What Does It Mean to Return Home?

When people think of veterans returning home from service, most believe that they will have a successful transition where they leave service, and through self-drive and dedication, they come out on the other side fully transitioned into the workforce, entrepreneurship, or academia. As is often the case, the reality for many veterans is that the transition from military service can present significant difficulty, as was the case for Marine Staff Sergeant Nubia Leon Lozano.

Lozano enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 2009 and served until May 2017, ending her service with a meritorious promotion to Staff Sergeant. She served on two deployments, one to South America, and the other with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). She was later selected to become a Marine recruiter in Indianapolis where she would finish her time in the Marines. Lozano’s time in service was marked by highs and lows. As she looked back on her service, she described her experience as having more “lows” than “highs”, but she would do it all over again as her service as a Marine shaped her into a person that she could be proud to be.  

When Lozano left the service, she wasn’t sure where home would be located. During her time in the Corps, she maintained only limited contact with her family as a result of their lack of acceptance for her sexual orientation that fell outside of traditional cultural norms, so going back home to Nevada was not a good option. As she looked for a new path forward, she completed the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) at Naval Training Center Great Lakes where she learned of a robotics school in Chicago, believing that this would help her enter an in-demand career field. She was excited to use her Post 9/11 GI Bill to enter her new chosen field.

When she left the Marines, Lozano returned to her parent’s home in Carson City for a month to retrofit an RV into a livable space to prepare to go to school in Chicago. While many would ask why an RV, she saw this as the best avenue to help her stretch out her G.I. Bill Stipend to cover both her school and living expenses. As she returned to Chicago to attend school, she found a place to park the vehicle and a part time job to supplement her income. As the year wore on, it became evident that despite her best efforts and careful planning, things were not going well.

Due to the cost of living in the region, Lozano would have to commute an hour each way to go to school, work, and return to her campsite to repeat the process. This became unsustainable as her monthly expenses left her with little left-over money for food for her and her dogs. As her personal life felt like it was coming apart, her school life also became unraveled. The school she had enrolled in touted itself as specializing in robotics and other advanced technologies, but the reality was very different. She was not sure where to turn—TAP had not covered what to do when you found yourself in financial distress or where to turn to for social services and other support.

As Lozano came to the realization that she didn’t have enough money to return home even if she wanted to, she reached out to a friend for help. Thankfully, her friend listened when Lozano called, providing her with the opportunity to share her challenges. And despite Nubia’s best efforts to keep her struggles private, her friend succeeded in getting Nubia to talk about the reality of her situation. Through a combination of resources suggested by her friend and the staff of the college, Lozano made the difficult decision to return to Carson City.

As she looks back on the experience, she says she had unrealistic expectations for what awaited her when she left service. The G.I. Bill did not cover as much as she was led to believe and her federal TAP classes seemed slanted to convince people to stay in the local area of the class. On returning to Carson City and applying for jobs, despite having eight years of work experience in the Marines and being a high performer in all aspects, she was only able to get entry level jobs working security. She had to ask for assistance with gas money to get to interviews. As if it couldn’t get worse, in trying to get back into shape and bond with her community she broke her leg playing soccer with a local group. In that moment and as she was laid off her job shortly after, she felt as if she was an outcast and was helpless in this new part of life.

After this second low point, she began reaching out to local resources to find a sense of home again. While she couldn’t fully utilize their services, they helped her enroll at the Reno VA Medical Center where she received the medication she needed and was able to start seeing a doctor for her injuries.

She also joined the Nevada Storm Women’s Football Team, a member of the Women’s Football Alliance. Joining the team connected her with other athletes and renewed her warrior spirit that inspired her to join the Marines in the first place. While her journey to this point has been rocky, creating a bond with her teammates has been essential in helping overcome all the challenges she’s experienced in transitioning back into the civilian world.

When talking with Lozano, it is immediately clear that she is a strong, intelligent, self-starter that represents the very best of our Veterans community. She has worked hard her entire life and never let her difficulties stop her.  In short, she is no “whiner.” But with all her strengths, she, like many others, found that transition was tough. When service members make the transition from military to civilian life, they often experience great loss: loss of purpose, loss in the pride of serving our country, and loss of friends to name a few. And with this frame of mind, they must navigate what to many are new challenges: Finding an affordable place to live. Competing for a job. Navigating private industry health care. Budgeting for meals, transportation, entertainment, and even clothes.

There are programs that can help newly separated service members navigate transitions, such as the State of Nevada’s Transition Assistance program. Find more about the program here. But all the programs in the world will not replace the need for connections that help support and strengthen us during difficult times.

Lozano is now a full-time student at the University of Nevada Reno studying information systems and working as an intern for the State of Nevada. While her transition experience was very rocky, she came through the process stronger and more determined to succeed.  What really made northern Nevada home again for her was connecting with others in the Nevada Storm Women’s Football Team. Lozano left her Marine family and found another family—one with whom she has shared values and one she trusts.