Answered! Thanks for all the kind comments. My brother entered boot camp a silly, curly brown haired kid with a little bit of chunk and a crooked smile, and returned a confident, muscular, and dedicated MAN (who is also now completely bald lol). I appreciate truly all of you who replied sincerely, and my mind is at ease.

My brother (m19) just graduated boot camp today. He was very lively and excited while he was on base shopping and getting ready to leave. The first thing I noticed was the choice of where to go eat overwhelmed him extremely. My brother is a very silly goofy man, who has a very big personality. I decided where to eat for him, and he just kind of went quiet when we exited base. I asked him a few times how he was feeling and he said two things, “it’s very quiet.” And “I feel lazy.” He went and ate dinner with our family and his fiancé, where he was extremely quiet and seemed to just take in his surroundings. He spend about an hour in the bathroom “changing” which I assumed was spent staring in the mirror at his new self wondering lots of questions. What are some questions you asked yourself after leaving boot camp? How can I help him to feel better, does it just take time? I missed him so much and feel like I am just missing him more when I am around him because of his personality change. I am supposed to go and spend some time with him this afternoon, and spoke with his fiancé and she said he hasn’t spoke with her much and has been watching tv quietly. I am unsure what to do, I miss my brother, and I’m scared of this change. How long will it take for him to kind of return to himself? What can I do to help? Edit: please be respectful. I am actually seeking out real advice to help my brother. He is one of my best friends in the world, and has signed up to give up a large part of his life to protect the United States and the people who live here. Respect and support the troops.