114 ● “My knees and hips aren't what they used to be when I was 20. That's really what's changed. My physical ability to do something like Ranger School would completely break my body. ” ● ”Once you have a kid and you tend to the line of duties, a lot of that gung-ho stuff doesn't last. ” Life phase changes are normal developmental processes to have. Things such as age, physical limitations, and starting families can change what priorities are important for soldiers within their military career.
Results This section establishes a foundation for exploring the results that emerged from the participants' narratives about soldier identity and belonging. Results are presented in tables according to the six categories. Table 4, Sense of Purpose, starts the discussion of the themes that arose during the study.
Table 4 Sense of Purpose Theme Soldier Identity
# Times Mentioned (N=16) 21
# Times Theme Referenced 50
Army badges
6
29
Self-worth
31
91
Sense of purpose yielded interesting sub-themes that emerged from the data analysis process. These sub-themes consisted of soldier identity, army badges, and self-
