top of page
Photojournalism 2019
FROM THE CORPS TO THE RING
Challenges of the military to civilian transition
Photo Essay: Text
The roll-gate screeches as it curls into its resting place above the front door of Butch’s Boxing & MMA gym in Bayside, Queens. The feel inside is often not much different from the below-freezing temperatures outside. A thick coat of dust covers the trophies and prize belts placed on display throughout the gym. Children's toys are strewn about, and works of crayon art are placed prominently upon the walls. There’s nothing sexy about this neighborhood gym, and the days of the gym producing champions have passed. But for those who frequent the gym these days, it has become a second home. For some it has changed their life.
Photo Essay: Text
Butch's gym sits in the heart of Bayside, N.Y. Saturday mornings are his busiest days. Saturday January 18, 2020. (Rich Dolan)
Photo Essay: Image
Born in the Bronx in 1969, Butch Rinaldi was raised raised tough by his mother from a young age. “I liked to fight growing up, but when we moved to Queens my mom started bringing me to boxing lessons because the families were so big back then that she wanted me to know how to handle myself. You could get into a fight with a kid, and next thing you know his nine brothers are coming to look for you,” Butch explained. “I got my ass kicked a lot,” he added.
When Butch was 17 he decided to join the United States Marine Corps. His grandfather served in the Navy during WWII, and two of his uncles served in Vietnam. One of those uncles, his mother’s brother, died in Vietnam. “I was five-years-old and there's a picture of me, standing in a Marine uniform,” Butch told me. “I always wanted to be G.I. Joe. The Marines were cool, tough guys,” he added. So in 1987, after having dropped out of school, Butch got his mother to sign as his guardian and give permission for him to join the Marines. He would go on to serve with 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines in Kaneohe, Hawaii as a 2111 Small Arms Repairer/Technician until 1990.
Photo Essay: Text
Butch holds his Marine recruit photo at his gym in Bayside, N.Y. on Monday December 16, 2019. (Rich Dolan)
Photo Essay: Image
Photo Essay: Image
Butch loved his time in the Marine Corps, but when tragedy struck the most important person in his life, his time in the Marines was unexpectedly cut short. “I wasn’t gonna get out of the Marine Corps, I loved it. But when my mother died and I came home, my family wanted me to stay,” Butch explained. Butch’s mother died unexpectedly at the age of 43, and Butch was crushed. “My mom was the most important person in the whole wide world to me. I felt like everything I was doing was for her, and after she went I wasn’t sure what to do anymore,” Butch said. Eventually, the pressure from his family urging him to stay coupled with the tragedy of losing his mother added up and Butch received a hardship discharge, allowing him to end his eight year service obligation early. Butch explained being told by his commanding officer that he would be receiving this discharge, and says he never requested it himself. This was not uncommon in the 1980s, due to the purpose of the Marine Corps being studied and debated, and the general trimming of the U.S. military as Cold War tensions died down.
Photo Essay: Text
Butch demonstrates the jab at his teen class in Bayside, N.Y. His Marine photo hangs in the background. Monday December 16, 2019. (Rich Dolan)
Photo Essay: Image
Unlike the roughly 200,000 military service members who now transition annually, Butch didn’t have the same resources available to him at the time he transitioned. Butch was never explained the benefits available to veterans when he exited service, and he quickly found himself lost back home, prematurely yanked from the camaraderie and tight-knit environment that he had become accustomed to in the Marines. “When I left the marine corps, they handed me that certificate, shook my hand and no one ever said anything to me like ‘if you ever need anything, call this number or join this organization’,” Butch recounted.
Photo Essay: Text
After the Marine Corps, Butch turned to fighting. He trained the fighters that earned these trophies. Bayside, N.Y. Saturday, January 4, 2020. (Rich Dolan)
Photo Essay: Image
Butch also had difficulty finding work. “I wanted to be a Marine. I had no plan after that,” said Butch. “So I started working security right away,” he continued. “I thought when I went for a job that it would mean more and it would carry more weight that I was a Marine. Some places just didn’t understand what they were getting in me, and I felt like I wasn’t getting the same consideration.” A major obstacle was that Butch didn’t understand how to market his skills. This is not uncommon among veterans; the community often undersells themselves. He also had no resources available for him to learn how to sell himself, and no fellow veterans to help guide him. Today, there is a program called Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (COOL) where veterans can link their military experience with civilian certifications and even receive a voucher to waive fees for some civilian credentialing programs that relate to their job in the military. Here is the Marine COOL listing for Butch’s job in the Marines.
Photo Essay: Text
Butch takes in fellow veterans (pictured in foreground) looking for an outlet. Bayside, N.Y. Saturday, January 4, 2020. (Rich Dolan)
Photo Essay: Image
The Transition Assistance Program (TAP) was started in 1991, shortly after Butch was discharged. This program was intended to assist service members with their transition back to civilian life by teaching them valuable skills like resume writing, familiarizing them with the benefits available to them after service and even assisting with job placement. However, the program fell short in the eyes of many, and wasn’t made a requirement to be completed by any service except the Marine Corps. This eventually led to the VOW To Hire Heroes Act of 2011 being signed into law by President Barack Obama. Among other things, this act would require service members from all branches of the military to successfully complete TAP as a condition to be discharged. It also encouraged partnership with Veteran Service Organizations to help veterans with job placement and other critical needs. But it still garners some criticism from those who say it doesn’t help service members understand the intangibles, such as office etiquette or how to act in a civilian office environment.
Photo Essay: Text
Butch's son, Butchie, grows up in the gym soaking up his dad's life lessons. Bayside, N.Y. Thursday, January 9, 2020. (Rich Dolan)
Photo Essay: Image
As of 2015, there were more than 45,000 Veteran Service Organizations (VSO) registered with the IRS. This number continues to grow, offering veterans the opportunity to connect with other veterans and to get the help they need online without having to travel to the traditional Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) or American Legion post that once occupied almost every town in the U.S. These organizations aim to help veterans navigate benefits, access scholarships, find jobs and get mental health counseling. Something the VSOs help veterans with frequently is navigating the Veterans Affairs (VA) system. One such organization, Combined Arms, connected 20,000 veterans with critical resources in 2019. Butch explained to me how he found out he was eligible for medical treatment at the VA hospital. “I found out about 6-7 years after I got out when I got jumped and my nose got broken. I didn’t have medical insurance. My grandpa said ‘go call the VA’ and I said ‘Pa, you’re crazy, I can't go there.’ But eventually I listened to him and went in and they straightened my nose out. That was how I found out that I still had benefits. I’m still not sure of all the benefits I have, I never really looked into it.”
Photo Essay: Text
Combined Arms is one of the premier VSOs. They've connected thousands of veterans to vital resources. (Combined Arms)
Photo Essay: Image
When Butch decided to open his own boxing gym, he had never run a business before. He faced challenges that, had he been connected with a VSO, he may have had help overcoming. But because Butch had never been connected to the veteran community to begin with, he never even thought to look. “I didn’t know about that at all. I took my own money, started up a spot, printed out some fliers and just started out,” explained Butch.
Photo Essay: Text
Butch started his gym from scratch. The gym is now a fixture in Bayside, N.Y. Saturday, January 4, 2020. (Rich Dolan)
Photo Essay: Image
Interest in health and fitness has skyrocketed in recent years. According to IBISWorld, boxing gyms and clubs are a $1 billion a year industry and are predicted to continue to grow. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), fitness and recreational sports facilities as a whole employed over 600,000 workers in 2018. The BLS also reported the median pay for fitness trainers and instructors as $39,820 annually.
This is not the case for Butch.
Photo Essay: Text
The fitness industry is booming. Butch regularly fills his Thursday night classes. Bayside, N.Y. January 9, 2020. (Rich Dolan)
Photo Essay: Image
Butch’s full-time job is with the MTA working as an elevator mechanic, a job he only recently secured. Prior to having his MTA job, Butch was not as financially secure. But no matter what the financial circumstances, there was one non-negotiable for Butch — the gym stayed open. “I don’t have the ability to quit,” said Butch, “There were some months that we would let the lights go out at home to pay the bills here at the gym,” he continued. Butch now works the overnight shift with the MTA so that he can run the gym during the daytime and early evening classes. After paying rent, insurance and other bills for the gym, Butch doesn’t leave with much of an income. But he loves his gym and he takes pride in helping others make life changes. “It’s the people of my gym that make my gym,” said Butch. When asked what the most rewarding part of running the gym was for Butch, he answered “The success stories. Not the fights, but when I hear about success stories in real life outside the gym.”
Photo Essay: Text
Butch catches up on paperwork before class starts and he goes to work for the night. Bayside N.Y. Saturday, December 7, 2019.
Photo Essay: Image
Starting a boxing gym was not easy for Butch, but the never-quit mentality instilled in him while serving in the Marine Corps made it possible for him to endure the tough times. Marketing was an initial struggle for Butch. “I don’t articulate well the benefits of the gym. I don’t know how to get the public to see the vibe,” said Butch. “When I first opened up I just wanted fighters, I wanted people to know that I knew what I was doing,” said Butch, “What I learned was that I had to listen to what the people were saying and try to see if I could help them with that,” he continued.
Photo Essay: Text
Butch stresses the importance of self-defense to his teen class. Bayside, N.Y. Monday, December 16, 2019 (Rich Dolan)
Photo Essay: Image
Butch faced many challenges in his transition from military to civilian life. Many veterans still face those challenges today. Despite not being connected to the veteran community, Butch serves as an example to younger veterans starting their transition. He exemplifies that regardless of the struggles endured, veterans can always depend on the values instilled in them during their time in service to keep pushing on.
Photo Essay: Text
Photo Essay: Text
bottom of page