Sometimes You do the Wrong Things While in the Military

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Military news…

For the next few posts I will be shairng freebees, for veterans because veterans day is coming up on 11-11-2021

The first section will be restaurants:

Missing is Applebees. They have a free meal for all veterans on Veterans Day

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Veterans Day discounts and meals at restaurants

Bob Evans – November 11, 2021
Veterans and active-duty military receive a special menu of seven (7) homestyle favorites for FREE at local restaurants. Dine-in only. Visit the Bob Evans website for more details.

The Chop House – November 11, 2021
Veterans and active military receive a 50% discount off any entrée with a valid military ID on November 11. Dine-in only. Please call ahead to your local Chop House if you have any questions about your Veterans Day Discount, or visit the Chop House website for additional details.

Cotton Patch Café – November 11, 2021
All Veterans and active military members are being offered a Chicken Fried Steak or Chicken Fried Chicken FREE on November 11. Please call ahead to your local Cotton Patch Café if you have any questions about your Veterans Day Discount.

IHOP – November 11, 2021
Veterans and active-duty military are being offered FREE red, white and blue pancakes on November 11.

Lucille’s BBQ – November 11, 2021
Veterans and active-duty military receive a FREE Lucille’s Original Pulled Pork Sandwich and one side item on November 11. Must show proof of service. During the month of November, dine at any Lucille’s location to round up your bill to the nearest dollar where your generous donations will support Operation Homefront’s Holiday Meals for Military.

McCormick & Schmicks – November 7, 2021
Veterans, Gold Star parents and Gold Star spouses can enjoy a half-priced entrée from a special menu on Sunday, November 7, 2021, at McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants. Please contact your nearest location for details.

Red Robin – November 1-November 14, 2021
Veterans and active-duty military who are Red Robin Royalty members are being offered a free Tavern Double Burger and Bottomless Steak Fries anytime between Nov. 1-14 for dine-in or to-go. Visit the Red Robin website for details.

Yard House – November 11, 2021
Veterans and active-duty military get a complimentary appetizer on November 11. Please visit the Yard House website or contact your nearest location for details.

California Pizza Kitchen – November 11, 2021
Veterans and active military get a complimentary entrée and beverage when they dine in and show proof of service on November 11. In addition, all veterans who dine with California Pizza Kitchen will receive a BOGO, redeemable from November 12 through 20.

Chili’s – November 11, 2021
Veterans and active-duty service members get a free meal from a select menu on November 11. Available for in-restaurant only.

Denny’s – November 11, 2021
Veterans and active military personnel get a free Build Your Own Grand Slam on November 11, from 5 am to noon. Dine-in only.

Golden Corral – November 11, 2021
Golden Corral is hosting their Military Appreciation Night on November 11 from 5 pm to close. This includes a free “thank you” meal when dining in.

Mission BBQ – November 11, 2021
Veterans and active-duty military get a free sandwich on November 11.

Shoney’s – November 11, 2021
Veterans and active-duty service members get a free All You Care To Eat, Freshly Prepared Breakfast Bar on November 11 until 11 am. Dine-in only.

Texas Roadhouse – November 11, 2021
Texas Roadhouse will hand out dinner vouchers at the stores’ parking lots on November 11, from 11 am to 2 pm. Veterans and active-duty military can redeem their dinner vouchers when the restaurant opens for dinner, through May 30, 2022.

Logan’s Roadhouse – November 11, 2021
Logan’s Roadhouse will be offering all Veterans a free American Roadhouse Meal From 3 pm to 6 pm on Thursday November 11.

BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse – November 11, 2021
BJ’s is serving those who have served their country by once again teaming up with Dr Pepper®, offering a complimentary meal from a select menu and a Dr Pepper® beverage to all current military personnel and Veterans with proof of service.

Red Lobster – November 11, 2021
Free Appetizer or Dessert for Veterans Day: In honor of Veterans Day, and to thank veterans, active duty military, and reservists for their service, Red Lobster is offering a free appetizer or dessert on Thursday, November 11.

Olive Garden – November 11, 2021
Free entrée from a special menu for each Veteran and current member of the military. Simply show proof of military service. Dine-in only. All entrées include freshly baked garlic breadsticks, and your choice of homemade soup or famous house salad.

Veterans Canteen Service – November 10, 2021
Veterans Canteen Service locations are honoring Veterans with a free coffee or fountain beverage.

Buffalo Wild Wings – November 11, 2021
Veterans and service members get a free order of 10 boneless wings and fries. This offer is available for dine-in or takeout (online ordering excluded). Proof of service must be shown for redemption.

O’Charley’s – November 11, 2021
Veterans and service members receive a free meal from a special menu with proof of service.

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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.

White Lightning in West Virginia

While I was stationed at Ft Bragg, North Carolina, we went on maneuvers in West Virginia. We were out in the country hills right in the middle of farm land.

We had time off on one of the days there so a couple of others guys and me went on a walk through the farm land. As we came around a bend, we saw some men sitting up on a hill in lawn chairs laughing and carrying on. We thought we might as well get to know some of the locals.

As we got closer we saw that the men had rifles leaning up against their chairs. I started thinking about the movie, Deliverance. They were all in overalls, and were smoking pipes with who knows what in them. Beards were the style for all of them. They would fit right in with the people of, Duck Dynasty.

We said hi, and they invited us to sit with them for a while. I noticed one of them was drinking out of a Mason jar. It looked like water, but I knew better. One of my friends asked what it was. “We call it White Lightning, here,” said one of the men who looked like he may be the elder of the group.

I was such a naïve young man, that I had no idea what they meant by the term White Lightning. They laughed when I asked them.

They said I should take a taste of it to see for myself. They handed me a jar, and I took a sip. I thought my insides were going to explode. I made some kind of noise, because all the Virginia guys laughed when it looked like I was going to heave.

However,  the guys with me were “veteran,” drinkers and they tried a taste. They really liked it and drank the whole jar full. It wasn’t long before they started acting “silly.”

One of them liked it so much he asked for a refill. The “farmers,” had no trouble doing that. My friend sat there and drank another full jar of the concoction. He was getting very dizzy and incoherent about that time.

Then he started screaming, “I am going blind!” He said he couldn’t see. The hosts didn’t seem to get too worried. They said it is common to go temporarily blind for those who are new at drinking it.

It wasn’t funny for my group, and we helped our blind friend back to the camp area. He eventually got his sight back. It must have been interesting for him to explain how he was blinded in the first place.

In life we can start slowly doing things we maybe shouldn’t be, and think that it is OK. We keep doing the things we know we shouldn’t be doing, and then we see we are in too deep and fall.

It is no different than drinking White Lightning. It seems harmless at first, but then we are blinded by the force that has overcome us.

Be careful to always check out what is happening around you, wherever you may be. There things that look innocent, and yet can lead you down the wrong path.

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There is more to this, funny/not so funny, chapter, but I am making you order the book when it comes out to read the rest. 🙂

Come back to see more excerpts here. Better yet… Go to the top of this page and click on “Subscribe.” When you do all future posts go directly to your inbox.

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Check in on how you are doing my friend. Are things going smoothly, or are your paths rough and going no where?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 13,300 fellow veterans subscribed to this site who have your back.

If the path is just too much for you, GET HELP!!

Here is a toll free number to call 24/7. They have highly qualified counselors there to help you, and they will not hang up until they know you are OK. (By the way…it is free.)

1-800-272-8255…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.

The Time Spent Deployed, Can be Frightening. Here’s a Story That Isn’t

+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. I want to reach out to as many veterans as possible.

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What a week I have had.

My back went belly up on me last Saturday, and I have been suffering ever since. I am taking Tylenol to help.

Today I went to have a blood test done. I turned to go into the parking lot, and I was amazed to see at least a hundred cars lined up to get tested for the virus. There is panic here. In my county there have been many people coming down with the virus. The blood test came out great, and I got out of there as fast as I could.

There are other problems, but I am through whining for now.

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Did you take advantage of all the free things for Veteran’s Day?

I hope you did. You certainly deserve it. I told you in a previous post that my Veteran’s Day day was being at the Oregon Coast. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the little town I went to was having a Veteran’s Day event. They were right across the street where I was getting a haircut.

I so wanted to join them. I could see all the American Legion hats, and they were hugging and really enjoying themselves. My haircut took too long and the event was over. However, it felt good to see such a small town gathering to honor our veterans.

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

I have chosen one about a Vietnam veteran that is from the same town that I got my heair cut at. It is the town of Waldport, Oregon.

He shared with me a story that was very positive and hard to find from soldiers of the ERA.

He said:

” I was sitting on the ground with a buddy, when I looked up into the trees. There were a bunch of monkeys up there playing around. I told him I would love to have one of those monkeys as a pet. ” His buddy said he would take care of that. He cut a hole in a coconut, drained all the milk out of it, and place a quarter inside it.

The Veteran then told me, “My buddy put the coconut out in the middle of an opening with a string attached to it. Sure enough the monkey’s saw the glittering of the quarter on the inside of the coconut and soon there were several nearing the coconut. One monkey reached inside to try to get the quarter out and my buddy yanked on the string catching the monkey with his arm stuck in to coconut. He pulled the monkey next to me and I got ahold of him..”

That started a long friendship with the monkey. The veteran even made a home for him to live in. It had a grass bed, food and drink there for him, and things were going great. The monkey really bonded with him to the point that he could let the monkey out and sit with him. He didn’t run away.

Well, some odd things started happening.

The other men were complaining that things had been stolen from their personal stash of food. Yes, it was the monkey. One soldier threatened to get rid of the monkey if he didn’t keep control of it. The monkey kept stealing food.

Then the other soldier had enough. He grabbed the money. He made a miniature parachute for him and threw him over a cliff.

The veteran was very upset that this had happened. He became depressed.

It was a couple days later, and as the whole group was gathered, this brave little monkey came strolling into the camp with the parachute still attached to him.

The veteran was ecstatic.

He had gotten his monkey back. I couldn’t get much more out of this brave veteran. This rest of his story was too sad for him to tell. I did find out that he was severely wounded, and received the Purple Heart. He ended up with a drinking problem, but overcame that with the help of his wife.

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Checking in..

How are your doing my friend? The times are difficult at best. The pandemic, and rioting. Not knowing who will be our next president, and much more.

The days like we have been having can drag you down . It can push you to the edge. I know, I was on the edge way back in 2001. I was ready to check out of this hotel called earth. I came to my senses and got help. I am still here to be able to write to you.

If you are overwhelmed, GET HELP!!

Here is a toll free number to call 24/7, and it is free. There are highly trained counselors there the help you. They will not hang up until they know you are OK.

1-800-273-8255 Option # 1

Please call if you need it.

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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 for the site, please let them know about it. I want to reach out to as many veterans as possible.

Military Personnel Must Stay at Their Posts no Matter What

+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. I want to reach out to as many veterans as possible.

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What a ride I have been on. I had surgery on my left eye on Monday, and it is healing quite well. Still hard to type, but I will not leave my post. I will share a story from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life. I was injured, but stayed on my duty spot.

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One of the things that happened to day which is Veteran’s Day, is nothing. I had to head to the coast and they didn’t have any restaurants on the list I gave you a couple of posts ago.

I went to the very small town of Waldport, Oregon. It is right on the coast. It is actually a pretty cool town.

I was there to get a haircut at the salon where my wife always goes, because a close friend is running it. We drive 70 miles each way to get our hair done.

As I was getting my haircut, the barber told me to look across the street. In this small little town the people were gathering to honor our veterans. You could see all the American Legion hats being worn. She said they have been there for a couple of hours. They had speakers, and some music. I so wanted to go there and greet them, but it was over when my haircut was done.

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I said I would share an excerpt from the book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life. This excerpt is from my time deployed to Korea. I was a radio/teletype (053) operator, and spent each of my days up on hill 468. On top of that hill was a small military outpost. It was being used to monitor the airwaves for breaches of security.

I was highly trained for that site since I was chosen to be a part of the Army Security Agency. It was something like the CIA of the military.

One day I was monitoring he airwaves when every started stopping. The machines all began to turn off.

I rushed outside to see that the main generator was out of gas. The previous solider was suppose to make sure it was full before he left.

I got two cans of gas and climbed up on the generator. I had just finished filling the tank when I started to fall. I grabbed for something to help me not get too hurt. Unfortunately it was the manifold for the generator. It was extremely hot and it burnt my left hand seriously.

I was in severe pain.

I could have called down to headquarters and have them send up the next shift, but that would wake them up with only a few hours of sleep.

I decided I need to remain at my post and tough it out. I found some Vaseline and wrapped my left hand with a medical cloth.

I was one handed and had to work the the equipment the best I could.

Luckily I only had a few hours left on my shift.

This was a time where I learned about not leaving your post no matter what. Many of heroes have done that on the front lines to save many of their buddies. I certainly was not a hero in this case, but I did my appointed task and I am very proud of that.

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Time to check in on you my friend. How are you doing? Is the life we have to live right now starting to get to you? Does the news cause you to scream like it does me? You certainly are not alone.

We just past 10,000 veterans following this site. (10,040.) Everyone of us has your back.

However, if it is just too overwhelming right now, GET HELP! Here is a toll free number to call, 24/7. There are highly qualified counselors there to help you. They will not hang up until the know you are OK. It is free BTW.

1-800-273-8255 Option # 1

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never fosaken.

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. I want to reach out to as many veterans as possible.