May is Military Appreciation Month and Connecting Vets is running a series of veteran profiles telling the stories of those who have made the military to civilian transition. In the series, the veterans discuss their military career, how they transitioned back to civilian life and what advice they offer to vets who are currently going through what they did.
Eric Ryan is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps who serves as senior director of Military Operations at University of Phoenix.
What propelled you towards military service? When did you join, which branch, which duty position(s)?
I always had a desire to serve but seldom talked about it. Serving my country was something that always felt like a noble thing to do, though I lacked the confidence at 18 to try. When I was 20 years old and living in Austin, TX, I worked at the Salt Lick barbeque restaurant. I worked with a small team on catering, and one night while cleaning up at the end of the day a friend of mine and I were wiping down the serving areas as we chatted about life. He had spoken often of his dream to join the Marine Crops and tonight was no different. After having heard the earnestness with which he shared his desire to be a US Marine many times before I asked him what was stopping him? He shared that he was afraid to go alone and the friend who had agreed to go with him had backed out. I’m not sure exactly what prompted it in that moment, but without thinking I said, “I’ll go with you." I went to speak with a recruiter soon after, asked about a million questions, and came back to my friend with my decision. In the end, I enlisted and as far as I know he never did. I’m not sure what held him back but for me, it was the second-best decision I ever made.
I began my service shipping off to boot camp in March of 2000. I served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 5 years from March of 2000 through March of 2005 eventually serving as a Helicopter Crew Chief.
Tell us a bit about your military service, positions served, moving up through the ranks, deployments, memorable moments.
I recently got to share my story with the Veterans Heritage Project. This is an incredible honor. I got to tell the story of my enlistment, my time in service, and my time in Iraq. It is important that we maintain this oral history from our nation’s veterans. These are the stories that help future generations understand how our way of life is shaped. It also helps us veterans share our experiences, even the most difficult ones, in a constructive way. I spent about 18 months total in various schools before assignment to HMM 162 helicopter squadron.
The highest rank I earned was E-5 Sergeant. My primary military occupational specialty was helicopter crew chief. I also served as a collateral duty inspector (CDI) and a weapons and tactics instructor (WTI). I often tell people I had the best job in the Marine Corps. I got to fly in helicopters most days and develop a real sense of competence with the work. I really loved flying the missions and training newer crew chiefs. Deployed to Iraq in 2003, about a six-month deployment, troop and cargo transport + casualty evacuation.
In 2003, I left New River Air Station on the USS Saipan heading for the Persian Gulf. We sailed through the Mediterranean Sea, through the Suez Canal, and ultimately offloaded into Kuwait while we awaited our next orders. We were part of Taskforce Tarawa moving north once we entered Iraq. I flew missions transporting troops and cargo, flew on test flights after aircraft had undergone maintenance, and often flew casualty evacuation missions. We were often on standby for a couple of days at a time, ready to assist when needed. When called, we would land in hot zones to pick up deceased and wounded marines to carry them back to better-equipped aid stations. It was tough work, but casualty evacuation was my favorite assignment. It felt like we were doing something impactful.
Memorable moments:
Boot Camp was tough, but I enjoyed it – I recall an early morning hump, while we were just getting started and seeing a huge line of would-be Marines silhouetted along the ridgeline against the rising sun. I remember thinking what a beautiful sight it was and that I was part of a pretty small club who would ever see something like this.
SERE School – Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape (SERE) school was one of my most incredible and uncommon experiences. I learned a great deal about myself and how I responded to extreme stress. In this school, we are basically being taught how to handle ourselves if we find ourselves caught behind enemy lines. It was a great experience that really helped me to feel confident and prepared when I went to Iraq.
I took part in a mass casualty evacuation during the battle of Nasiriyah in March of 2003. We had just taken over for the previous casualty evacuation (CAS EVAC) crew who told us to try and get some sleep during the day because we’d likely be busy at night. It seemed only a few moments later we got our first call. This was my first time receiving a CAS EVAC mission; previously, we were on standby but had not been called. We fly in groups of two helicopters for these missions. For that first call, our lead aircraft landed while my aircraft circled above. We took the single wounded Marine back to the aid station when the call came over the radio for all available aircraft to come back to the area we had just left for a mass CAS EVAC. An armored personnel carrier had become stuck in the mud and the opposing forces took advantage of the situation. Both aircraft landed this time. The lead aircraft took several wounded and my aircraft loaded seven Marines who had just made the ultimate sacrifice. We continued back and forth for about 13 hours. It was a long, tough day.
Once our time in Iraq was up, we loaded our aircraft and crew aboard the USS Kearsarge for the trip home. I remember on our way home, our maintenance officer (MO) gathered us all around on the flight deck to pass some information and share thoughts about what we had all just been through. We felt incredibly lucky to be heading home and not having lost anyone from our squadron. As he spoke to us, we could see beyond the flight deck, down in the water, hundreds of dolphins started jumping in and out of the wake of our ship. Our MO could see he had lost our attention, all of us in awe of the sight. In his infinite patience, he suggested we all take a break to take in the sight.
When did you transition out of the military and why?
I left active duty in March 2005. I had always thought I would serve 1 enlistment and then the focus was to get out and finish college, start building a career and a life for myself. I seriously considered re-enlisting but decided to stick close to the original plan. Rather than returning to Austin TX, I ended up moving to Phoenix to be with my girlfriend who I married soon after. We’ve been married for over 18 years now. That was the best decision I ever made.
I had access to the Marine Corps college fund and GI Bill which created great opportunities to complete college. I was able to complete a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree shortly after my time in service which has aided me in building a meaningful and lasting career.
What did you transition to in the private sector and what were the biggest challenges you faced in doing so?
Immediately after transition, I worked installing high-end custom closets. It wasn’t my dream job but got some positive cash flow coming my way. It was honest work, and I was proud to have it.
After a couple of months, I found a job with University of Phoenix as an enrollment representative. It was entry-level work helping military and veterans with their higher education needs. I loved working with this community, and it gave me a great opportunity to also make college a focus.
Biggest Challenge:
Translating the skills I’d learned in the military into civilian terms that hiring managers could connect with was a big challenge. I became so accustomed to the acronyms and very specific tasks and skills that we worked to master. One example I can share is my proficiency with troubleshooting the XM-218 50 Cal machine gun by the sound it made when it misfired. We often flew at night when it was dark in the cabin and our night vision goggles only really worked to see out at distances. We couldn’t simply turn on a light as that would make us a pretty easy target so if we had an issue with our weapon in flight, we had to learn how to troubleshoot it by the sound it made and by feel. I got pretty good at it. I could get a pretty good idea of what was wrong by the sound it made, disassemble it by feel, correct the problem, and reassemble it to full function all without the aid of sight. This skill seemed completely useless in the civilian job market until I thought a little deeper about it. I came to realize that skill was developed through tenacity and grit, a deep understanding of the mechanical function of the machine, and the reading and interpreting of technical manuals.
Re-integration with a civilian workforce after becoming so accustomed and successful in the military framework required a big shift in my thinking. Military life is very prescriptive. We know exactly what we must do to earn a promotion, how much we can expect to earn after a promotion, and precisely when in our career is a good time to look at moving to different roles. It was a big adjustment in the civilian workforce to learn promotions could happen at any time and there is no clear roadmap to make it happen, your salary is uncertain and in some cases negotiable, and the timing for making lateral or upward movement in your career was entirely up to you.
Having confidence in my decision to leave the military when finding the right job for me became tough. I considered re-enlisting once I realized how challenging reintegration was going to be. I’m glad I stuck it out long enough to find University of Phoenix. That ended up being a great opportunity and a place where I could build a career.
How can companies tap into the extensive skills of veterans looking to transition careers?
The recent University of Phoenix survey on military to civilian transitions found that at least half of active and non-active members identify qualities like the ability to perform under pressure, leadership skills, problem-solving skills, and others to be among the most important qualities gained as a service member, and these are durable skills that can support their transition and benefit the companies they work for.
Employers can better tap into those skills through actions such as focused recruitment, job descriptions that mirror military skills, and interviewing with veteran-informed language.
I encourage employers to look at the Veteran Workforce Optimization Roadmap offered by Give An Hour. I was part of a task force of employers that worked on this project which offers a guided strategy for employers to optimize the skills and talents of their veteran workforce members.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would give to a veteran currently transitioning from military service?
Build and leverage your network to create as many opportunities as possible for a smooth transition into a civilian role. This can speed up the process and help land a better fit role sooner. It can also help reduce stress in the transition.
Expect that learning new skills is going to be part of the journey. Identify some gaps and start the work on your own as soon as possible. Take advantage of free and inexpensive course offerings that help bridge your skills into the workplace, for things like MS Office suite, writing/communication, math, technology, etc.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.