Losing a Buddy in the Service is Very Hard to Face

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This old soldier is having surgery in his mouth tomorrow. Got to take two teeth out that infected. The infection is going down into my body. Not good.

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Military News…

Black airmen 74% more likely than whites to get Article 15, report finds.
Dozens of West Point cadets caught in worst cheating scandal in decades.

Overweight troops are costing the Pentagon more than $1 billion a year.

Airman awarded for braving rocket fire to treat wounded troops during Camp Taji attack.

‘I don’t think I’m special’ says Marine who rescued a baby from a burning car.

Soldier and 16-year-old boy charged with murder of Fort Drum soldier.

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One of the things I really enjoyed while serving, was to get to know some great Afro Americans. (They would rather be called black people.)

There were some during Basic Training, but we were too exhausted to get to know each other. We trained and slept.

During my training at FT Gordon, GA. I met a black man who was an instant friend. He had a mustache, and smoked a pipe during off time. We had some great discussions in the barracks, about racism, etc.

While in Korea I met specialist Jackson. He was black and looked like a linebacker.

One day he and a buddy of his come strolling in to my Quesant hut (Barricks) I was just unloading my gear. It was my first day at Camp Red Cloud.

I thought this may be pick on the new guy time so I was very nervous.

I was very wrong. They both shook my hand and welcomed me to Camp Red Cloud. I became instant friends with both of them. (They were big and strong. Can’t hurt having them on your side.)

Those same guys took me to the base bar. Bad things happened. there.

You will have to read my book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life, to find out what happen.

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Did you meet some good buddies while in the service? Did some of them not come home? I lost two buddies. I know the feeling.

Not to worry!

There are 11.950 fellow veterans here that have your back.

If the losses for buddies is just too much GET HELP!!

Here is a toll free number to cal 24/7.

There are highly qualified counselors there to help you. They will not hang up until they know you are ok.

Never let the bad memories overcome you!

1-800-273-8255 Option # 1

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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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Finding Out That You are being Deployed to a War Zone, Can be Overwhelming

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Tons of news this weekend. Enjoy!

Biden gets his first Middle East airstrikes out of the way.

Got a lot of backlash for doing this.

Air Force contractor steals 2,500 pages of secret documents.

REALLY???

The Air Force is using virtual reality to fight its suicide epidemic.

There are 22 veterans who take their own lives every day!!!

How letters from home carried this Medal of Honor recipient through his deployments.

I think this is extremely important. I remember how few letters I got, and how it hurt.

52 years ago, this airman threw himself on a burning flare to save his crew.

Such devotion to his fellow warriors.

Air Force considers allowing airmen to attend funerals without charging leave.

Good move.

Rural Veterans Not Receiving Vaccine is a Concern.

Marines are getting their hands on a brand new rifle optic.

The Pentagon delayed promoting female generals over fears of Trump’s reaction.

Bad move

Female airmen at Kirtland Air Force Base finally get body armor that fits.

Got to keep those ladies happy.

The US is deploying nearly 5,000 active-duty troops to vaccinate America for COVID-19.

So proud of them.

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This is another excerpt from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In an Out of the Trenches of Life.

After I came back to the states from South Korea, I only had a few months left in the military. I was stationed at FT. Bragg, NC. I kept marking my calendar daily for the countdown.

With just one month left, we all had a rude awakening. We were all ordered out to formation. A Colonel came out to talk to us. he said, “This is not a drill. We are being sent to the Bay of Pigs for military action.”

There was shocked looks on many of the soldiers eyes.

He went on to say, “You have one half hour to pack your gear and report back here to be deported to the airport.”

I only had 30 days left and this is happening to me?

I ran home and packed. Got back to the formation, and we were driven to the airport in buses. It was incredibly quiet on the bus. The men were too stunned to talk.

We got to the airport and they loaded us on the plane. Once we were all in, the engine started up and began to taxi.

The plane got to the take off area, and revved up its engines. It was taking off. I was petrified! I was a 20 year old kid and heading to war.

Suddenly the plane stopped, and the pilot said, “We just now got a message that President Kennedy has aborted the maneuver. We are heading back to the terminal.”

There was an eruption inside the plane as the guys all started screaming and crying in happiness.

I was that close to go to war, and I am so glad it all worked out.

(Actual excerpt from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: IN an Out of the trenches of Life.)

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Were you deployed and put in harm’s way? Do you still have problems from doing that?

Be strong, because there are over 11, 570 fellow veterans here who have you back. Many were deployed just like you.

However, if the burdens are too heavy, GET HELP!

Here is a toll free number to call 24/7.

They have highly qualified counselors there to help you. They will not hang up until they know you are OK.

Never take on this, not so friendly, world alone!

1-800-273-8255 Option # 1

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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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Not All Heroes are on the Front Lines. A Marine Saved a Life in California

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My last post a shared some sad stories about heroes who gave their all in WWII. Today I am wanting to share a more uplifting story about a hero that wasn’t on the front lines.

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A Marine’s quick thinking meant the difference between life and death for a motorist on an isolated desert road in California last year.

Capt. Stephen Alexander, the executive officer for the Marines’ recruiting station in Dallas, was driving through Elora, California on his way to the Marine Corps ball to celebrate the service’s 245th birthday when a vehicle going the other way lost control and flipped onto its side.

“Once the vehicle came to a final stop, I pulled over immediately,” Alexander said in a press release. The Marine was awarded a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal in a ceremony in Texas on Dec. 11.

“There was a vehicle in front of me that also pulled over with [3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment] Marines,” said Alexander, who at the time of the incident was a first lieutenant with 3/4 stationed in California. “I’d never met them before; they were from a different company. We all ran over to the vehicle; at this point the vehicle was on its side and the driver was at the bottom and not coherent.”

The driver was unconscious and critically injured, and the Marines could not open any of the car doors due to the vehicle damage from the crash. Undeterred, one Marine broke through the back window while Alexander smashed through the windshield so that he could start applying trauma care.

“Once they smashed in the window I hopped in and started treating as many injuries as I could find,” Alexander said. “Every once and a while the driver would come back to consciousness and say he couldn’t breathe.”

There was no cell service in that part of the desert, and the nearest ranger station was about an hour away. The Marines would have to make do until help arrived. Alexander found that the driver’s leg was partially severed, so he used belts as tourniquets to stop the bleeding before another Marine provided an actual tourniquet.

“We came to Vegas with our dress blues, not tourniquets or our emergency field kits,” Alexander said. “Had the other Marines not been there, there’s no way I could have acquired the things needed to treat him. I would have tried my best, but there’s not a whole lot I could have done once I got in the vehicle had they not continued to provide whatever resources they could find.”

After about an hour, park rangers arrived, followed by a nurse who took over treatment for the driver. The nurse found that the driver also had a punctured lung which was causing his shortness in breath. After about two hours, a helicopter arrived to take the driver, but it couldn’t find a place to land. Luckily, an ambulance came by, at about the same time and Alexander moved the driver into it so he could get to a hospital.

A former infantry officer, Alexander had been trained for this sort of situation. But in the end, he said no amount of training can fully prepare you for the real thing.

“I think reacting to something like that, you either do or you don’t,” said Alexander. “There’s no Marines Hymn playing in the background as you run across the road; you just do something.”

Alexander himself suffered a traumatic brain injury which could have killed him just four months prior to the car accident. He never expected he would wind up treating a driver suffering the same injuries, he said in the release. Though he never found out what happened to the driver, the quick actions of Alexander and the other Marines deserve praise.

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There are many of these kind of stories I will be sharing in the future. But, my next post will be all about my new book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In an Out of the Trenches of Life.”

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How are you doing my friend? The rush of Christmas and the pandemic that doesn’t allows us to see family, and it can pull us down like a huge magnate.

Hope everything is going great for you, but if it isn’t, remember over 10,370 fellow veterans follow this site, and they all have your back.

However, if it is getting too overwhelming, GET HELP!

Here is a toll free number to call 24/7. They have highly qualified counselors there to help you. They will not hang up until they know you are OK.

Don’t take on anything alone in this not so friendly world.

1-800-273-8255 Option # 1

________________________

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

__________________________

+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 for the site, please let them know about it.

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