Military service isn’t a detour — it’s a launchpad. For Nate Boyer, the discipline, resilience, and leadership forged in uniform didn’t pause his ambitions, but rather propelled them forward.

 

Boyer served with Army Special Forces, spent time on the Seattle Seahawks’ roster prior to the 2015 NFL season, and is a co-founder of Merging Vets & Players (MVP), a nonprofit addressing issues faced by veterans and athletes after taking off the uniform for the last time.

 

Boyer’s session at the TotalForce+ conference, which runs Oct. 28-29, will challenge the notion that military service means putting life on hold, instead highlighting how the military builds world-class performers, innovators, and leaders, equipping them to thrive in any field.

 

[REGISTER NOW: TotalForce+]

 

Boyer spoke with MOAA about transitioning out of service and how to overcome assumptions in the private sector. This interview was edited for length and clarity.

Q. What excites you about Total Force+?

A. It’s the opportunity to connect with veterans and people that support veteran causes, and to rally the community together while also being inclusive of the civilian population. That’s a big one for me because it’s easy to have silos in today’s world. What’s interesting to me about TotalForce+ is the aggregation of all these different communities and the focus on veterans’ stories and initiatives, and also making sure the community at large is aware of these things and that we’re reaching more than just those that we’re comfortable engaging with.

 

Q. What message are you bringing to TotalForce+ attendees?

A. We often get into this mindset, whether you’re a veteran or not, that our skills need to directly translate to the next thing we do: Whatever I did before in life, whatever I was taught, wherever I studied in school, whatever my prior job was — I need to go find something that is a direct correlation or even in the same sector. That’s not only untrue, but I think you’re holding yourself back.

I think what we get more than anything out of our time and service in the military is how to be a good teammate, how to be a leader, how to persevere, how to sacrifice, how not to quit. Those are the things that really matter. Those are the skills that translate. Those are the intangibles that will get you to that next place and open this world up a bit to you and help you realize that anything truly is possible. You just have to put your head down and work and put the reps in and be willing to sacrifice just like you did when you wore the camouflage.

 

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Q. What challenges are you eager to see the conference tackle?

A. Not just transitioning, but also the way that we are either identified or how we identify ourselves. That’s important to address because there are a lot of assumptions about who we are, what we believe, and what’s important to us because of what we did in life. When you serve in the military, people will take certain leaps and assumptions about who you are as a person and what you’re passionate about and how you go about doing things. I think that’s unfair. A lot of that is shaped through media.

We come from all walks of life. We have various skill sets. We believe various things, whether that be politically, religiously, or whatever — we’re all over the map in a great way. That’s what is special about the military — we come together, these people with these various experiences, and we solve one problem at a time as a team, but with lots of different viewpoints. And we learn discipline and the willingness to fight for the person next to you and potentially die for them, even if you don’t even like them that much. That’s a very unique thing.

So I think that’s an important lesson for a lot of people —not just for the country, but the world. We all have control over how we treat our neighbor every day, or how we treat our co-worker or colleague.

 

[RELATED: Transition and Career Resources From MOAA]

 

Q. What advice do you have for those transitioning out of service?

A. You’re going to want that element of service and purpose, and to have that feeling you are contributing to the betterment of society every day, whether that’s in the nonprofit space or high levels of the for-profit business space, or your own dream you want to pursue.

I think there’s value in taking a break. There’s also value in, before you jump ship, starting to look at other opportunities to discover what you’re into.

I did an internship at 34 years old, and yeah, it felt a little weird the first day because I’m making coffee and cleaning the fridge out and picking up lunch. But I was at a production company, and that was what I was interested in. I needed to start in the proverbial mailroom like everybody else and just learn. But I think that you’ll quickly find if you approach it in the right way, with humility and this idea that nobody owes you anything just because you served in the military, people will find you and learn about your experience. Then, all of a sudden, you’re sitting in other meetings.

Look, you’ve dedicated quite a bit of your life to the thing you did before, especially if you’re retiring out. And obviously you did a good job. You did a great job, most likely. And now it feels like a clean slate. People will look for a lateral transition into the business world or something like that. If you’re able to do that, that’s awesome, but that’s probably not the reality for most people — think of the people in those sectors that have been spending the same amount of time there that you did in the military. It’s OK to not have the most ideal job out of the gate, as long as it’s in the right place and a spot that interests you. I think there’s so much value in that, and people will admire it, too.

 

[RELATED: Student-Veterans Are More Than ‘Dollar Signs in Uniform’: Ask Congress to Protect Their Benefits]

Q. How important is it that we hear from veterans about improving the lives for those currently serving?

A. When I was in, the last thing I thought about was being a veteran. I didn’t understand that there were post-service resources and such a big community. I think it’s crucial that veterans lead the way in helping because we’ve done it — we’ve been there. People are going to listen to us if we have a shared experience. But experiencing those in a different way, that’s also extremely valuable because we don’t want to just do things all the same.

 

Q. What’s the next big project MVP has planned?

A. We’ve got nine chapters around the country already operating, and we’re opening a few more this year. Interestingly enough, we’re starting to operate in the D.C. area, and that’s another reason we’re really excited about the TotalForce+ event, because we are working with veterans and athletes there.

 

It’s been tough these last few years with a lot of these vets, including myself, that were part of the 20-year war. The way it ended — it’s been hard on a lot of people. Some feel their service was in vain. And of course that’s not true at all: There were so many people that we helped and so much that we did, and we only did what we were able to do. So I think that’s what’s really special about events like TotalForce+ and about what we’re trying to do with MVP — letting everybody know that we recognize all that stuff, the insecurities, the survivor’s guilt, regrets. But I’m doing everything I can to mitigate those and continue moving forward with people around me — that’s what’s important.