--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My very identity as a soldier came to an…" description: "\"My very identity as a soldier came to an abrupt end. I'd been soldiering as long as I'd been shaving. Suddenly I'd been told I could no longer soldier,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/169/stanley-a-mcchrystal-5088_abrupt_my-very-identity-as-a-soldier-came-to-an_932884.png" --- # My very identity as a soldier came to an abrupt end. I'd… ![“My very identity as a soldier came to an abrupt end. I'd been soldiering as long as I'd been shaving. Suddenly I'd been told I could no longer soldier, and it felt as though no one really cared if I ever shaved again.” quote by Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/169/stanley-a-mcchrystal-5088_abrupt_my-very-identity-as-a-soldier-came-to-an_932884.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/169/stanley-a-mcchrystal-5088_abrupt_my-very-identity-as-a-soldier-came-to-an_932884.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/169/stanley-a-mcchrystal-5088_abrupt_my-very-identity-as-a-soldier-came-to-an_932884.png) > “My very identity as a soldier came to an abrupt end. I'd been soldiering as long as I'd been shaving. Suddenly I'd been told I could no longer soldier, and it felt as though no one really cared if I ever shaved again.” [Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He describes the abrupt loss of his soldier identity, equating it to losing a core part of himself. **In simple terms:** He felt his soldier identity vanished suddenly. Key Takeaway Prepare for identity shifts after career change. Themes identity transition military life purpose loss adaptation Mood reflective somber Type personal psychological When to use this quote - retirement - medical discharge - post‑military life - counseling - re‑employment Key Concepts role loss psychological impact career transition Questions to Reflect On - What new purpose can replace the old identity? - How can institutions support such transitions? A Different Perspective Identity can be rebuilt beyond a single role. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abrupt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abrupt/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Soldier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soldier/) [Soldiering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soldiering/) ## Related quotes > [“difference between his government’s ineptitude and his personal generosity. He’d nipped these items from the quartermaster’s store, and he couldn’t do much of that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/win-blevins/difference-between-his-government-s-ineptitude-and-his-personal/) [Win Blevins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/win-blevins/) > [The parish I live in is a very abrupt, uneven country, full of hills and woods, and therefore full of birds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-white/the-parish-i-live-in-is-a-very-abrupt-uneven-country-full-of-hills/) [Gilbert White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-white/) > [I find when I'm more awake, I tend to think more of the structure and movement of a tune, abrupt transitions, etc.; things becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-funk/i-find-when-i-m-more-awake-i-tend-to-think-more-of-the-structure-and/) [Aaron Funk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-funk/) > [At first I probably seem very abrupt, but I like efficiency. There's work and there's play, and I always think: 'Let's get the work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-reichs/at-first-i-probably-seem-very-abrupt-but-i-like-efficiency-there-s/) [Kathy Reichs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-reichs/) > [The abrupt and sudden death of my wife has taken a severe emotional and psychic toll on me. On top of that, some people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/the-abrupt-and-sudden-death-of-my-wife-has-taken-a-severe-emotional/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [They were within twenty yards of each other, and so abrupt was his appearance, that it was impossible to avoid his sight. Their eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/they-were-within-twenty-yards-of-each-other-and-so-abrupt-was-his/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [“He was tall and abrupt and exactly the kind of guy you wanted to be walking the streets with.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/he-was-tall-and-abrupt-and-exactly-the-kind-of-guy-you-wanted-to-be/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [“Hey, I thought you wanted to know about the Sinsar Dubh!” I was so startled by his abrupt departure that I spoke without thinking.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/hey-i-thought-you-wanted-to-know-about-the-sinsar-dubh-i-was-so/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“I have to go out,” she said, her words oddly curt and abrupt. “There‟s something I need to do.” “At half eight in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/i-have-to-go-out-she-said-her-words-oddly-curt-and-abrupt-there-s/) [Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/) > [“Things change. 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I hope.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-swift/in-my-work-you-often-get-an-abrupt-shift-in-time-a-jolt-but-the/) [Graham Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-swift/) > [The Eagles ended on a rather abrupt note, although in retrospect I realize now that it had been ending for quite some time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-henley/the-eagles-ended-on-a-rather-abrupt-note-although-in-retrospect-i/) [Don Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-henley/) > [Nature, like a true poet, abhors abrupt transitions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/nature-like-a-true-poet-abhors-abrupt-transitions/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [“God's movement is often abrupt and unsettling rather than predictable and settling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-joseph-brown/god-s-movement-is-often-abrupt-and-unsettling-rather-than-predictable/) Michael Joseph Brown > [Fossil fuels, including oil, are running out and supplies are getting harder to find. If we do nothing, prices will continue to rise and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-powell/fossil-fuels-including-oil-are-running-out-and-supplies-are-getting/) [Lucy Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-powell/) ## More by Stanley A. McChrystal > [We are a nation of innovators and problem-solvers who sparked revolutions in democratic government, civil rights, communications, flight, rural electrification and technology. We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/we-are-a-nation-of-innovators-and-problem-solvers-who-sparked/) [Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/) > [President Obama had voiced strong support for the effort in Afghanistan during his campaign, pledging to add two brigades, which he did. But since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/president-obama-had-voiced-strong-support-for-the-effort-in/) [Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/) > [I came to believe that a leader isn't good because they're right; they're good because they're willing to learn and to trust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/i-came-to-believe-that-a-leader-isn-t-good-because-they-re-right-they/) [Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/) > [My dad was always the soldier I wanted to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/my-dad-was-always-the-soldier-i-wanted-to-be/) [Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/) > [In our society, I see public media as a lever. It pushes people by elevating them and their sights. It brings them into more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/in-our-society-i-see-public-media-as-a-lever-it-pushes-people-by/) [Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/) > [America needs a restart. It has long devoted its energies to solving its many big problems - unequal opportunity, crumbling infrastructure, lagging education, inadequate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/america-needs-a-restart-it-has-long-devoted-its-energies-to-solving/) [Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/) > [When you go through some controversy and you see your face on the news in a negative way for 48 hours... you doubt yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/when-you-go-through-some-controversy-and-you-see-your-face-on-the/) [Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/) > [If who you were was entirely based upon the position you were in or the headlines you got in the newspaper, or you had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/if-who-you-were-was-entirely-based-upon-the-position-you-were-in-or/) [Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/) > [I think every war certainly wears on national will and national patience, particularly a counterinsurgency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/i-think-every-war-certainly-wears-on-national-will-and-national/) [Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/) > [There's an art to asking questions. Briefings are valuable but normally communicate primarily what the subordinate leader wants you to know, and often the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/there-s-an-art-to-asking-questions-briefings-are-valuable-but/) [Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/) > [Many leaders are tempted to lead like a chess master, striving to control every move, when they should be leading like gardeners, creating and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/many-leaders-are-tempted-to-lead-like-a-chess-master-striving-to/) [Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/) > [How we present ourselves matters a lot, and that's every American, not just at the senior levels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/how-we-present-ourselves-matters-a-lot-and-that-s-every-american-not/) [Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/) > [I want the American people to understand, we have a clear and focused goal: to disrupt, dismantle and defeat Al Qaeda in Pakistan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/i-want-the-american-people-to-understand-we-have-a-clear-and-focused/) [Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/) > [What I'm trying to do is teach people how to actually get individuals in organizations to do the kinds of things to make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/what-i-m-trying-to-do-is-teach-people-how-to-actually-get-individuals/) [Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/) > [By nature, I tended to trust people and was typically open and transparent... But such transparency would go astray when others saw us out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/by-nature-i-tended-to-trust-people-and-was-typically-open-and/) [Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/) [Explore all 103 Stanley A. McChrystal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/) ## More Abrupt quotes > [Fossil fuels, including oil, are running out and supplies are getting harder to find. If we do nothing, prices will continue to rise and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-powell/fossil-fuels-including-oil-are-running-out-and-supplies-are-getting/) [Lucy Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-powell/) > [“God's movement is often abrupt and unsettling rather than predictable and settling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-joseph-brown/god-s-movement-is-often-abrupt-and-unsettling-rather-than-predictable/) Michael Joseph Brown > [Nature, like a true poet, abhors abrupt transitions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/nature-like-a-true-poet-abhors-abrupt-transitions/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [The Eagles ended on a rather abrupt note, although in retrospect I realize now that it had been ending for quite some time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-henley/the-eagles-ended-on-a-rather-abrupt-note-although-in-retrospect-i/) [Don Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-henley/) > [In my work you often get an abrupt shift in time, a jolt. But the emotional logic will take the reader on. I hope.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-swift/in-my-work-you-often-get-an-abrupt-shift-in-time-a-jolt-but-the/) [Graham Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-swift/) > [“Things change. Sometimes it’s abrupt, knocking you off your feet as life throws a curveball nobody expected, turning worlds upside down and leaving those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-darhower/things-change-sometimes-it-s-abrupt-knocking-you-off-your-feet-as/) [J.M. Darhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-darhower/) > [“I have to go out,” she said, her words oddly curt and abrupt. “There‟s something I need to do.” “At half eight in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/i-have-to-go-out-she-said-her-words-oddly-curt-and-abrupt-there-s/) [Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/) > [“Hey, I thought you wanted to know about the Sinsar Dubh!” I was so startled by his abrupt departure that I spoke without thinking.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/hey-i-thought-you-wanted-to-know-about-the-sinsar-dubh-i-was-so/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“He was tall and abrupt and exactly the kind of guy you wanted to be walking the streets with.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/he-was-tall-and-abrupt-and-exactly-the-kind-of-guy-you-wanted-to-be/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [They were within twenty yards of each other, and so abrupt was his appearance, that it was impossible to avoid his sight. Their eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/they-were-within-twenty-yards-of-each-other-and-so-abrupt-was-his/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [The abrupt and sudden death of my wife has taken a severe emotional and psychic toll on me. On top of that, some people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/the-abrupt-and-sudden-death-of-my-wife-has-taken-a-severe-emotional/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [At first I probably seem very abrupt, but I like efficiency. There's work and there's play, and I always think: 'Let's get the work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-reichs/at-first-i-probably-seem-very-abrupt-but-i-like-efficiency-there-s/) [Kathy Reichs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-reichs/) > [I find when I'm more awake, I tend to think more of the structure and movement of a tune, abrupt transitions, etc.; things becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-funk/i-find-when-i-m-more-awake-i-tend-to-think-more-of-the-structure-and/) [Aaron Funk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-funk/) > [The parish I live in is a very abrupt, uneven country, full of hills and woods, and therefore full of birds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-white/the-parish-i-live-in-is-a-very-abrupt-uneven-country-full-of-hills/) [Gilbert White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-white/) > [I don't eat animals. I rescue strays and take injured pigeons to the wildlife rehab. I carry spiders and wasps outside in a cup…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-moran/i-don-t-eat-animals-i-rescue-strays-and-take-injured-pigeons-to-the/) [Victoria Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-moran/) [Browse all 20 Abrupt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abrupt/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My very identity as a soldier came to an abrupt end. I'd been soldiering as long as I'd been shaving. Suddenly I'd been told I could no longer soldier, and it felt as though no one really cared if I ever shaved again.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stanley A. 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