Military Deployment Can Be Very Hard on a Family

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“I’m just a terp sir … If I charged him, God knows how long it’s gonna take for this to be over.” That’s from an interpreter who accused a Green Beret of sexually assaulting her in Thailand.

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The Army is offering new recruits an even bigger bonus to blow on irresponsible sh-t.

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The top Air Force recruiter compared his command’s progress this year to Apollo 13, the 1970 NASA mission where three astronauts nearly died.

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“I think it is a combat experienced force; but it’s not a combat-tested force.” That’s from Russia expert and retired Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who gave his take on how the Russian army would perform should it invade Ukraine.

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Russia, US hold working dinner to open Geneva talks
A top Russian diplomat predicted “difficult” talks with the United States this week after attending a working dinner with U.S. officials in Geneva on Sunday.

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Fort Bliss judge delays court-martial of soldier charged with death of a child

Col. Robert Schuck, a judge in the Army’s 4th Judicial Circuit, issued a continuance late Friday for Sgt. Justin Cope, who is charged in the death of a child in El Paso in 2019.

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Nearly 8,000 detained in Kazakhstan over violent protests

Nearly 8,000 people in Kazakhstan were detained by police during protests that descended into violence last week.

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Yet another excerpt from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches’ of Life.

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Deployment Can Be Very Hard on the Military Family

As parents get deployed in the military, there is a void created. The children are left without a mother or father to have for love and guidance. So remember, it can also be very hard on the children as well.

As for the boys in a family there is a need for a father figure to help show them the way. A father can help him acquire knowledge and confidence he needs.

There is a time when a boy needs to seek out his father for attention. There is a need for someone to play catch with, to wrestle with.

I didn’t have a dad that came home each night to give me a hug and share my day with. My parents divorced when I was only about six years old.

My mother called me her “little one,” when I was very young.

I needed a dad to say, Hi Ace, or How’s it going today champ? I never heard that. It was like my dad was deployed to somewhere else, but he was never coming back.  

My mother was my only comfort zone. She had to be the one that showed interest in me. She was the only one who could support me when I needed it. She was my protector, but I needed someone to show me the excitement outside the realm of our home. My mother worked long hours and was very tired when she came home each day.

My mother did teach me toughness. She allowed me to play with toy guns, Beebe guns, and let me play with GI Joe figures. She did this because three of her brothers fought in World War II.  

I didn’t have a dad to go fishing with. That was probably the most glaring thing missing in my childhood. I loved to fish, but didn’t have the proper skills to know how to do it. My Uncle Paul taught me how to fish, but he was a farmer and didn’t have the freedom to go with me during the summer months because that was the busiest time for him. So I grew up fishing by myself. I needed a dad to get excited with me as I pulled in a fish.  

Today, I go fishing with my two sons often, and there is a special bonding there. Now I need to learn how to spend more time with my daughter, and come up with different ways of bonding with her.

Speaking of daughters, they also need their father or mother to be there for them. Sometimes it is the mother who is deployed, and the father becomes “Mr. Mom.”

He needs to find ways to give his daughter the love she needs without mom around. He needs to join in her fantasy tea parties. He needs to allow her to paint his fingernails a special color. She may even want to give dad a perm. No one expects a mother or father to be perfect in a military home. But you should do whatever you can to keep the family united and happy.

One of the happiest times for a military family is when their loved one comes home. I just watched some videos of surprise home visits that no one knew was coming. To see the joy in the children’s eyes and the tears in a wife’s eye make anyone who is half sane to cry for joy as well.

So many months of separation. So many times of loneliness and sadness from missing their loved one came to a screeching end in one moment.

IWILL

I can’t totally relate to each of you that have a family member deployed, and thus causing a mother or father to be absent. However, I did have a broken home when I was little and possibly I did feel the same hurts, and lost moments.

My heart cries out to you, and I hope that you remain strong, and show confidence to your children through a trial that hopefully will only last for a while.

Think about this

Isn’t it true that a family that prays together stays together?

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I know many of you went through this. I know how you feel. I was deployed too.

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If you want to see more excerpts from the book keep coming back. Better yet… go to the top of this page and click on “Subscribe.” When you do all future posts will come directly to your inbox.

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Checking in on you…How are you doing? Are you struggling being deployed?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 13,640 fellow veterans here who have your back.

If you are battling mentally, because of your love for others, but it isn’t working, GET HELP!!

Here is a toll free number that you can call 24/7. There are highly qualified counselors there to help you, and they will no hang up until they know you are OK.

1-800-273-8255…texting 838255.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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What Can We do to Reach Out to Our Hurting Veterans?

Today I will share some news about military, and add some of my own thoughts.

Quick thoughts:

  1. Walgreens now accepts Tricare.
  2. One in ten Vietnam veterans have Hepatitis C and don’t even know it. Get tested!
  3. Becoming a gardener helps a lot with PTSD.
  4. The American Legion web site is one of the top resources for job seekers.

What can we do to reach out to our fellow veterans who are in need?

This questions has come up many times. What can we really do? I have some thoughts and ideas.

  1. Check out your very own neighborhood and see how many veterans live near you. Get to know them and help where they may need help.
  2. When you are in a restaurant, don’t be bashful. If you see a veteran with a hat on saying what branch he was in. Go greet him and talk to him.
  3. I was shopping at a grocery store and saw a WWll veteran. I thanked him and it lead to a great interview for my new book , Signs of Hope for the Military: IN and Out of the Trenches of Life. We have become good friends.
  4. I was having coffee with several fellow heart disease men and women after our workout at cardiac rehab. Three of them were veterans. Got three interviews from that and kept them as new friends.
  5. At church, I have found there are many veterans who go there. I have connected with many of them who have become friends. They love to sit and talk.

What about you who are having your own struggles?

Need some help yourself? This is the right place to be my friend. There are over 7,000 followers here who are in the same boat. Make a comment at the end of this post. and I know many will read it and reach out.

If you want to be able to read these posts in your inbox, just go to the top of this page and click on Subscribe. When you do, every time there is a post it will go directly to your inbox.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all….never ,ever, give up!

Signs of Hope for the Military

Thanks to all of you who have been joining us here. The response has been wonderful . As we start a new year, we hope that many more of you will join us. We just past 2,700 new subscribers. That is a huge increase in one year. We only had 1,000 a year ago. Our goal for 2015, is to make it to 4,000.

Help us continue to grow by subscribing today if you haven’t already. Just click on the icon right after the title of this post to do that.

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I have been working very hard on my new book, “Signs of Hope: For the Military. I feel that it will help many soldiers and their families. The appendix for this book will have one of the most complete lists available for finding help in any area a person may be searching for pertaining to the military.

As of 3-31-15 I have connected with a military expert from Alabama. His name is Leroy Hurt. He is a West Point Graduate, and will be advising me through-out the process of writing the book.I also have been connecting with many retired officers from various segments of the military. This will be very valuable to have their knowledge in putting together the book.

Be looking for updates on the book and other news at this site, or at http://www.dailysignsofhope.com.

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I am going to be completely changing the format on this site. I will now be spending much more time on updating you and sharing on the progress of the new book, “Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches,” (working title) along with some excerpts from the book from time to time.

I have now talked to many officers and soldiers that are either in the military now, or have retired. I am hoping they might endorse the book when it is completed.

The appendix is growing daily. It will be one of the most complete resources for the military around, It will cover everything from babysitting help to Crises Center numbers to call if people are hurting mentally.

I have been writing every day and I am about half way finished. As I see the book unfolding, I see hope. I see practical suggestions for finding ways to cope.

I am living the book daily. I am writing about my own experiences while I was in the service. I will sharing my own self-doubts, fears, and depression to show that I am one of the military, and not an outsider who thinks he knows what to say.

I have been checking out other books about the military, and there are some very good ones, but I am having a hard time where one puts the reader first and talks directly to them. Many of them are memoirs, or sharing accounts of certain phases of one soldiers life.

Stay with me! I am on your side! Let me put this together for you and hopefully give you some strength, and perseverance.

+ Update: April 8th, 2015

I have been in contact with many military people on Facebook, and Twitter.

I am especially having great success adding many military people to my Twitter account. If you  are a military person and want to connect with me on Twitter, put in @heavenencounter and follow. I will follow back every time if I know you are connected to the military somehow. You can also connect with me on Facebook. Just put my name Doug Bolton in the Facebook search area. I also have an author Facebook page at: “Fans of Doug Bolton.” I will be glad to return the favor of liking your page.

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!