The Hidden Battlefield – How Adverse Childhood Experiences Shape Veterans and How to Overcome Them

For many veterans, the trauma does not start in combat. It begins long before, in childhood. Studies show that a significant number of people who join the military do so with a high Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) score, meaning they have already faced abuse, neglect, or extreme instability before ever wearing a uniform.

Many enlist as a way to escape toxic homes, financial hardship, or a lack of structure, believing that the military will give them a fresh start. While service does provide discipline, purpose, and a sense of belonging, it also adds another layer of trauma for those whose brains were still developing when they faced the most extreme experiences of their lives.

What Are ACEs and Why Do They Matter

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are stressful or traumatic events that happen before the age of eighteen. Research has shown that the more ACEs a person has, the greater their risk of mental health struggles, chronic disease, and even early death.

Below is the ACEs checklist. Answering yes to any of these questions means you have experienced that ACE.

Take the ACEs Score Test

Before your eighteenth birthday:

1. Did a parent or other adult in the household often or very often swear at you, insult you, put you down, or humiliate you? Or did they act in a way that made you afraid you might be physically hurt?
2. Did a parent or other adult in the household often or very often push, grab, slap, or throw something at you? Or ever hit you so hard that you had marks or were injured?
3. Did an adult or person at least five years older than you ever touch or fondle you or have you touch their body in a sexual way? Or attempt or have oral, anal, or vaginal intercourse with you?
4. Did you often or very often feel that no one in your family loved you or thought you were important or special? Or that your family did not look out for one another, feel close to one another, or support one another?
5. Did you often or very often feel that you did not have enough to eat, had to wear dirty clothes, or had no one to protect you? Or were your parents too drunk or high to take care of you or take you to the doctor if needed?
6. Was a biological parent ever lost to you through divorce, abandonment, or another reason?
7. Was your mother or stepmother often or very often pushed, grabbed, slapped, or had something thrown at her? Or was she ever kicked, bitten, hit with a fist, or hit with something hard? Or repeatedly hit for at least a few minutes or threatened with a gun or knife?
8. Did you live with anyone who was a problem drinker or alcoholic, or who used street drugs?
9. Was a household member depressed or mentally ill, or did a household member attempt suicide?
10. Did a household member go to prison?

Scoring

Each yes counts as one point toward your ACEs score. The higher the score, the more likely you are to experience mental and physical health issues later in life.

• A score of four or higher is associated with a significantly increased risk of PTSD, depression, substance abuse, and chronic disease.
• A score of six or higher is linked to a life expectancy twenty years shorter than average.

Many veterans enter the military already carrying trauma from their childhoods. Understanding this is critical in making sense of how you react to stress, relationships, and challenges today.

The Military and the Developing Brain – A Dangerous Combination

The human brain is not fully developed until around age twenty-five. The last part of the brain to mature is the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for:

• Impulse control
• Emotional regulation
• Long-term decision-making
• Assessing risk versus reward

This means that young service members often experience the most traumatic parts of their military careers before their brains are fully equipped to process them.

According to wartime data, over fifty percent of combatants in war are under the age of twenty-five, with a significant number between eighteen and twenty-two. This means:

• Many who face life-or-death situations in combat are still neurologically wired for impulsive decision-making.
• The ability to emotionally regulate in high-stress environments is not fully developed, making trauma even harder to process.
• Those who already have high ACEs scores enter the military with a nervous system trained for survival mode, which can make both service and post-service life more difficult.

This is why so many veterans struggle with impulsivity, anger, and emotional numbness later in life. They were exposed to extreme situations while their brains were still wiring their long-term responses to stress.

How to Overcome the Impact of ACEs in Adulthood

Your past does not have to dictate your future. Trauma is not destiny. Just as negative experiences shape the brain and body, positive actions can rewire them for resilience and healing.

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1. Recognize the Patterns

• Notice how you react under stress.
• Ask yourself, "Am I responding to the present, or am I reacting to the past?"
• Identify destructive beliefs you carry from childhood. Are they true, or just
• conditioning?

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2. Build Strong, Healthy Relationships

• Trauma thrives in isolation. Find people who challenge, support, and respect you.
• Seek out mentors, coaches, or veteran organizations that help with growth and
• transition.
• Cut ties with people who reinforce toxic cycles.

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3. Rewire Your Nervous System

• If you are constantly on edge, your nervous system is still stuck in survival mode.
• Breathwork, exercise, and cold exposure can help retrain your body to regulate
• stress.
• Engage in activities that calm the nervous system, such as hiking, deep breathing, or music.

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4. Prioritize Mental and Physical Health

• Find a therapist who understands trauma, preferably one with experience working with veterans.
• Focus on gut health, exercise, and proper sleep because your body and brain are deeply connected.
• If you struggle with substance abuse, get support. Do not fight that battle alone.

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5. Redefine Success and Purpose

• Many veterans feel lost after service because the military provided a built-in sense of mission. Create a new one.
• Challenge yourself to set goals that are about growth, not just survival.
• Whether it is starting a business, mentoring others, or engaging in a new craft, find something that pushes you forward.

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Final Thoughts – You Are Not Broken, You Are Adapted

If you grew up in survival mode, your brain and body did exactly what they needed to keep you alive. The patterns you developed were not weaknesses. They were adaptations to a difficult environment.

But you are not in that environment anymore.

Understanding ACEs is not about blame. It is about awareness and action. The military may have reinforced some of those survival strategies, but it also gave you discipline, resilience, and the ability to overcome.

Healing does not mean forgetting the past. It means choosing to build something better despite it.

You have survived. Now it is time to thrive.