This is the final post of a three part article expressing the feelings and situations I experienced during my retirement from the military. I would like to thank everyone for their positive feedback on Parts 1 and 2.

Whether you are on active duty or have already crossed the threshold to retirement, there are some invaluable insights in my own journey that I believe will be helpful in the transition. The phases I experienced may be unique to my position and there could be many, many others that I missed, but the intent is to provide the basic framework of the actual phases and emotions I experienced.

Don't Look Back
Retirement ceremonies are meant to be a celebration of the achievements of the military member. Many retirees create shadow boxes exemplifying the awards, decorations, and memories accumulated over a career. These are all meaningful ways of delineating the break between your military service and future civilian life. Inevitably, we all end up looking back upon our career and life. For some retirees the look back can be a sobering experience and for others it can be a celebration. I personally experienced a mix of the two due to changes in existing relationships with the Air Force and recognition of the future with my family.

When looking for support for my retirement ceremony from the folks I had been associated within the Air Force for 20 years, I was quickly enlightened to the true nature of the friendships that had developed. I had to change the location due to a lack of support (or interest) from the community I once enjoyed working with. The coup de grace was a notification by e-mail within five days of the ceremony identifying that my original speaker/mentor I had known for over 15 years was too busy to attend. I was able to find a gracious senior co-worker I knew less than two years that knocked the speech out of the park. Overall, the ceremony was a great experience for me and my family but it wasn't without trials and tribulations.

The reality is that expectations as your career comes to a close might not meet the reality of what will actually occur. Grit your teeth to prepare for the unexpected and plan for contingencies just as you did during your career. You may really find out who your true friends are during the process of your retirement. Don't focus on the past, start moving your focus to your future. Remember, your family is the support system that has been there through the deployments, temporary duty, and the good or bad!

Don't Ever Give Up, Don't Ever Give Up, and Network
Contrary to current popular perceptions and many public statements, employers are NOT required to hire veterans. Many parts of the U.S. government and commercial sector are working hard to ensure veteran employment stays in the public mainstream. The current public and corporate sentiment towards military and veterans' issues trends toward the positive which helps keep this on the forefront for resolution. Despite the focus, the employment of veterans is NOT guaranteed. The last statistics I have seen show unemployment for veterans who have served since September of 2001 hovering at just over 8% while the economy at large has unemployment of 6.1 % (Washington Post Article: Can Big Data Solve Veteran Unemployment).

In Part 2, I discussed applying for jobs. No matter what feedback you receive from prospective employers, don't ever give up. Of the 200 plus jobs I applied for, I received at least 40 - 50 rejections, 10 - 15 interviews, and no contact/comment from the remainder. Some responses quickly noted I didn't meet requirements (a significant number in only 24 hours) while others just said I wasn't selected. I personally didn't expect to be rejected that many times coming out of the military with the skills and abilities I thought would be helpful in the corporate marketplace. I found it very interesting many companies promoting the hiring of veterans failed to even contact me to provide a basic explanation of why I wasn't hired.

I learned to embrace the rejection, conduct a simple review, and revise my resume based upon what I learned. Targeted resumes are discussed in detail during transition classes and other veteran employment support areas. I recommend and practiced categorizing bullet statements from my long resume according to areas of expertise. I used categories such as engineering, facilities, construction, leadership, training, instructor, etc. Your categories will be unique to your career. I recommend tailoring each resume to match the requirements of the job using the categorized bullet statements. The time invested to create the bullets will pay dividends in the ability to quickly draft a targeted resume to position(s) of interest.

Finally, don't forget networking as a tactic to future employment. LinkedIn is a powerful tool in your toolkit, but don't ignore other methods of networking. Reach out to coworkers, friends, and family to pass on your resume and job requirements. Attend job fairs, join local volunteer organizations, and be active in the organizations you are affiliated with (mine are Veterans of Foreign Wars, Society of American Military Engineers, American Red Cross, etc.). I personally still carry a resume card outlining the basic particulars of my experience and qualifications because regular business cards don't spell out the background of my working career.

You’re Not in Kansas Anymore
What are your expectations after being in the military? The military puts skilled people in leadership positions under highly stressful, sometimes combat, situations. Most leaders of the companies and organizations you are entering have extensive experience in the company, market, and business. You can expect to probably not start out at the top of an organization. But you can successfully work your way to the top by employing the skills developed during your military career. Continue to use the skills that made your military career a success and develop new skills. Broaden your leadership skills beyond the autocratic directing method of the military because the civilian marketplace looks for consensus building for implementation of plans of action.

One definition of "persona" from Merriam Webster's Dictionary is "an individual's social facade or front that especially in the analytic psychology of C. G. Jung reflects the role in life the individual is playing." Your military persona as "Lieutenant Colonel," “Major," "Command Sergeant Major," "Chief Master Sergeant," etc. no longer exists. While respected by military outsiders, you are no longer that individual. You are a singular person providing skills and abilities to an organization. What value can you provide to the company? How are you improving the bottom line? The transition from an identified military member to a civilian can be the most trying. I hope that everyone has established a strong moral and ethical base for the transition because this will help you identify the person you want to be after you retire.

Final Notes
Remember you are not alone in this journey. Remember to reach out to friends, family, and your support systems for help during your transition. The resources available to military members during transition are many, but they are useless if they are not accessed. Thanks to Anthony Constantino, Sofio Barone, and many others for reviewing my articles and providing valuable insight

Philip Hicks retired from the Air Force 1 October 2014. He served as a Civil Engineer for 21 years prior to his transition. He was recently hired by Jacobs Technology Region and works in sales and business development.