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One of the hardest things for a soldier to go through is not getting mail from home. I had that happen to me, while I was in Korea, I got very few letters from home.

Back then there were no Skype, Zoom, smart phones, etc.

I hated to go to mail call. I could see the excitement in the eyes of guys who got their mail, but I seldom got any.

I got a letter once and awhile from my mother, but none from anyone else. I didn’t know how much that would affect me. It did, and when my son was in Iraq, I sent him at least one letter every week, and told others to write to him.

He kept many of his letters, and stated that he would reread them often while there.

Never forget!

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One of the interesting things I did while in the military was going on R&R. (Rest and recuperation.)

A buddy and I were sent to Tokyo, Japan for a week. My first ever paid vacation.

There was such much to do there. We walked the streets and saw all the vendors selling their goods. We also saw pagodas, Japanese Gardens, etc.

One night when we was walking we saw a bar that looked enticing.(Remember, we were still teenagers.)

Found they didn’t care what age you were, they sold you beer.

We sat down and had a few beers. There was a DJ playing music, and much of it was disco type music. This is long before it became popular in the the U.S. This was 1960. You could tell it was the hang out for GI’s. Most of the place full of American military.

Then the DJ stopped playing and announced there was a contest starting.

The contest was that belly dancer was coming out, and we were to see how long we could hold onto her hips while she shimmed. The problem was she was loaded with sequence.

All the tables near the dance floor had a chance to win. We had a table right near the dance floor.

She started on the other side of the dance floor, and guys tried to hold onto her hips. There were lots of pain sounds coming from each of them when each tried.

She finally got to our table. I was pretty blotto by that time and I said I am going to try it.

She came up to me and started her shimmy. I put my hands on her hips and held on. I kept holding on until she stopped because she was tired.

My hands were bloody, but I had won. What did I win?? The DJ announced that I had won free drinks for the rest of the night.!! Just what I didn’t need.

I think I blacked out an hour or so later. I don’t remember getting back to our room.

+Both of these stores are in my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

Keep coming back to hear more stories. Better yet, subscribe to this site by going to the subscribe button at the top. When you subscribe, all future post will go directly to your inbox.

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Time for bed check. How are you doing? Do you fear going to sleep because the dreams are too intense? Do you fear the 4th of July?

FEAR NOT!!

There are over 11,900 fellow veterans here who have your back.

BUT! If it is just too much for you right now, GET HELP!

Here is a toll free number you can call 24/7.

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

Never face the storms 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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+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 about it.