Growing up, I heard several stories about the careers of aunts, uncles, parents, grandparents - most of my immediate family decided to join the United States military and serve our country. My understanding deepened when I myself entered into a relationship with someone in the military, and again when I spent my Spring Break at Fort Sam Houston in Texas.
At a campus with 12,000 students and an active ROTC program, it's no surprise I come into contact with military personnel, both active and retired. All my encounters have led me to see the differences and similarities in behavior between the two statutes.
Active: Active military personnel often are clean, direct, and walk with a purpose. Their language is made up of jargon, they sometimes use profanity, and every response ends with a "yes ma'am" or "yes sir". While in uniform, they are sure to take off their hats prior to entering a building and they are always sure to stay clean cut. While out of uniform, I notice that they often walk with purpose and keep the formal language.
Retired: I would like to note that the extent of their behavior is directly linked to their length of service, time spent in, and general experiences.
I have noticed that retired military, no matter how long, often keep the profane but formal language. They also tend to stay organized, choosing simple clothes or less flamboyant ways of living. Their sense of respect for others also never fades.
However, reintegration into the civilian population often leaves retired military disoriented and sometimes fed up with the general human population. Because of their experiences, I often find retired military to be short with civilians or others that don't share their background or experiences.
In sum, I see little difference between active and retired military when I analyze their behaviors.
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