Why Listen Nick’s decision to go back to education led to him working in national security policy and ultimately his role with research and execution at the IVMF. Nick never thought he would pursue a Ph.D., but his positive experiences with professors and mentors led him to dive in. In this episode, we talk about the guilt Veterans face when they leave the military while their colleagues continue to serve. We talk about the 25k people that the IVMF helps each year, and how important it is for Veterans to be a better-informed consumer. We also talk about how the biggest challenge Veterans face - beyond employment - is navigating benefits and service.

About Nick Nick Armstrong is the senior director for research and evaluation at the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse University. He started out at West Point, after which he served in the US Army for 8 years as an Operations Officer, with time in Bosnia and Iraq. After his military service, he worked as a Research Fellow at The Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism, prior to joining Syracuse University. Nick earned an interdisciplinary Ph.D. and M.P.A. from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, both focused on public management and international security.