"Bankruptcy After Military Service"

Life After Bankruptcy Stories

This is my personal story about filing bankruptcy.




I joined the military in 1979 and was cruising along making a career for myself. I had a few credit cards and carried a balance but nothing extravagant. I had planned on making the military a career and was happy with my life. I was single and didn't have a care in the world.

Then my world was flipped upside down. I was told that I had a week and then I would be discharged. It was a time when the government was downsizing the military and they were picking people randomly and I got picked.

I had 12 years in the military and was not familiar with looking for a job or writing a resume or any of that. I had a few weeks of pay so I moved back to my hometown to look for a job. It was hard and I was trying to adjust to civilian life. My bills were coming due and I struggled to keep up with them and pay my rent and put food on my table.

I had no success in finding a job and when my bills became 90 days overdue I contacted an attorney. I was scared and thought the bankruptcy would not go through. The attorney was very kind and walked me through it step by step.

It was very stressful and I felt a sense of relief when it was all finished but I also felt some guilt that I was not able to pay my bills. I was eventually able to find a job and get on with my life and now I own a home and two cars. It was a great learning experience for me in that I never want to get in that situation again.

I still feel some guilt today about that but it was what had to be done. It is survivable but it also should teach you a valuable lesson. Don't ever take anything for granted. Life can change in an instant and not for the better.

Some of my friends have filed bankruptcy also so the stigma is not as great as it was when I did it. It is a life changing experience and you find out quick what really is important and what is not.

Contributed by Wendy