‘You can leave the military, but the military never leaves you.’ An ethnographic study examining the influence of a sport and physical activity-based support programme on veterans undertaking the military to civilian transition.

O’Hanlon, Rebecca (2022) ‘You can leave the military, but the military never leaves you.’ An ethnographic study examining the influence of a sport and physical activity-based support programme on veterans undertaking the military to civilian transition. Doctoral thesis (PhD), Manchester Metropolitan University.

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Abstract

In this thesis, the impact of a three-year sport and physical activity-based programme on the transition of veterans from the military into civilian life is explored. Following military service, many veterans enjoy a successful transition into civilian life, yet some do not, experiencing challenges such as poor mental health, social isolation, unemployment, homelessness, addiction, and relationship breakdowns. There are many provisions and initiatives available in the United Kingdom to support veterans transitioning from the military, most of which are delivered short-term, addressing one of these specific challenges. However, the programme at the heart of this research adopts a unique approach in supporting veterans more broadly, embedded within the local community and over a sustained period. This is the first support programme of its kind and, using an ethnographic approach, I evaluate its impact on veterans’ transition experiences. The purpose of this research is two-fold; to understand the reality and challenges of organising, developing, and delivering a sport and physical activity-based support programme for military veterans, and to understand the individual experiences of veterans transitioning from the military into civilian life, and the influence engaging in the sport and physical activity-based support programme has on this. Undertaking both participant observations and interviews, and applying the analytical approach of dialogical narrative analysis, my original contribution to knowledge is the recognition and discussion of varied military to civilian transition experiences, moving beyond the dichotomy of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ that currently exists in the academic literature. There has been little consideration of the variation in transition experience and how veterans negotiate their identity as they reintegrate into civilian life. This research considers how the masculine military identity, alongside other multiple role identities, are managed and performed during this period. A further contribution to knowledge is made to the field of sport for development as this research recognises the potential of sport and physical activity as a long-term tool to support veterans transitioning from the military, considering both competitive sport and physical activity, as well as other important features of programme delivery. This research concentrates on the mechanisms, processes and experiences surrounding the activities that have notable impacts on both the experiences of veterans’ transitioning from the military and the stakeholders’ delivering the programme. Drawing on the concepts of identity, presentation of self, policy enactment and neoliberalism, this research identified key processes taking place across the military to civilian transition and within the sport and physical activity programme, that had a significant influence on the actions, experiences and narratives of the veterans and deliverers. Focusing on the veterans’ transition experiences, I contend that the negotiation, management, and presentation of identity is a significant process that veterans undertake in the transition process. This includes the management and presentation of the military identity alongside other, multiple role identities, such as those shaped by work, family, and sport, as well as being influenced by gender roles and expectations. The presentation of identity was also enacted within performance teams present in the sporting sessions, which replicated those evident in military service. This research presents identity negotiation as a key aspect in the transition process, expanding the current literature on the military to civilian transition. Turning attention to stakeholder experiences, I highlight the influence of the delivery organisations’ culture and leadership team on the policy enactment process, resulting in the sport and physical activity programme. The hierarchy evident in the organisation and the neoliberal context of delivery contributes towards a competitive atmosphere which shifts focus away from the objectives of the programme. Similarly, as a key policy actor, the analysis highlights how the programme leads’ presentation of self influences the policy enactment process and subsequent approach to programme delivery. This individual was a member of performance teams both within and outside of the delivery organisation. However, the analysis identifies these as fragile, influenced by differing interpretations in the policy enactment process, and features of neoliberal society that encourage competition. Finally, this thesis concludes with empirical, theoretical, methodological, and practical implications of the research, in which the potential of sport and physical activity as a long-term tool to support the military to civilian transition is discussed, alongside practical recommendations for stakeholders and organisations responsible for delivery. Future opportunities for expanding this research are also presented.