Jhony Martinez doesn’t stand stiffly anymore by the tire machine at National Tire and Battery in Weymouth where he works.

“I used to stand there, constantly, waiting for the next vehicle,’’ said Martinez, 26, a Randolph resident. “My manager finally said, ‘You know, you can take a break every once in awhile.’’’

The old ways die hard: Martinez’s military stance stemmed from his Marine days, pulling a couple tours of Afghanistan where the young corporal led his squad looking for explosive devices. Now he’s out, working and getting an education at Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology in Boston, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in automotive management, and raising a family; he and his wife had a baby boy, Dean, recently.

“Going to school was kind of a last-minute thing,’’ Martinez said. “A friend mentioned the school, and I found out more on the Veterans Administration website. I’d gone into the service right out of high school.’’

Martinez is a first-generation American, born to El Salvadoran parents, and the first in his family to serve in the military. After he gets his degree, he may pursue a master’s degree in business management, he said, but for now “I’m just excited to be working.’’

Transitioning from the military to civilian life wasn’t easy, he said, during which time he experienced night terrors and other manifestations of having spent time at war. He got counseling and kept busy, availing himself of veterans’ programs at Benjamin Franklin.

“They developed a veterans’ association there, and also the Student Veteran Center, where we can do homework or just kick back and be on our own. It helps you get away from the noise, and just focus,’’ Martinez said. “They’ve been pretty helpful.’’

He’s not exactly sure where life will lead, but says he is happy to have one that’s reasonably safe and secure and far from the battlefield — and one in which he doesn’t have to stand military-stiff all the time.

“After a while,’’ he said with a laugh, “I realized that, yeah, that’s pretty much not normal.’’

Paul E. Kandarian can be reached at pkandarian@aol.com.