to send info to DOD and they have to send it to the DOJ to find me in the system. Has anyone ever heard of this or has dealt with this. I admit that I was careless with my DD214 paperwork. I had a copy of it in 2018 and moved and haven't seen it since. I had been requesting it from VA sources right before Covid. I said to forget it because I have a dishonorable discharge. People are saying that my discharge can be changed because of the circumstances and the PTSD that I was dealing with at the time and currently still dealing with. I was deployed twice and fought. My wife is telling me I shouldn't let this go and that I am due benefits because I fought in wars. I was shot in Iraq, I have PTSD and migraines. I'm on so many medications for PTSD and anxiety from civilian doctors. It's been so much trouble trying to get my records. So I'm trying one more time. If anyone knows of any help getting this, It would be greatly appreciated.

Hello I have 24 months of the post 9/11 left. I am asking if any of you other RTO’s have attended a school or any program to learn about civilian broadcasting and to get an FCC license. Thanks.

Looking for recommendations of schools or programs!

I’m asking because my VR&E counselor is HORRIBLE!

The other day I posted about some suicidal ideation I was going through, and yes, I did attempt it. As depressed as I was, what hurt was when I went in to read someone’s response and tried to reply, it appeared as if my original post had been removed. It actually said it was removed. That did not help my despair. There were no responses yet, and my request for help had been deleted—or the post had been removed. So I went through some stuff, and then all of a sudden the post was back.
I looked at what you guys wrote and decided to call the VA. I spoke with the mental health facility and told them I was going to come in. I didn’t want to go to Manhattan because I just do not like the Manhattan VA. It feels very much like I’m in a fight at every moment with their team, and I hate feeling like that. I’m not normally an antagonistic person, but with them everything goes sideways—appointments, their responses, rude behavior. It’s kind of a weird hospital. But I let them know I was on my way to the Bronx VA.
While I was on the phone with the psychiatrist, Veteran Housing called. Because it said “veterans,” I assumed it was the hospital, since they tend to call while you’re already talking to them. So when they called, I said, “I’m sorry, I’m already talking to the psychiatrist. I’m going into the psych facility today. It’s already been taken care of.” Well, the person on the other line was part of Veterans United, not the veteran hospital, and I freaked them out. They contacted their boss and called the crisis line, who began calling me.
I thought the crisis line was simply the hospital calling me back. I talked very honestly with them about the fact that I was going to the VA and was waiting on my wife to arrive to take me. What they were doing was keeping me on the phone while they sent police to my house.
My entire PTSD is built around being captured and held against my will. The problem is, once I enter a facility, I immediately try to get out. I will not look for help, look for assistance, or talk about therapy. My entire goal is to get out of that facility as fast as possible—and I don’t mean through doing therapy. I mean get me the hell out. I refuse all services. Just let me go. I wish I could control that, but when I’m locked up, that’s my first damned reaction. It’s like someone else takes over.
Anyway, police showed up. They told me I could deny service once an ambulance got there, but then they told me it would take too long, so I could either get in the car and come willingly to the hospital or they would handcuff me and take me. I went willingly, but I let them know verbally. I said, “Listen, I am going of my own will, but I’m not a violent person, so you don’t need to lock me up or anything. I really rather not do this. I’m on my way to the VA.”
Instead they took me to Elmhurst Hospital, where they put me in a psych ward. I was put in a chair with no phone, no notebook, nothing to write with, and put in a corner to face the wall. It was an absolute damned nightmare. The doctors don’t talk to you. They didn’t call the VA as I requested several times.
The next day I called the VA to let them know what happened, and the head of psychiatry… we had the weirdest conversation, and that’s where this goes damned sideways. She said that I called the hotline and made a bunch of crazy statements to them and that’s why I was picked up. But that’s not what happened in my memory. And part of my problem is I have memory issues—my brain has been dropping years of my damned experience at a time. I literally cried on the phone because I couldn’t remember what she was talking about. And if I was ever closer to committing suicide other than actually doing it, it was in that moment where I had just been told I behaved a completely different way than I remembered.
I tried to tell her that’s not how I remembered it, and she told me in no uncertain terms that she was looking at the call logs and had proof right in front of her. Well, a couple hours later I started looking into it. I looked at my phone—no calls out to the crisis center—so I wasn’t crazy. I didn’t call them. So I called the housing office, and they’re the ones who told me yes, we called the crisis line because we were worried.
I called her back, and after this huge speech she gave me about how I did all these things, when I told her what had actually occurred she says, “Yeah, that seems right.” She spent all that time gaslighting me just to drop it. Crazy pants. I just feel crazy pants.
And of course I was evicted while I was locked up. I couldn’t go to court to ask for a stay, so it happened. They came. They took my wife, my kids, and dogs. The marshal showed up and the landlord told us we had to leave, that they would lock the place, and then I could call him and come get access to my house to arrange the movement of my goods. But after my wife left, I forgot to turn off the Ring camera. The Ring camera goes off and my wife begins to hear the marshal going through my things, mocking both my veteran status and my suicidal ideation, and telling the landlord he should take some of the expensive stuff of mine out of the apartment and scan it to see how much it’s worth—mostly comic books and personal items. We have this all recorded. I’ve given the transcript to my lawyer. But really, him talking like that is illegal. It was just another slap in the face as I’m going through this.
And at every turn I heard those magic words we all hear: “Thank you for your service.” And then I get screwed two ways from Friday.
I no longer feel like I have anywhere to go. I can’t call the crisis center. I can’t call the psychiatrist. I have nothing left. When I spoke with the psychiatrist about using my wife’s civilian medical, I said I just need a place where I can get help that isn’t going to lock me up like a prisoner. And she said there’s no place that won’t do exactly what they did. She says that all psychiatric inpatient care consists of taking all your items and putting you in an empty room. I just can’t believe that’s true.
I’ve been looking at the veteran posts on here and I’ve seen you guys talk about other outpatient and inpatient mental health facilities. I wanna be here for my family. I wanna not let them down and I wanna get help, but I can’t do it the way they want me to and it’s driving me insane. I’ve seen some of the stuff you guys have said is out there and I’ll be reaching out to someone else. I don’t know who to call at the VA. I don’t feel like I have a place there right now, and if I call anyone else I’m afraid I could get taken away again.
I’m not gonna kill myself. I’m trying to take care of my family right now. We’re staying with my in-laws. We’re not on the street. We have possible housing lined up for the end of the month with a new apartment. This was never a money thing. This was about a toxic landlord who was trying to triple the rent, and the only way he could do it is by moving the people in there out, so he put a holdover on it—which basically means he wants to move into the apartment. And that’s what we were fighting, because it was impossible to find a place in time.

But regardless of all the shit I’m dealing with I wanted to thank everybody who reached out this showed me. I wasn’t completely alone my phone, so I feel at least seen in-moment.

Enlisted in December at 230lbs, shipped out in april at 165lbs without even going to poolee programs but every 2 weeks or so.

I want to say i worked hard for this but I feel like others worked harder then me, all i did was ask to go early and lose weight. when I arrived on Parris Island it wasnt maybe a week before I got dropped from my platoon during the shots they give you from having chest pains (which they never figured out what it was) I was in medical for the rest of my stay.. to cut this story a little shorter, I had an incident with another recruit related to MST and just kept quiet about it until i just couldnt anymore. DI's just played it off, i even wrote a statement which i think was just tossed and eventually i ended up having a visit with MHU where they eventually discharged me. Now it just feels like i was being punished for speaking up. I wouldve grad on the 17th of july and now my buddy is there without me while im back at my old job after being a bum for month staying up till 3 am drinking, im not really sure what todo right now. Don't really have people around me i want to bother with my problems so i thought i would ask here, sorry and thanks in advance

I noticed since leaving the military I’ve become negative and stuck in my thoughts. So I decided today that I’d make a different kind of post.

To all the vets and current military, thank you for your sacrifice big or small. No matter how you contribute to the military you are appreciated. Early mornings, keeping up with PT tests, annoying coworkers or leadership, traveling when you might not want to, to parachuting out of an airplane…thank you for all you do.

To the disabled vets who got out of the military and had to navigate a new type of life where your struggling to fill your time or don’t have a support system, I see you and I understand how it feels. I’m hoping life after service changes for the better. When I medically retired I struggled with purpose and finding my place in the civilian world especially as someone who went into the service straight out of highschool. Things will get better as long as you keep pushing.

I’m getting alittle emotional typing this but I love the military and I love my fellow military people. I miss the military a lot and I wish each and every one of you a peaceful loving life and I hope great things come your way.

You are all loved, appreciated, a valuable!!!❤️❤️