A great deal of attention has been focused on the divisive narratives portraying veterans as heroes with broad skills and technical capabilities or as passive victims of the wars and mental illness brought on by their experiences overseas. Public displays of both profiles have further polarized the representations through large employer announcements of plans to hire significant numbers of veterans and violent actions by perpetrators identified as disturbed and traumatized veterans. Eisler (2013) noted the “incongruity here between society’s respect for the military and its fear of the ways that military life can reshape people”. He also pointed to a 2011 study (Morin) that found almost half of Americans without a family member serving would not recommend military service as a career path, indicating that negative perceptions of the military are pervasive even as we, as a society, say we support our troops (Eisler, 2013). Too often we are given portraits of veterans by the media buying into the archetypes of either the strong, heroic veteran or the sad, damaged veteran. Rarely do we see a realistic picture, with the stereotypes stripped away, leaving an honest portrayal of who veterans are.

While it was not the goal of this article to offer a new model to provide perspective of what it means to be a veteran, it is a positive result of honest conversations with veterans clearly articulating their strengths, challenges, hopes, and fears. If the realistic image is adopted as the new representation of a veteran then it will be a fair portrayal without prejudice toward hero or victim. This text lends to the philosophical underpinnings of the research and what exists as a particular challenge that needs to be addressed in order for veterans to succeed.

It is critical to think from the perspective of identifying the narrative. What do you want to put forth to change the conversation about how veterans are viewed in this country and what can be done to change that view? A significant issue that needs to be addressed is that many in the civilian public are afraid of veterans. Given the multitude of episodes we have seen on the news of veterans perpetrating crimes, the narrative of the angry, violent veteran has taken hold. So we now have three common narratives of veterans portrayed in the media and perceived by the public: veteran=victim, veteran=hero, and veteran=angry/violent. There is no narrative being told about good hard-working, well-intentioned veterans returning home to go to school, go to work, go to a new career and building a new life. Perhaps this is because those stories aren't as sexy as flaunting wounded warriors or as flashy as talking about the heroes and Medal of Honor recipients. The concern is that the stories of average veterans moving forward have to be told if we, as a civilian population, are to better serve veterans in a more informed and competent way.

Veterans express that they are seeking the following:

1. A chance to continue their service to their country and communities

2. Education/training as needed to pursue a new career

3. The opportunity to provide for their families

4. They want to be seen as empowered and capable in whatever they pursue

If you really want to make an impact, identify some vets moving ahead in their lives. Work with them to profile what they do and talk with the vets who have been given new opportunities to succeed in life and work after service. Normalize the veterans, take the "scary" out of their experiences, and help the public see them as they are...the next Greatest Generation!

Eisler, D. (2013, August 5). The dangers of a sensationalist portrayal of veterans. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/05/the-dangers-of-a-sensationalist-portrayal-of-veterans/?_r=0

Minnis, S. E. (2014). A phenomenological exploration of combat veterans’ experiences as they transition to civilian employment using higher education as career development (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.

Morin, R. (2011). The difficult transition from military to civilian life. Retrieved from PewResearch Social & Demographic Trends website: http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/files/2011/12/The-Difficult-Transition-from-Military-to-Civilian-Life.pdf