Veterans
Opinion

The Most Difficult Thing About Being a Veteran

The Most Difficult Thing About Being a Veteran
"Once a Veteran, Always a Veteran." DoD photo by Airman 1st Class Hanah Abercrombie
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Battlefields Staff
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Commentary

There were lots of things that were difficult about my 38 years in the military. For me personally, most of those centered around not being able to play politics, people who didn’t want to do their jobs, inane regulations, and toxic leadership. I should correct one thing, I refused to play politics. Every time that I did, I felt really dirty afterward and finally decided to just live with the consequences of not playing the game. None of you broke me, even though you did your best.

Dave Chamberlin served 38 years in the USAF and Air National Guard as an aircraft crew chief, where he retired as a CMSgt. He has held a wide variety of technical, instructor, consultant, and leadership positions in his more than 40 years of civilian and military aviation experience. Dave holds an Airframe and Powerplant license from the FAA, as well as a master's degree in aeronautical science. He currently runs his own consulting and training company and has written for numerous trade publications. His true passion is exploring and writing about issues facing the military, and in particular, aircraft maintenance personnel.
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