Not Service Connected

NOT SERVICE CONNECTED:

He survived the blast.
That was the easy part.

When an IED detonates during a patrol in Afghanistan, one Soldier walks away while his entire platoon is killed in the explosion. With no witnesses and no way to prove what happened, survival becomes its own kind of burden.

Haunted by memory, guilt, and trauma, he returns home only to find that the war isn't finished with him. Struggling with PTSD and emotional fallout, his career spirals after a drunken arrest leads to his discharge from the military. Alone, broken, and searching for help, he turns to the one place every Veteran is told will be there for them: The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

What follows is a darkly humorous, painfully honest journey through bureaucracy, mental health struggles, and the invisible wounds of war. As he fights for recognition, validation, and healing, he discovers that sometimes the system designed to help Veterans can feel like another battlefield entirely.

Blending raw emotion with biting military humor, Not Service Connected is a powerful story about survival, identity, and the battles many Veterans continue to fight long after leaving the battlefield.

This story will resonate with anyone who has served, supported someone who served, or struggled to be heard when it mattered most.

About the Author:

Marc CB Maxwell is a former U.S. Army Ranger and current Department of the Army civilian dedicated to supporting Soldiers and Veterans. He holds a PhD from the University of Oklahoma, where his dissertation, Anxiety Buffer Disruption Theory: A Qualitative Case Study of Combat Veterans, examined the psychological effects of combat and the challenges Veterans face when transitioning to civilian life.

Marc has worked as a guidance counselor for more than twenty years, helping service members and families. Through professional experience, academic research, and personal navigation of the VA disability system, Marc brings a unique and informed perspective to his writing. His work uses honest storytelling to highlight the struggles many Veterans face long after service ends.

Marc previously authored Surviving Military Separation: A 365-Day Activity Guide for the Families of Deployed Personnel (Savas Beatie) which sought to help family members thrive during their service member's deployment. Dr. Maxwell is currently stationed overseas in Ansbach, Germany.