Category: bad moments

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One of the Biggest Battles That A Soldier Faces is Fear

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Military news…

The Pentagon is now calling Russia an ‘acute threat’


‘Russia poses acute threats, as illustrated by its brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.’

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Ukraine crisis aside, China remains the ‘primary challenge’ for the US, experts say

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is the immediate concern for global leaders, but the U.S. will continue to focus on China and the Indo-Pacific as its most important competitive arena, international relations experts said.

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NATO steps up defenses over concerns Russia may use chemical attacks
NATO is activating nuclear, biological and chemical defenses in response to concerns that Russia may be preparing a chemical attack on Ukraine, a potential action that the alliance’s top official said Thursday could put neighboring nations at risk.

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North Korea’s latest launch may be a ‘new type’ of intercontinental missile

South Korea answered its northern neighbor’s latest intercontinental ballistic missile test Thursday with a volley of its own as a show of force, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

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Review of suicide among troops to focus on Army bases in Alaska, South Korea

An independent review ordered this week by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will seek out ideas to stem the increasing number of suicides among soldiers stationed in Alaska and South Korea, as well as some stateside installations.

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US general: Ukraine resistance highlights need to prepare

Ukraine’s stiff resistance to the Russian invasion, which has turned Moscow’s advance into a grinding war of attrition, has underscored the importance to American allies of the need to be prepared for any eventuality, the top U.S. Army commander in the Pacific said Friday.

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Biden on Russia’s Putin: `This man cannot remain in power’
President Joe Biden on Saturday dramatically escalated his rhetoric against Vladimir Putin, calling for the Russian leader to be removed because of his brutal invasion of Ukraine.

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Sitting on a Military Plane Ready to Fly to the Bay of Pigs

I know of some of the fears you face or have faced as a soldier. I have had my share of scary times while in uniform for my country.

I had put in three years of active duty, and was very near to my discharge date while at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. As a matter of fact the discharge date was just days away.

It seemed like a normal day of “putting in your time,” but then there came a sound that I never want to hear again. It was the intercom in our section of the company I was stationed with saying, “This is an alert.” This is not a drill, all personnel report to headquarters for a briefing right away.”

I couldn’t think of why there would be any problems that serious happening, and still thought it was a drill as I ran towards the headquarters building.

When we all assembled, the commander went to the podium and spoke.

“I am here to inform you that all leaves and weekend passes are concealed. We have received a message from the commanding General of the Army to stand by for a possible mission to the Bay of Pigs. This is a very serious mission, which will put you in combat and in harm’s way. Our unit is being deployed, to help monitor the security of the communications while there. We will serve in the field headquarters of the mission. You have about two hours to go home to pack your full field clothes and equipment. Dismissed!”

That was it. No more explanations or chances to ask questions.

I drove home quickly, packed all my gear in a duffel bag.

I got back to the headquarters, and it looked like pandemonium and chaos had sat in, with soldiers running everywhere.  

A few minutes later everyone had made it there and we were all in formation. The commander then told us to come to attention.

We all headed to buses that were waiting to take us to the military airport on base. When we got there, we unloaded and marched to the area of several planes. They had us board the planes with full gear and field uniforms on. The pilot came on to tell us that we will be in a combat area when we land at the Bay of Pigs.

I sat down in my area, and was holding my weapon (M-1 rifle) between my legs. I was numb with fear and anxiety. I had never thought I would actually be in a conflict where I could die.

The plane started its engines. The plane shook as the engines roared to get up to the speed they needed to get off the ground. It taxied to the runway and stopped.

Then we waited for the pilot to push the throttle. We sat there for what seemed like hours. I could see the fear, in the eyes in the soldiers around me. I was only about twenty years old then, and began to see my life unfold before me. I had thoughts of not coming back. I had thoughts of my loved ones I would never see again.

The plane was shaking from the vibrations of the motors. I said a prayer because it looked like we were going to take off. The plane was moving. However, it was not going done the runway. It was heading back to the area where we boarded.

The pilot came on the intercom and said that the mission had been aborted, and we were going back to our companies.

I felt such relief along with men and women around me who were yelling for joy. We were safe and heading back to our homes.

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I only shared this story because I know some of you have gone through the same thing. You also have been sent into combat, and faced the fear of not coming back. I was very lucky, but many of you actually left the ground in your plane, and headed into harm’s way.

Fear is something that is hard to control. Even the most-brave face it. We all have been there in some capacity.

It could be the doctor’s appointment that has information on your health. It also could be the times when you have to leave your loved ones for any mission. It may be the crises of your marriage when your spouse is tired of going through the pain of wondering if you will come back alive.

Did you know that Jesus faced fear? He even asked God to take away the fear by relieving Him of the cup of the responsibility God had placed on Him. He sweated blood during that prayer. God heard the prayer, but let Jesus go through the fear, pain and agony of going to the cross and dying for you and me. 

I am not making it sound like we shouldn’t be afraid. I know we are quite often. I am not saying you are a bad person if you are afraid of something. We all have our spots where we fear the unknown.

I think that is the key. It is the “unknown.” It’s not knowing what will happen next.

What I have learned from so many times of facing fear is that 99% of what we fear never happens. We just need to give the other 01% over to God.

Is it that simple? I can honestly tell you that it is. God has big shoulders. He wants to take the burdens of our day away from us. We just need to depend on Him to keep His promises and know that He will never put us in a situation that we can’t handle with His help.

IWILL

Facing the unknown in life can be very hard. We aren’t built to take on such scary things at times. We just need to rely on God to see us through the dark clouds we face. He knows which way we need to go to avoid harm.

Think on this

Isn’t it interesting that having fear is what we really need to fear?   

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Checking in on you. How are you doing? Did you face some fears while in the military?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 14,200 veterans on this site who have your back.

Here is what I am asking you to do…please share this site with as many other veterans as you can. It has helped so many.

______________________________________________________________

If you are battling mentally, but you are losing, 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 not 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.

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Getting a “Dear John Letter,” While in the Military is Very Tough.

+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.

________________________________________________________________

Military news…

Austin won’t rule out sending more US troops to Europe as Russia’s war on Ukraine nears one-month mark
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is not ruling out sending additional U.S. troops to Eastern Europe as Russia’s war on Ukraine nears its one-month mark, a senior U.S. defense official said Tuesday.

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US poised to have three armored brigades in Europe at once as troop numbers climb 

The Army soon is likely to have three armored brigades in Europe for the first time in well over a decade.

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Russia sends more warships through Japanese strait, halts peace treaty talks after sanctions

In a move Japan’s prime minister called “totally unacceptable,” Russia has halted talks over a post-World War II peace treaty with Japan and ended visa-free entry for former residents of four Russian-controlled islands.

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Ukraine thwarts Russian advances; fight rages for Mariupol

Ukrainian forces fought off continuing Russian efforts to occupy Mariupol and claimed to have retaken a strategic suburb of Kyiv on Tuesday, mounting a defense so dogged that it is stoking fears Russia’s Vladimir Putin will escalate the war to new heights.

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CMC Berger: Russian Logistics Failures in Ukraine ‘Should Give Pause’ to Taiwan Invasion Planners

The stalled advance of Russian forces in their invasion of Ukraine “should give pause” to Chinese military planners eying a potential invasion of Taiwan, the Marine Corps commandant said last week.

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Slovakia Preliminarily Agrees to Send Key Air Defense System to Ukraine

Slovakia has preliminarily agreed to provide Ukraine with a Soviet-era air defense system to target Russian aircraft. The US and NATO are still grappling with how to backfill that country’s own defensive capabilities.

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Inside The Transfer of Foreign Military Equipment to Ukrainian Soldiers

With Ukrainian factories closed by the conflict, the country’s troops rely increasingly on ad hoc supply chains in Eastern Europe for vital gear, including body armor, medical supplies, and the pickup trucks and SUVs they use as fighting vehicles.

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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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There’s a Tear in My Beer Since You Left Me My Dear

The title for this chapter is actually some lyrics from a Country Western song. Country Western songs always tell a story, and unfortunately one person dropping the other person like a rock, is an all too common story in the military.

One of the hardest things for a soldier to go through is receiving what they call a, “Dear John Letter.” This is a letter where their significant other is telling them they no longer love them and have moved on to someone else.

I certainly went through that while I was in Korea. I personally got a letter from a girl that I was very much in love with that said her parents felt I wasn’t good enough for her. So this was a double whammy. I lost my true love at the time, and I was told I wasn’t good enough.

This was devastating to me. I loved this girl so much I had the picture of her she sent me. I had a local painter paint an eight by ten size painting of her that I kept by my cot to look at every day. After I got the letter and stop having pity parties for myself, I put the picture in my trunk I kept at the foot of my cot. I put it in the bottom part so I wouldn’t be able to see it unless I tried to find it.

This “tragedy” led me to having some hard times with drinking. I thought that drinking would get my mind off of what was happening to me. The opposite happened. The more I drank the sadder I got. Drinking brought out my inner feelings of self-doubt, anxiety, failure, and rejection.

After a month or so of that, I turned to prayer, and God helped me get back on the right track. I bought a Bible, and read it every day. It was my connection to finding the courage to go on and be a productive person again.

I am sure some of you faced that while you have been in the military. There is not a way to get around the pain of facing it, but please realize that there is always someone who loves you very much no matter what happens on this not so friendly planet. God will be there for you. He will wipe away the tears, and give you comfort.

He did it for me, and I went on to getting married and having three wonderful children. I now also have seven grandchildren.

I look back on what I had to go through in Korea often. Believe it or not, I thank God for the storms I had to face while there. I was beaten up mentally several times, but I came out a much stronger person because of it.

IWILL

During your time in the military, there may be times of disappointment and hurt. Much of that can be avoided if you turn all your worries and hurt over to God. Many times life is too much of a burden to carry. If you let God guide you through the trenches of life, you will be able to withstand all the garbage that seems to come up.

Think about This

Isn’t it interesting that you can’t have a positive life and a negative mind?

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I may share some more excerpts in the future. Keep coming back to check it out. 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.

________________________________________________________________

Checking in on you. How are you doing? Did you face tough times while in the military?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 14,190 veterans on this site who have your back.

Here is what I am asking you to do…please share this site with as many other veterans as you can. It has helped so many.

______________________________________________________________

If you are battling mentally, but you are losing, 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 not hang up until they know you are OK.

1-800-273-8255…texting 838255.

_______________________________________________________________

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 from this site, please let them know.

Posted on

Take This Job and Love it! Some of the Duties in the Military Weren’t Fun.

+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.

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Military news…

Guard, Reserve Would Get 20 More C-130J Transport Aircraft Under Budget Deal

The Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard are slated to get funding for 20 more C-130J Super Hercules aircraft to replace aging airframes, according to the proposed budget bill that would fund the U.S. government for the rest of the fiscal year.

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After More Than Two Weeks of War, The Russian Military Grinds Forward at a Heavy Cost

Two weeks after Russian forces moved into Ukraine, there’s growing evidence that the invasion has not gone to plan—and that Russia’s military may be struggling to deploy a force capable of quickly defeating a numerically and technologically inferior adversary.

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‘We are disposable’ — Sexual assault survivor blasts Air Force after convicted offender allowed to retire


“You just showed every predator in the DoD that it is honorable to sexually harass and assault Airmen.”

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Why the skies over Ukraine have proven so deadly for Russian pilots

“The VKS is simply never meant to fight the way Western air forces do.”

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The Pentagon is saying diddly squat about what thousands of extra US troops are doing in Europe


“It’s kind of stupid that we can’t just be honest about what we’re doing.”

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Alwyn Cashe, Audie Murphy, Mary Walker among choices to replace bases named after Confederates


The list includes the names of 87 Americans who served bravely and honorably.

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Here is another chapter from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the military: In and Out of the trenches of Life.

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Take This Job and Love It

I went out to get the mail today and the mailman was still there sorting out his mail for the next stop. I asked him, “How are you doing?”

“I’m doing fine, but all this work I have to do now is wearing me down.”

My immediate response was that he should be glad he had a job no matter how tiresome it is. He wasn’t too excited that I said that, so I exited left and went back into the house.

I’m sure there are many people today who would love to have a job of any kind. When I was growing up, I had to make money to help support my mother, my brother, and myself. All three of us had to do some kind of job to make ends meet since my mom was divorced and was a single parent.

That was in the 1940s by the way. Times were tough at best, and we each found work to help out. They weren’t glamorous jobs in the least, but with each of us contributing, we were able to survive through the tough years. 

When you leave the military, times may be tough for a while as well. It is a shock to have a pretty good job for three years or more and then walk out into the private sector.

There are many resources in the back of this book to help you find work. It will also give you information on how to find babysitters and other practical help.

Don’t give up if there isn’t an instant job waiting for you when you separate from the military. Job hunting takes time. Job hunting is not on my list of fun things to do, and I am sure it isn’t for you either.

One thing you may have to agree to do is to accept just about any job you can at first. There are many low-level jobs that can lead to much better jobs in the same company if you stay with them and prove you are capable of much more. Yes, having to wear a nametag and taking hamburger orders may be a little degrading for a short time, but it is putting food on the table.

With the minimum wage increasing on a regular basis, a person can now almost make it on a fast-food type job.

You’re probably saying to yourself, Are you kidding me? I will not stoop so low as to take hamburger orders!”

I hear you loud and clear, but there are times when we just need to fight through the storms of life and take on things you may not want to take on. One is working wherever you can to support yourself and your family.

When I got out of the military I was very nervous. I had a family. (My first son was born four months after I got out.) I realized I had to support my family. I was still only about 22 years old, and this was the first time I knew I had to produce quickly on this planet called earth. I was going to college at the time and playing football for George Fox College. We were allowed to live on campus in some apartments. There was tuition to pay and food to put on the table. I knew I had to find a job fast.

The job I found was on a railroad “chain” gang. I call it a chain gang, because I was treated pretty roughly.

When I went to the administration office to ask about job openings, they said they only knew of one, but nobody wanted it. It was a job working on the railroad crew at the local pulp and paper company. I didn’t know why nobody wanted the job, but I grabbed it anyway. I started to work the next Monday.

When I got there, I was told to go out to the railroad tracks and the crew boss would be there. I went there and saw about six guys working on the tracks. It looked interesting since they were replacing old rails with new ones.

I walked up to who I thought was the boss and introduced myself. He said, “Boy, I’m glad to see you. My men have had to do some tough work because there weren’t enough men.”

The shift boss was a person who didn’t like the college kids coming in and taking jobs away from others, so he let us know about it by pouring on the hard labor.

He told me to get a sledgehammer. I had no idea what he meant, but one of the guys quickly pointed it out to me. It looked very heavy and I was right. It took some effort to even pick it up.

This type of sledgehammer was made specifically for driving rail spikes. They often weigh 20 pounds and have curved heads with the peak only being about one inch across. The length of the handle can vary and be more than three feet long. The target sweet spot was not much bigger than a dime. So you had to be accurate or you would be hitting the rails themselves, which damages them.

I slowly got the hang of it and was driving spikes into the ground. On my first break. I took my gloves off and saw the blisters starting to form. One of the crewmen saw the blisters and said, “Welcome to the chain gang.” I asked him what that meant. He told me that prisoners, who were chained together, had to do the same job at many of the prisons around the country. That didn’t make me feel any better.

So I went to work every day and was a grunt along with another college student. We did all the dirty work because the rest of the crew were full-time workers who had been there for years. We were the ones who had to pound the spikes in the track. We were the ones who had to carry replacement rails to the right spot.

The other guy quit after a couple of weeks, but I was determined to slug it out with the chain boss and not let him force me to quit as well. He kept piling heavy work on me. I went home with bloody blisters on my hands even though I wore gloves. I made it through that summer with a smile and messed-up hands, but I didn’t allow anyone to take that job away from me, because of the need to provide for my family.

Later the boss ended up liking me for my toughness. He even started giving me some not-so-tough jobs and asked me to come back the next summer. I didn’t make it because I had a car accident and couldn’t drive to school. I had to drop out.

If you are already out in the private sector, find yourself a job that will provide for your family and love that job. It isn’t your lifelong job, but it is a job.

If you’re still in the military, start taking any and all classes you can at night through the online colleges. The more education you have when you get out, the better job you will get. Your training in the military should help you a great deal as well.

Stay strong and know that you will find work. You will provide for yourself and your family. It just takes time and perseverance.

IWILL

I can tell you many stories where I was tested, like during basic training, where I had to dig a hole and bury a cigarette butt, only to have the sergeant yell at me to dig it up again. He did this three times. I did it all three times without a complaint. (I didn’t even smoke!)

After I was done the sergeant told me, “Good job, soldier!” It was just a test. He later recommended me for soldier of the month and placed me on the honors marching team for Ft. Ord. All because I stood my ground and wouldn’t let him break me down.

One of the worst things we can do as new people in the private sector is to get angry and depressed because we don’t find that dream job right away. Search the appendix in the back of this book. Many sites have job opportunities, schooling, and training.

You also need to remember that God has plans for you that are higher than you ever dreamed you could achieve. Just stay with Him and let Him guide you down the right path.

Think about this

Isn’t it funny we often find that perfect job the day after we were about to give up?

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There will be more excerpts in the future, so keep coming back. Better yet…go to the top of this page and click on subscribe. When you do all future posts will go directly to your inbox.

_____________________________________________________________

Checking in on you. How are you doing? Did you have problems with some of the duties forced on you in the military?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 14,140 veterans on this site who have your back.

Here is what I am asking you to do…please share this site with as many other veterans as you can. It has helped so many.

______________________________________________________________

If you are battling mentally, but you are losing, 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

______________________________________________________________

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 from this site, please let them know.