Reasons Why Post–9/11 Era Veterans Continue to Volunteer After Their Military Service

Abstract

A myriad reasons exist as to why individuals volunteer to serve in the U.S. military. However, less is known about why these same veterans who have returned home choose to serve again in their communities. We aim to describe the lived experience of post–9/11 era veterans who shared their reasons for joining a civic service program after the completion of their military service. Narrative data from an observationally designed study of veterans (N = 346) who completed a leadership and civic service program administered by a national nonprofit, was qualitatively analyzed. Findings reveal 15 distinct personal and professional reasons why veterans engage in civic service following the completion of their military service, with 84% of the veteran sample reporting wanting to continue to serve while 41% reporting that participating would aid in their employment transition from military to civilian life. Other personal reasons include wanting a sense of purpose (20%) and wanting to integrate and participate in a community (20%). The motivation to continue to serve is strong among those who have served in the military and offers implications for conducting research with community-based and federal programs for veterans, military service members, and their communities.