Honoring US Army Reservists at Discover
US Army Reservists at Discover share their experiences with merging civilian and military life, offer advice for anyone considering joining, and give their lessons learned from their military commitments.
Brandon Thomas
Lead Operations Analyst
Riverwoods, IL
Pronouns: He/Him
Branch: Army
Rank: 2nd Lieutenant
A hard truth I’ve learned from joining the military is that you have to be ready at all times; physically, mentally and emotionally. In the Illinois Army National Guard, I can be activated to leave my family for 30-90 days on 48 hours’ notice. One of the most difficult times for me was leaving my wife and son four days after my son was born for a military commitment.
I would tell a new military member to develop a plan for their military career. The military has a lot of great opportunities, but it takes networking and discipline to obtain them. I would encourage this individual to get everything they can from the military because I can assure you that it will get all that it can out of you; as with any relationship, it should be mutually beneficial.
The aspect of the military that I enjoy the most is the camaraderie that I developed with my fellow soldiers. A majority of my Illinois Army National Guard career has been in the training environment; Basic Combat Training, Officer Candidate School. The military training environment is not an enjoyable or ideal experience, but I developed very deep, close friendships and I quickly realized that I can reach out to my counterparts for help with anything.
Austin Sky-Kappler
Strategic Leadership Program MBA
Riverwoods, IL
Pronouns: He/Him
Branch: Army
Rank: 1st Lieutenant
Thinking about the best part of joining the military is a difficult question for me. There have been so many benefits and my life has changed in so many ways over the last 13 years that I have spent in the Army Reserves, that the only way to really describe is as a transformational experience that has contributed significantly to who I am.
If I narrowed this down to two, firstly it would be meeting my wife, who I went to Basic Training and later Afghanistan with. Secondly, it would be joining a diverse community of soldiers from all over the world and all walks of life that were all going through the same transformative experiences that I was.
Balancing my civilian life with my military commitment is both challenging and rewarding. There are many strategies and I think that we all figure out what works best for us through trial and error. What I have relied on the most is ensuring that whether I am away with the military or focusing on my civilian life, I make personal development a priority. That way when I transition back I can do so in a better position than when I left.
The advice that I would give to anybody joining the military would be to take full advantage of as many opportunities that you can. The military provides a unique and valuable leadership incubator that would be difficult to recreate anywhere else. Taking advantage of the resources and experiences that the military has provided me, has contributed to who I am in so many ways.
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