ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the military culture and how it impacts our returnees. To achieve military cultural competency, it may be useful to review the basics starting with the five branches of the armed services. The interpersonal bonds that begin at boot camp are a central factor in the military culture. Within the boot camp experience, unlike civilian culture, individuality is downplayed and the unit has central importance. All individuals who serve in the military are required to complete basic training, also called "boot camp". All military personnel have a job specialty for which they go to training school after "basic". Military training is dedicated to building professionalism and mastery while teaching its members basic skills as warriors. The training is physically and mentally challenging in order to create a disciplined corps, a corps that is warrior ready, and that "meets the challenges of combat and the mastery of fear".
