Abstract:The U.S. Army consists of two distinct functional components: soldiers serving in combat roles, on the one hand, and those who serve in support positions, on the other. Do these two functionally distinct segments differ culturally as well? Empirical researchers utilizing qualitative methods have supported a ''Two Armies'' concept. This article examines the phenomenon quantitatively by using a nationally representative sample of the active duty population. The authors find that there is a statistically signific… Show more
“…These were the same individuals who described their time in the Armed Forces as a job and who felt that their time in the Forces had not changed who they were. This distinction resonates with research assessing the institutional/occupational model of the Armed Forces (Moskos, ) and with research by Burland and Lundquist () which suggests a distinct difference between the experiences of soldiers and support personnel and that the route followed by Armed Forces recruits impacts on military identity formation, internalization of social/group norms, and transition experiences. A number of the respondents offered explanations for this difference in attitude and identity between those who served in the infantry and those who pursued a trade: “I'd say very few people go in, go through it and come out the same person.…”
The aim of the current research was to investigate the transition experiences of British military veterans upon exiting the military and rejoining civilian society, asking the specific research question: What effect does the transition from military to civilian life have on the individual's identity? Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was employed and seven semistructured interviews were carried out with ex-military personnel. Analysis of the data revealed three superordinate themes: (1) Several Selves: Identity; (2) Soldier and Society: Separation, and (3) Transition Time: Personal Perspective. Current findings suggest that transition from the military back to civilian life is often problematic, with identity complications, feelings of loss, and disconnection both from the military and from society in general. Individuals with a more salient military identity had more difficult transition experiences. Findings are discussed with reference to theories of identity formation, maintenance, and salience and recommendations for future research are made.
“…These were the same individuals who described their time in the Armed Forces as a job and who felt that their time in the Forces had not changed who they were. This distinction resonates with research assessing the institutional/occupational model of the Armed Forces (Moskos, ) and with research by Burland and Lundquist () which suggests a distinct difference between the experiences of soldiers and support personnel and that the route followed by Armed Forces recruits impacts on military identity formation, internalization of social/group norms, and transition experiences. A number of the respondents offered explanations for this difference in attitude and identity between those who served in the infantry and those who pursued a trade: “I'd say very few people go in, go through it and come out the same person.…”
The aim of the current research was to investigate the transition experiences of British military veterans upon exiting the military and rejoining civilian society, asking the specific research question: What effect does the transition from military to civilian life have on the individual's identity? Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was employed and seven semistructured interviews were carried out with ex-military personnel. Analysis of the data revealed three superordinate themes: (1) Several Selves: Identity; (2) Soldier and Society: Separation, and (3) Transition Time: Personal Perspective. Current findings suggest that transition from the military back to civilian life is often problematic, with identity complications, feelings of loss, and disconnection both from the military and from society in general. Individuals with a more salient military identity had more difficult transition experiences. Findings are discussed with reference to theories of identity formation, maintenance, and salience and recommendations for future research are made.
“…They attribute this to Marines placing special emphasis on their role as combat soldiers. In addressing intraservice positions, Burland and Lundquist 25 note that occupational motivators are more prevalent in support functions, while institutional motivators are prevalent in the combat positions. However, they also find that as the length of military service grows, the motivational differences between occupations are diminished.…”
This article empirically connects Moskos’ Institutional–Occupational model to the large body of cross-nationally validated research on public service motivation (PSM). We find that in our sample, the PSM construct is positively correlated with institutional motivations that reflect Moskos’ insights. We also find evidence that the four dimensions of PSM (Attraction to Public Participation, Commitment to Public Values, Self-sacrifice, and Compassion) may offer a more nuanced way to assess institutional motivations. Our research suggests that those interested in military recruitment/retention/performance and public administration scholars may have much to learn from each other. We call for further research in this area.
“…For example, military service can require total allegiance to the mission, dangerous working conditions, long periods of separation, frequent relocations, diminished employment for civilian spouses, significant stress, and extensive uncertainty (e.g., Knobloch & Wehrman, 2014; Lara-Cinisomo et al, 2019; Lundquist & Xu, 2014; Manser, 2020; Meadows, Tanielian, & Karney, 2016) that can contribute to relationship problems. On the other hand, military service can provide opportunities for education, career skills acquisition for the service member, economic gain, domestic and international travel, and personal growth (e.g., Burland & Lundquist, 2013; Mullet et al, 2021) that can bolster relationship quality. Both the military and the family vie for people’s time and compel them to balance competing demands (Ledberg & Ruffa, 2020).…”
A burgeoning body of research on the relationship maintenance of military couples over the past two decades suggests the time is right to organize, assimilate, and critique the literature. We conducted a systematic review informed by the integrative model of relationship maintenance that considered issues of intersectionality. Our literature search identified 81 relevant journal articles representing 62 unique samples. With respect to theory, 59.3% of the journal articles employed one or more formal theoretical frameworks. In terms of research design, 88.7% of the studies focused on the U.S. military, 83.9% of the studies recruited convenience samples, 54.8% of the studies utilized quantitative methods, and 30.6% of the studies collected longitudinal data. Among the studies reporting sample demographics, 96.8% of participants were married, 77.2% of participants identified as non-Hispanic White, and only one same-sex relationship was represented. Our narrative synthesis integrated findings about relationship maintenance from studies examining (a) relationship maintenance overtly, (b) communicating to stay connected across the deployment cycle, (c) disclosure and protective buffering, (d) support from a partner, (e) dyadic coping, and (f) caregiving and accommodating a partner’s symptoms. We interpret our results with an eye toward advancing theory, research, and practice.
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