A qualitative study of African American veterans transitioning to life after military service

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions and experiences of African American retired military veterans regarding their transition to civilian life after military service. The phenomenon of focus for this study was the transition of African Americans who go from the fair and "protected life" in the military to the challenging life of being an African American civilian. This study also specifically considered the intersection of this transition to civilian life and the experience and effects of institutional racism in the United States as described by African American military retirees. The study utilized a generic qualitative methodology with a purposive sample of three groups comprised of 18 total military veterans who have been retired for at least one year, but not more than ten. The researcher utilized focus group discussions with face-to-face, semi-structured interviews using nine questions. The interviews lasted between one hour and an hour and a half. The five main themes identified through the research questions used in this study were smooth transition to civilian life, limited access to healthcare, accessible employment, underutilized counseling, and helpful programs for transition. The themes led to conclusions that African American retired military veterans have positive perceptions about their transition into civilian life and institutional racism has no negative impact on the transition.