We leave home and are broken down and transformed into completely different people when we enter military life. Then we learn and live in a place that has its own language, clothing, music, cadence, beat, traditions... its own way of handling situations... its own way of holding each other when things are wrong... or right. These people experience things together. Some things are incredibly good and unbelievable... like being able to shake the hands of the President of the United States and the Vice President of the United States. Some things are incredibly bad, like having to see many people in a town die from an explosion or seeing your bunkmate killed in a truck accident before your eyes. The horrors of war are tremendous for some, and then there are some who never did or will see war, but still experienced stressors that changed their lives. It doesn't matter if a person went to a war zone or not, the military life had an effect on them. When the  military person separates from that life, they often say they feel like they leave behind a part of their identity. Many say they feel lost, alone, abandoned. Many don't know what to do or where to go or how to live life without the military and their shipmates. Many have been conditioned to not talk about what is wrong with them, early in their military career for fear that they will lose their career... and many do when someone hears they have an issue. For many, it is years, even decades, before they will talk about what they are going through or what they held in for that long. One World War II veteran didn't tell his wife that he was the only survivor of an entire squadron that was shot down over the Sea of Japan during WWII until 19911, 45 years later! Holding in all of that can be harmful, and many of our veterans are dying by suicide, What can we do to mitigate some of that? We can offer WRAP planning at the time of transitioning or just before they transition to civilian life. It would be good for them to understand what it looks like for them to be well and what signs and symptoms to be aware of when they are not well. Empowering them to seek help with a plan of action can help to alleviate the stress they may be feeling about talking about their stressors and encouraging them to seek out other veterans and programs that include veterans to encourage having that camaraderie, again. Culture is the toughest thing to change, and change is hard, so WRAP planning can help as a mitigation tool.