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Coffee, speech patterns, and body language. Did you know that these are some of the things that will give away an ex-soldier? Here's how. Military life in general is much different than the civilian world. The most obvious being the amount of structure found day-to-day. For civilians, their time is spent however they feel like it. Sure, there's work, family, and other obligations that demand a person's time, but the average person can spend their days more or less doing whatever they feel like. The military is much, much different.
Depending on the branch of service and the exact position, a day is very strictly regulated. There is free time, sure, but it's free time based around someone else's discretion, and you're on call all day, every day. Taking leave involves a mountain of paperwork, and every action is carefully monitored and structured to ensure everyone is where they're supposed to be at all times. Let me put it this way. You don't show up to your job, worst-case scenario, you get fired. In the military, you don't show up, loss of rank, forfeiture of pay, and imprisonment. In very extreme wartime circumstances, this could result
in the death penalty, and this hasn't happened since World War II, however, but it's still on the books. Needless to say, one of the most difficult challenges members of the military face when they transition to the civilian world is the lack of structure. After spending years on a strict schedule with an ironclad hierarchy, being free to spend your time how you wish without asking for permission is a foreign concept. For many, returning to this more laid-back approach to life is one of the most difficult transitions from military to civilian life. Of course, this rigid schedule leads to a very unique relationship with time.
Basically, if you aren't 10 minutes early, you're late, and even that's cutting it close. Even after discharge, former military members will still show up early for appointments a quarter hour early, if not even more, when there's no need to do so, which is arguably also a waste of time. But, a lot of the military is hurry up and wait anyway, so business as usual. And, of course, when they show up 15 minutes early, it will be 15 minutes early military time. 3:00 p.m., I think you mean 1500. You see, the military runs on a 24-hour clock, not the typical 12-hour clock that's used by civilians in the US. This is to avoid ambiguity and confusion between a.m. and p.m. times. Using a 24-hour clock becomes
second nature, and it carries over even after discharge. And, don't get me started on Zulu time. Some operations take place over the course of multiple time zones, so to make sure everybody's on the same page, they use Zulu time, which is simply Greenwich Mean Time. But, some military personnel use this regardless of the time zone they're actually in, even when it isn't necessary, confusing pretty much everyone. The military is a high-stress occupation with long hours, and sleep is a luxury. Whenever there is downtime, a service member will fall asleep virtually anywhere they can. In chairs, on the floor, under a vehicle, pretty much any place available. Out like a light in minutes. The ability to sleep anytime,
anywhere, no matter how uncomfortable, is a skill, if not an art form, that's been perfected over generations of service personnel. After leaving the military, the ability to fall asleep anytime, anywhere is carried over into civilian life. And, going lights out without having to wind down is something that many non-service members find astonishing. Of course, sleep isn't always an option, so to keep going when pushed to the point of exhaustion, many in the military rely on caffeine. Now, I'm not talking about a cup of coffee now and again, I'm talking heroic doses of caffeine daily for weeks, months, and even years at a time. To stay alert, service members practically live off of coffee, energy drinks, and pre-workout powders and
supplements in amounts that are almost as hazardous as the enemy. For example, most medical experts place the upper limit for caffeine consumption to be around 400 mg per day. Some energy drinks have this in a single can, and service members will consume many cans, as well as coffee and pre-workout supplements daily. The military does discourage excessive caffeine consumption since it can cause jitters, anxiety, and in extreme cases heart issues. But when there is duty to be done, soldiers will do what it takes to stay awake.
Needless to say, caffeine is highly addictive. So, even when they're no longer in the military, the habit of overdosing on the most common drug in the world is hard to break. And even years or decades after leaving service, many veterans will continue to reach for the stimulant and consume it in massive doses. And then there's the stronger stimulants like ephedrine and whatever they put in Jacked, which if enough is taken will let the user hear colors. And just in case you're wondering, no, this is not contradictory. And military personnel will always take an opportunity to sleep, no matter how much caffeine or anything else is running through their veins. If there's one aspect of the military
that even civilians can understand, it would be the discipline. Every aspect of their lives is highly regimented from their posture, their clothing, and how they speak. After discharge, this carries over even when it doesn't have to. This is a gig line. It's the alignment of the seam of a button-down uniform shirt, the belt buckle, and the seam of the trouser fly. When presenting for inspection, this portion of the uniform will be in perfect alignment and squared away. And if it isn't, well, drill instructors tend to have creative ways of making their point. Many former service members have reported checking the gig line on their clothing, and some even do so when encountering civilians. And seeing a
misaligned seam will cause an involuntary shudder to run through them. And many have to stop themselves from correcting their civilian co-workers. Gig lines tend to stay in place more easily when the wearer stands upright with good posture, head up, shoulders back, gut in, arms straight at the sides. This position becomes automatic. And when forced to stand in one place for any length of time, many veterans will involuntarily place themselves in parade rest. Many former service members also find themselves using the same manner of speaking as they did in the military.
First and foremost, it's excessive use of the words sir and ma'am, even in situations when this may be odd in the civilian world. The military also makes extensive use of acronyms and abbreviations, as well as clear and direct language to avoid miscommunications. And you get a point across as quickly as possible. And being forced to speak this way for years on end tends to rewire a person's brain to continue to do so even when it's not necessary. So, instead of saying, "I understand.
I'll be there in 15 minutes." many will involuntarily say, "Roger. ETA 15." This also extends to gestures, such as the infamous knife hand when making a point. The military is also a stickler for following the rules. And breaking any of those rules can have severe consequences. This is to foster discipline and ingrain the following of orders, no matter how seemingly pointless. One veteran stated that early in his military career, he accidentally walked on grass. Unfortunately for him, there was a nearby sign that clearly said, "Keep off the grass." And a sergeant spotted him. After being chewed out, probably with
lots of knife hands, he then spent the next 3 hours low crawling up and down the grass with all of his gear. Needless to say, he's still extremely careful about where he walks. While this may be funny, and let's be honest, it's pretty funny, the strict adherence to minutia can sometimes be annoying for civilians to deal with, and breaking the habit of extreme rule enforcement is a difficult one to overcome. There is one more that former service members pick up while in the military that's probably the most off-putting. Most in the military will not see combat, but it is still a high-stress job where lives are on the line. In
order to relieve this stress, many will develop a very colorful vocabulary full of fascinating words that are not in any way advertiser friendly. This, as well as a very strong sense of gallows humor, can come across as offensive to civilians who don't understand its source. There is a time and a place for that sort of thing, and a meeting with your boss is probably not one of them, unless he served, too. Then it might be appreciated. Uh disclaimer, this is not a career advice, and we here at Simple History don't advertise using that type of language in a professional setting, as funny as it might be. There are plenty of other habits veterans pick up during their time in the military, and
anyone watching this who has served, do you have any odd habits that you picked up in the military? Sound off in the comments.
