It will make you angry to learn how a veteran lost $100k in benefits

Before you read any further, the lesson here is don't listen to anyone with an opinion about your VA benefits. Even when the Department of Veterans Affairs makes a "final" decision on your case, you can still appeal. So, don't listen to your Staff Sergeant. Anyone still wearing a uniform is not an expert on your personal VA claim.

Unfortunately, this happens a lot more frequently than you might think. That's where Moses Maddox comes in. Maddox is more than just a veteran who advocates for his fellow vets. For almost a decade, the former Marine has built a career in helping other veterans with personal, academic, financial, and success counseling through various organizations.

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Maddox talked to us about finding your veteran community, managing our veteran ego, and how to thrive in your post-military life. He talked to David Letterman about his experience, so we're grateful he took a moment to sit down with us on the Mandatory Fun podcast.

Maddox believes we've come a long way and the military is getting better at preparing us for our post-military lives. The problem in his mind is that the military is designed to weed out the weak among us and the weakness in ourselves, a necessary process to prepare military members for what they may have to do. But once you're out, that process proves detrimental – the perception that mental issues are weaknesses is what keeps us from addressing those problems.

The greatest challenges he faced when transitioning out of the Marine Corps stemmed from his admitted lack of planning. He set a countdown to his EAS date and was excited as the day approached. When it came, he felt nothing. He was so fixated on getting out that he didn't have a plan for what he was going to actually do when the day came.

Over the course of two months, he went from handing out millions in humanitarian aid to handing out gym memberships at an LA Fitness.

"The nothingness and monotony of civilian life has just as much potential to beat you down as war did," Maddox says. It's a refrain he tells to many transitioning veterans. When the military is gone, the silence is the biggest hurdle.

But all that changed. One day, Maddox drove to the VA to see if they could help him. When he was there, a Vietnam veteran saw the despair in his eyes — and told him that the feeling was normal. No one had ever told him that his struggles were normal and treatable. So, armed with this knowledge, Maddox took care of it.

Now he advocates for veterans in many areas of post-military life. He looks back on his service fondly, but acknowledges that the Marine Corps was not the only thing he had going for him. Helping people is his passion, helping veterans is now his life's work.

Learn more about Moses Maddox and how he discovered his "new why" on this episode of Mandatory Fun.

Resources Mentioned

• Combat vets relate in group
• SAN MARCOS: Veterans support center opens at Palomar College
• Maddox on Letterman
• Maddox on Make the Connection

Sponsors

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About Mandatory Fun

Mandatory Fun is hosted by:

• Blake Stilwell: Air Force veteran and Managing Editor
• Orvelin Valle (aka O.V.): Navy veteran and Podcast Producer

Share your thoughts about this episode on Twitter at: @MandoFun and on our Facebook group.