This is something I have been wanting to write about for some time, mostly because I feel that the community, group, and lifestyle of veterans often slips under the radar. Now, as someone who is also part of that community, I know for a fact the recognition and attention is not something we seek. Most of us have learned to coast under the radar and only pop up when necessary.

I feel that there is so much to share about it, and I may not get it all into an article. It is my goal, if not to actually get in touch with some of these men and women in an interview setting, to hopefully get insight into their lives, how they met their goals and achieved their dreams. These people have also affected others in various ways, almost from two sides of the same coin.

The community in which I am talking about is the U.S. military veteran community, which has become more than just a community, but a lifestyle to some. Over the past couple years, they have grown into semi-stardom, with YouTube videos, Instagram pages, and Snapchats. They have built companies either in fashion, coffee, fitness, comic books, or television.

They have shown many veterans who get out of the service that regardless of your goals, if you reach for the stars, you’ll be able to overcome barriers and obtain them. Forbes actually had an article about the CEO and founder of a clothing company known as Gruntstyle, whose appeal is for not only veterans, but has even spread to the general public of patriotic people in this country.

These men and women create entertainment for the general public, though most of the time terminology and content deals with those who have experience through the military or knowledge of firearms. They also get patriotic, of course, and make funny videos with regard to patriotism and how the red, white, and blue beat in our hearts and flow through our veins.

To me it’s an amazing thing to see these guys creating something of themselves. So many veterans leave the service and are lost, trying to figure out what it is they would like to do. The benefits we earn for our years of service help us achieve goals and lift the burden of putting ourselves in debt, allowing us to go to school to earn degrees.

I myself was lost, and for the past several years I have been trying to figure out what goals I wanted and what I hoped to achieve. At thirty years old, I am now writing articles for a webpage so others may read and hopefully enjoy what I decide to share.

This has also made me realize how much I love writing and how I have enjoyed it as a hobby for years. Even though friends and family constantly told me to pursue it, I ignored them against my better judgement. Now I have decided to create a goal to get a degree in journalism in the hopes of writing articles for magazines, websites, or even starting a book or my own page.

It’s been quite interesting to say to least, and I have these other veterans to thank for that. Without them, without their inspiration and their great speeches that you occasionally run into via their YouTube, Facebook, or Instagram pages, I would never have really thought about it, nor would have even started the process in pursuing such a goal.

These veterans have also inspired people outside of the veteran community. John Burke, who started a fitness program for those who want to get in shape, inspires others with the Army mentality, and drill sergeant attitude, urging individuals to go out there, create goals, and crush them to get in shape.

Derek Weida, an amputee who was injured in Iraq. He has inspired both other disabled veterans and civilians alike to get back in the gym, though unintentionally I’m sure. But seeing this man shredded in muscle, missing a leg, doing things most people would just give up doing.

Then we have the beautiful and amazing Marine veteran, Kirstie Ennis. After she was injured in a helicopter crash in 2012, she eventually had to have her leg amputated. As another of the many veterans out there that found something as an outlet, Kirstie Ennis, like Derek Weida found that being an athlete was a great outlet in healing. She competes in sports such as rowing, swimming, and mountaineering.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, but an example of how some of these warriors found a light at the end of the dark tunnel. Though most of us have our ups and downs, and some of us in the veteran community get lost some times, eventually finding that outlet, and creating that goal you may find solace at the end of your journey, though never find the peace.

As I continue writing my articles, I will touch on the veteran community from time to time. I feel as though they’re a community of individuals that are overlooked and given a bad reputation. I don’t think it’s fair to assume that just because we volunteered our lives for our country, been to war, or fought in war that we deserve labels such as 'unintelligent' or 'incompetent'.

They do so many great things and inspire anyone regardless of whether you’ve served, known someone whose served, or haven’t served at all.

There are so many stories to share regarding veterans and the things they do once that uniform comes off. I feel like those stories and times are something to share with Americans in the hopes of closing the divide between veterans and civilians.