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Military news…
Navy Separates 23 Active-Duty Sailors for Refusing COVID-19 Vaccine
Twenty-three active-duty sailors were separated for their refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The ranks of the sailors were not immediately clear.
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U.S. Air Force Ramps Up Intel Flights, Weapons Shipments to Ukraine
U.S. and allied reconnaissance flights in Eastern Europe have been ongoing since at least Dec. 24, dispatching multiple types of planes to listen in on communications signals and shoot high-altitude images.
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| ‘We’re Always Ready’—Meet The Soldiers of America’s Go-to Rapid Response Force The 82nd Airborne Division makes up the core of the Immediate Response Force, a contingent of mostly soldiers tapped to deploy in under a day to respond to crises around the globe. |
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Fort Bragg MP Charged With Dereliction of Duty For Allegedly Moonlighting as a Drug Dealer
A military police soldier stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, faces a general court-martial in May for multiple counts of using and selling Oxycodone while on duty.
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Alexandria VA Unveils New Statue Recognizing Female Veterans
A new statue recognizing female veterans was unveiled Friday at the Alexandria, Louisiana, Veterans Affairs hospital campus.
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Here is another excerpt from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.
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It’s Tough Being the New Kid on the Block
After basic training I was accepted into the Army Security Agency, which is a unit of soldiers who, in my case, monitored radio/teletype transactions to make sure there were no breaches of security.
I was sent to Fort Gordon, Georgia, for my training for that. I was separated from my two buddies there. I began to feel the loneliness again. Yes, there were hundreds of other soldiers just like me, but they weren’t from my home area. They were from all over the United States. They all had their own ways to approach people. Some didn’t want to have anything to do with the people around them.
I didn’t see why it was happening, and went out of my way to “cross the center line,” to the other side to get acquainted with them. I made some good friends on both sides, and didn’t get in trouble for doing it from either side.
Do you have family members, or fellow soldiers that you feel are isolating themselves from you? Are there those who want to be alone, and not mix with others?
I have felt that while I was stationed in Korea. There was a breakdown of short timers, (those with a month to go or less,) new guys who were “outcasts,” until they proved themselves, and the regular group who were in between.
I went through all three stages while I was there. However, I couldn’t let myself treat the new soldiers as outcasts. I learned that my first week there myself.
I was just settling in when two guys came walking up to me in my Quonset hut, (metal shelter.) They were both big and strong looking guys. One was African American, who looked like a linebacker, and the other was “tall drink of water,” from Texas.
I was every worried as they came towards me. Why would they fool around with a “newsikky,” (new guy) like me? They both had smiles on their faces and shook my hand. They greeted me like I was somebody important.
I figured they were the welcoming committee, but they weren’t. They were just two soldiers who had gone through the gauntlet like all new soldiers had to do, and they had decided that they would make sure no one else had to.
That was the one main factor that helped me cope while I was in Korea. I became very good buddies with those two guys. (Besides they were big and tough and they protected me!) They set the pattern that I used the whole time I was there. I felt it was my duty, because of these two men, to make the new soldiers feel welcome.
If you have been through some feelings of rejection in your world, reach out to someone who is in the same boat as you are and help them cope. Be like my two “angels” who came to make me feel welcome, and make others around you feel important and special.
You will not only feel good about what you are doing, but you will help someone who is struggling a great deal.
IWILL
There are times when you have “down time,” in the military. Use that time to get to know some of the soldiers that don’t seem to have any friends. It may seem uncomfortable at first, and they may reject you, but they will never be the same. They will know that someone cares, and they will walk a little taller.
Think about this
Isn’t it great that when we smile at someone they smile back?
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Hope you have been enjoying all these excerpts. There will be a few more, but not many. Keep coming back to see the last of the excerpts. Better yet…go to the top of this page and click on “Subscribe.” When you do all future post will come directly to your inbox.
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Checking in on you…How are you doing? Are you struggling?
FEAR NOT!
There are over 13,735 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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+If you like what you see, please subscribe at the top of this page where it says, “subscribe.” When you do, all future posts will come directly to your inbox. Also, if you know some else who could benefit from this site, please let them know.