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by binarytransform 3198 days ago
As a 12-year post-9/11 veteran with 7 years at a Tier 1 SOCOM unit and currently a successful BD guy at a Top 5 SV unicorn, your post is filled with misinformation, generalities, and is frankly offensive. Many of my brothers and sisters from the SOF world have successfully transitioned to the civilian world and are crushing it. Are there dark times - yes. But we either choose to let them define us or choose to rise above and move ahead with our goals.

Your comment about bankruptcies and poor credit is not even worth responding to.
2 comments
saosebastiao 3198 days ago
The world under SOCOM is pretty big, and I've only experienced some of it, second hand via direct family as well as family friends. I may be painting with an overly broad brush, but I'm telling it how I experienced it.

The bankruptcy and credit problem may not be as relevant anymore due to technology, but it was absolutely relevant in the time my father was active. The technology we rely on to maintain our finances (automatic payments, mail, pervasive internet and phone communications) didn't exist, and if it did, it wasn't anywhere near the combat outposts where they would be deployed to for several months to train local militias. It is really hard to pay a bill if you can't be sent a bill, call to ask about a balance, send a check via mail, or have your bank take care of it for you.

I do know at least one former Ranger who was pretty successful in a civilian job (logistics at amazon), but I've known far more that couldn't hack anything out of the military (apart from security contractors that is). Maybe my sample is small and not representative, but that's just the way I've seen it. Sorry if I offended you by the generalization, it wasn't my intent at all.

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11001122 3198 days ago
I'm laughing my ass off at the fact you have actually posted your little resumé in a comment. The guys that do stuff usually aren't the ones to float what they've done in order to be taken seriously, especially a "Tier 1" guy.

But, there are absolutely dudes no matter how high up who are not smart in how they handle their personal finances. Didn't Matt Bissonette (aka Mark Owens) write a novel about his time in DEVGRU and what took place on the UBL mission because he didn't have any money?

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