"I thought living with other Marines would be easy because we shared the same background. Instead, I stepped into a house shaped by illness, addiction, divorce, and transition. That environment forced me to redefine leadership without rank, authority, or control. When I decided to move in with fellow veteran Marines, the motivation was practical. I wanted to save money and believed shared military experience would make living together simple."
"I was wrong. I quickly realized I was stepping into a home filled with unresolved trauma - like illness, addiction, and divorce. I had to check my ego immediately. I had to decide whether to retreat or become a supportive teammate. Shared military experience doesn't mean we were all in the same place mentally In the military, standards are enforced by structure. In civilian life, that structure disappears."
I moved in with fellow veteran Marines to save money and assumed shared military experience would make cohabitation easy. The house proved shaped by illness, addiction, divorce, and transition, revealing varied stages of recovery and coping. Camaraderie alone did not heal trauma; support fluctuated and the home often felt heavy with pain. I retreated and recognized a tendency to isolate under stress. I chose to adopt leadership without authority, checked my ego, and committed to humility. I followed house rules and took on unglamorous work—cleaning and cooking—to model teamwork and stability.
Read at Business Insider
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