ELLSWORTH – The annual “Freedom is Not Free” Veterans Day program at Ellsworth Middle School once again saw a packed house Nov. 11, complete with moving readings, music and military traditions.

The featured speaker this year was Ellsworth resident First Sgt. Daniel R. Navrestad (retired) who served in the United States Marine Corps for 20 years from Aug. 27, 2002 to Sept. 30, 2022. His message rang true as he spoke about people getting to know the veterans in their neighborhood, knowing that life may have difficulties for them after they leave the service while having respect and understanding for them every day.

According to Navrestad, the transition back into civilian life brings challenges that service members and their families must address. Here are some statistics from military-transition.org to put it into perspective:

• 76% of veterans say their transition was stressful
• 59% say it took more time than expected
• 52% say it was confusing
• 48% say it was more difficult than they expected
• 38% say their first salary was worse than expected

The Marine Corps instills leadership principles in service members, Navrestad said. This includes knowing yourself and seeking self-improvement, setting a good example, making sound and timely decisions and seeking and taking responsibility.

Navrestad defined combat and operational stress as changes in physical or mental functioning or behavior resulting from the experience of combat and its aftermath, or from non-combat military operations. This can be marked by changes in behavior, mood or appearance; difficulty sleeping, anxiety or unusual, persistent sadness, irritation or anger.

“War zones skills are not the same skills we need at home,” Navrestad said.

During war time, service members are taught to control their emotions. When they’re at home, long-term relationships may be more complicated. Anger can be a useful, protective survival skill in the military while it may push away loved ones at home, Navrestad explained. Service members develop strong bond with their comrades as they depend on each other for survival, whereas in civilian life, they may be on their guard or more suspicious of people, he said. Veterans sometime isolate themselves because they don’t feel understood.

But there are things people can do for veterans to help them feel supported, Navrestad added: Treat them with respect and be supportive and understanding. He listed items for civilians to remember about veterans which could help in understanding them:

• They’re used to being the one with authority
• Veterans in the combat zone have power: In uniforms, in weapons and in the show of force. That’s hard to get used to not having when they return home.
• Their sense of humor may be altered.
• They have little or no tolerance for nonsense.
• They may experience a loss in their sense of identity out of uniform.
• They may sense that others will never understand their experience.
• They may be uncomfortable in a crowd.
• They may crave structure and have need for planning of activities, disliking last-minute changes in activity or environment.

Navrestad encouraged those listening, especially students, to get to know veterans and educate themselves on the different military branches, language and rank structure. Know the difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day. Ask veterans about positive experiences or what they liked about being in the military. And most importantly, to demonstrate respect.

“I’ve never experienced a single day in my life when I haven’t been safe and I haven’t had freedom,” said Emcee Nick Foley. “That is a rarity in this world.”