This Veterans Day, a Racine local is choosing to share his story, as a veteran, in hopes to highlight how the military impacts service members.
Christopher Slater, a former sergeant in the Marine Corps, served from 2011 to 2016. Prior to serving, Slater graduated from Washington Park High School in Racine.
He dropped everything he once knew as a civilian to serve his county.
“When you join the military, you’re initially broken down to forget your old ways and rebuilt to be able to thrive in a completely different world,” said Slater.
During his time in the service, Slater worked as a Chief Radio Operator in a five-man firepower control team (FCT) for 2nd Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO), airborne fire support and liaison unit of the United States Marine Corps.
His career deployed him to Afghanistan and on a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). While deployed he visited several other countries in the Middle East with the goal to attach to smaller allied foreign forces and control American air support, artillery, mortars and naval guns.
Life as a Marine
“I can only talk about the Marine Corps and my experiences, but you’re trained to be a warrior. Everything you do is based on going to war and fighting for your country,” he said.
Sacrificing everything
Slater experienced the military’s culture firsthand. His time serving shifted his viewpoints on honoring his country, death, camaraderie and leadership.
“There was a common theme that if you didn’t deploy, you weren’t a real Marine, and furthermore if you never saw combat, you weren’t a real Marine,” said Slater.
Ultimately, Slater grew into the mindset that he and those who served with him would do anything to defend the United States.
Views on death
Life as a marine shifted not only Slater’s view on death, but also impacted the troops he worked alongside.
“The view on death is hard for many to comprehend. People in the military don’t want to die, but we become comfortable with the idea of death,” he said.
Among soldiers, they exchange the phrase ‘Til Valhalla‘. Veterans and those currently serving truly believe there is no greater way to die than with honor and valor. This is why they share that phrase with each other.
“We’re wired to believe that there’s honor in death, honor in dying for your country,” said Slater.
More than himself
During his time serving and even on Veterans Day, Slater believes his service isn’t about him. His sacrifices led him to form bonds like no other with other service members.
“You eat, sleep, and drink with the people you’re with and you become family,” said Slater. “You’re responsible for each other’s lives, both personally and professionally.”
Challenges
Slater, who is appreciative of his experience as a service member, has not turned a blind eye to the problems that face members of the military.
“We were brought up to believe that if you went to medical when you were sick or injured, that you wouldn’t be promoted or worse, wouldn’t get to deploy. This causes so many issues in the future when veterans try to seek medical help from the VA,” he said.
Transitioning to a civilian
“You leave that (the military’s ), and oftentimes left finding yourself as a normal person and feeling lost and alone,” said Slater about himself and other service members. “I had gotten out with this glorious idea of how civilian life was supposed to be and when I realized that it wasn’t like that at all, I began to spiral and found myself in a severe depressive state.”
Slater described the transition to life as a civilian as “difficult.” Veterans struggle with housing, employment, social lives, addictions and mental health.
“Most of the people I know who transitioned have dealt with these issues in some form or another,” said the former Marine.
Mental Health
Veterans dealing with PTSD develop unhealthy habits such as drinking; something Slater has recognized as post-separation problems upon leaving the military.
“I turned to alcohol and used that to numb my feelings and deal with my issues,” said Slater. “People reach out, thank you for your service, but it’s hard connecting with others who don’t understand where you came from and the mentality that is needed to come from that.”
Employment barriers
When the former sergeant returned to Racine after living in a world so vastly different, he was left with hardship.
“I found finding a job that paid a decent salary extremely difficult. Here I was, a former sergeant in the Marine Corps, leading men and having enormous amounts of responsibility, and everywhere I applied wouldn’t take me seriously because they didn’t understand my work history and descriptions,” Slater said.
When he couldn’t find work, he decided to pave a path for himself. He opened a business, Warrior’s Touch Painting LLC., with the goal to assist veterans with their transition. He discovered, though, that veterans even have difficulty coming to other veterans for help. Ultimately, things didn’t work out in that area, but he kept pushing through.
Moving Forward
It took some time, but Slater found his way after returning home. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
“I am now a Financial Representative at Northwestern Mutual where I work with civilians and veterans alike in educating them on financial literacy and the importance of proper financial planning,” said the former Marine.
In addition, Slater is working to grow in his community. He is a member of the Rotary Club in Racine. He’s active in volunteering, attends meetings at the American Legion, and is continually raising awareness for issues impacting veterans.
Supporting Veterans
This Veterans Day he is choosing to walk 50 miles to march for Stop Soldier Suicide. He is also raising money through the organization. He met his goal of $200 but is still accepting donations. Those can be made online.
If you are looking to give back in honor of Veterans, Slater recommends donating or volunteering at:
Other ways to support
In addition to giving to these organizations, Slater talked about practical, non-monetary ways to support veterans.
“The best thing you can do for veterans is treat them like you would normally treat anyone else,” he said. “All most veterans want to so desperately do is fit in. They want to fit into a civilian world, that at times, feels foreign to them.”
Employers can give veterans a shot even if they don’t have the traditional certifications or work history that they normally look for, he said.
Lastly, Slater shared the importance of simply being there for veterans.
“If you have a veteran you know who is in crisis or you’re concerned about them. Spend time with them. You don’t need to ask them questions or try being their counselor, but just be there for them, even if at times that becomes difficult.”
By sharing his story, Slater hopes to provide insight as to the reality of life as a veteran.
“Veterans, know that you’re not alone, we’re all struggling, and things do get better. There is no rainbow without first having the rain.”
Christopher Slater
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