Category: basic training

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Drafted Soldiers Were Very Different in the Military

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Military news…

Military conscripts in Norway are being asked to return all issued clothing items, including socks, bras and underwear, so that they can be re-issued to the next generation of recruits

(WHAT?)

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Delta Force’s Dirty Secret

Army veteran Erin Scanlon accused a Delta Force member of raping her in September 2016. He was quietly acquitted in a military court martial, she says, partly because of the military justice system’s preferential treatment of elite soldiers.

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Thousands of Afghans Remain Housed on U.S. Bases Months After the Fall of Kabul

Military bases are housing about 19,500 Afghan refugees as they seek resettlement in the U.S., five months after the historic airlift from Afghanistan.

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Army Alaska CSM Asks For Help After Another Soldier Dies at Home

The top enlisted soldier for Army Alaska took to Instagram to ask his troops “how we can help” following the sixth death of an off-duty soldier assigned to Alaska since October.

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North Korea fires ‘more advanced’ missile less than a week after ‘hypersonic’ launch

North Korea launched what appeared to be a ballistic missile off its eastern coast, South Korean military officials announced Tuesday morning.

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U.S. Forces Japan and the Japanese government agreed to keep American service members, Defense Department civilians and their families close to their installations to curb further spread of the disease.

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US breaks record with more than 145,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations

Tuesday’s total of 145,982 people in U.S. hospitals with COVID-19, which includes 4,462 children, passed the record of 142,273 set on Jan. 14, 2021, during the previous peak of the pandemic in this country.

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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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Drafted Soldiers Are Totally Different

One of the interesting things while I was in the military was the drafted soldiers. They were selected in the draft by lottery, or by age. If you were over a certain age you were safe. If you were in college they seemed to leave you alone, but if you were not you were prime bait.

There was a lot of bitterness coming from these soldiers. They didn’t want to be there and they let you know about it. Those of us who enlisted got very tired of their whining, and several “blanket parties,” came up because of it. A blanket party is when a group of soldiers cover up another soldier with a blanket and rough him up. A blanket party could also be when a soldier hasn’t showered in a long time even after all the rigorous training we had.

I didn’t partake in the “parties,” but I too wasn’t very happy with the whining. They were serving their country, and should be proud of it. I felt they should have gotten over it and learned as much as they could with free training. I enlisted knowing what was ahead of me, and yet I felt obligated to service.

The draftees only had to serve two years. By the time you were through basic training and your MOS, (your job) training you only had about one year left. You could almost do that standing on your head.

Blanket parties were common in my day, but I thought people should at least warn the person that a blanket party might happen. I would think the person may take a shower real fast or change their attitude.

As for the draftees, I felt like I was doing something good for my country and for me as well. The military changed my life completely. I needed the structure, and discipline. I needed the special training. I needed to be away from my safe haven at home, and learn more about the world. I got all of that in the three years I served. I felt the draftees should have thought of about these themselves.

If you are wondering why you enlisted; if you are second guessing your decision, never feel that it was a waste of time. I got so much out of my time in the service. I met new friends. I got some valuable training, and I got to travel, even though it was to Korea, and other Asian countries.

I learned so much about their culture, and how they survive in a not so friendly world.

The military has many good benefits. In in the first place it is a job that you can make enough of an earning to take care of your family and yourself. There are free benefits that you don’t get in the private sector. 

All this and the comfort of knowing you are doing something that is meaningful.

IWILL

If you enlisted, be thankful for your time in the service. Use it to better yourself in the private sector. Use it to grow and mature more than you could most anywhere else.  Enjoy the new friendships you acquired. They will be part of your life forever.

Think about this

Isn’t it funny how much easier it is to go through a day when you have friends to be there for you?

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Checking in on you…How are you doing? Are you struggling now that you are a civilian?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 13,630 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!

______________________________________________

+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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Drafted soldiers in the MIlitary Were Totally Different

+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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I had a great time yesterday, which was Veternas Day. My wife and I went to Applebees for dinner. The meal was free for me since I am a veteran, but it didn’t stop there. They brought me a picture that was colored, and said thank you on it. It was signed by Emily a second grader. Warmed my heart big time. Also added into to the awarding my service they gave me a gift card for the next time I came in. Doesn’t get much better than that.

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Military news…

A Montana Army National Guard soldier is the first woman ever to graduate from the Army’s intense, seven-week sniper course,

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Eddie Rickenbacker: American hero and candidate for most interesting man in the world
Many people believe that opportunity is a combination of luck and preparation. No one embodies that sentiment more than Eddie Rickenbacker, as the next few decades of his life would show.

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“The fact that I made a friend and then literally hours later, you find out they just got killed. It’s pretty horrible.” That’s from 24-year-old Spc. Robert Rolando, one of three soldiers who tol  what it was like to be in Afghanistan last August, ending a war nearly as old as they are.

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“The mobility, range of motion and the modular system are huge improvements over the suit we have right now.” That’s from Army Staff Sgt. Dione Brown, one of several soldiers who are testing out the Army’s next generation bomb suit for explosive ordnance disposal technicians.

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“She not only protected the well being of the children but also their dignity as human beings.” That’s what the command sergeant major of the 82nd Airborne Division had to say about Army Sgt. Breanna Jessop, a chaplain’s assistant who found herself running a makeshift orphanage and taking care of more than 400 displaced Afghan children in Kabul during the U.S. withdrawal in August,

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I am so good to you! Here is yet another excerpt from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the MIlitray: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

____________________________________________

Drafted Soldiers Are Totally Different

One of the interesting things while I was in the military was the drafted soldiers. They were selected in the draft by lottery, or by age. If you were over a certain age you were safe. If you were in college they seemed to leave you alone, but if you were not you were prime bait.

There was a lot of bitterness coming from these soldiers. They didn’t want to be there and they let you know about it. Those of us who enlisted got very tired of their whining, and several “blanket parties,” came up because of it. A blanket party is when a group of soldiers cover up another soldier with a blanket and rough him up. A blanket party could also be when a soldier hasn’t showered in a long time even after all the rigorous training we had.

I didn’t partake in the “parties,” but I too wasn’t very happy with the whining. They were serving their country, and should be proud of it. I felt they should have gotten over it and learned as much as they could with free training. I enlisted knowing what was ahead of me, and yet I felt obligated to service.

The draftees only had to serve two years. By the time you were through basic training and your MOS, (your job) training you only had about one year left. You could almost do that standing on your head.

Blanket parties were common in my day, but I thought people should at least warn the person that a blanket party might happen. I would think the person may take a shower real fast or change their attitude.

As for the draftees, I felt like I was doing something good for my country and for me as well. The military changed my life completely. I needed the structure, and discipline. I needed the special training. I needed to be away from my safe haven at home, and learn more about the world. I got all of that in the three years I served. I felt the draftees should have thought of about these themselves.

If you are wondering why you enlisted; if you are second guessing your decision, never feel that it was a waste of time. I got so much out of my time in the service. I met new friends. I got some valuable training, and I got to travel, even though it was to Korea, and other Asian countries.

I learned so much about their culture, and how they survive in a not so friendly world.

The military has many good benefits. In in the first place it is a job that you can make enough of an earning to take care of your family and yourself. There are free benefits that you don’t get in the private sector. 

All this and the comfort of knowing you are doing something that is meaningful.

__________________________________________

How are you doing these days? Hard to face this crazy world?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 13,355 fellow veterans here who have your back.

If the crazy world is just to much for you, GET HELP!

Here is a toll free number to 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 ar enever 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

There Are Many Intersting and Scary Things that Happen in Basic Training

+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….

In the military, losing your weapon could end your career, and that was the situation the late Colin Powell found himself in when he was a 21-year-old second lieutenant in 1959. Of course, that was not the end of the line for Powell, who went on to become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of State before passing away on Monday at the age of 84.

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The chests of most generals’ service dress uniforms are festooned with colorful ribbons, but not Air Force Gen. Mike Minihan’s.

His men and women love him for that.

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Sailors who refuse to get immunized for COVID-19 could end up owing the Navy a lot of money. They might have to pay back bonuses, special pays, and the cost of training.

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Officials in southern Oregon have asked the state’s governor to call in the National Guard because they are being overrun by illegal pot farms.

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Pentagon Mandates COVID-19 Vaccine for Civilian Workers

All civilians working for the Defense Department and the military services must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by Nov. 22, under new guidelines released earlier this month.

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He Attacked Cops At The Capitol. The FBI Interviewed Him. Then He Rejoined The Army.

A Fort Bragg soldier has been arrested after authorities learned he sprayed police with a chemical agent while officers were under siege by the violent mob of Trump supporters on Jan. 6.

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Ex-Taliban Commander Pleads Not Guilty to Killing U.S. Troops

A former Taliban commander previously accused of kidnapping an American journalist pleaded not guilty on Friday to murdering three U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan in 2008.

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I got picked on for not sharing more excerpts from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life. 🙂 So here is one just for you.

Fire in the Hole!

I think this chapter title fits quite well for what I am about to tell you. While in basic training, one of the training steps we had to go through was learning how to properly throw a hand grenade. Each soldier took his turn getting into the pit with an instructor. He showed them how to pull the pin and properly hold it long enough before tossing it.

I was a ways back in the line so I watched with great anticipation. One by one each soldier stepped into the pit with the instructor, pulled the pin, and tossed the grenade. If it was a good pull and throw, the instructor slapped you on the back and said, “Move out !”

Just three people ahead of me and I was getting pumped. Then a soldier stepped into the pit, pulled the pin, and slung his arm backwards to throw the hand grenade. The problem was he didn’t have a tight grip on the weapon and it flew out of his hands backwards, hitting the wall of the pit. The instructor knew what to do, grabbed it, and tossed it over the wall of the pit. It went off about halfway to the ground.

Then I wasn’t so sure I wanted to try this! My turn came. I stepped into the pit. The instructor handed me a grenade, and told me to pull the pin and toss it after counting to three by saying, “One thousand one, one thousand two, and one thousand three!” I did exactly what he told me and I had a good pull and throw. I got that wonderful slap on the back and didn’t wait for him to shout, “Move out.” I was already on my way out of there!

Sometimes things happen in life we aren’t expecting. We’re going along enjoying life and then something serious happens. It could be an injury. It could be being told you are being deployed. It could be that a child was just born and you have to leave. Even worse, it could be that your child is born while you are deployed and it’s months before you’ll get to hold your child.

This is where our character is tested. This is when we have to dig deep and bring out the courage to keep going on. We need to know that everything will be OK, and we just need to be patient.

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So how is it going for you? Is the wolrd pulling you down like a huge magnate? I have been there myself.

FEAR NOT!

There are over 13,250 fellow veterans here who have your back.

But…if the load is just to much for your right now…GET HELP!

Here is a toll free number to 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.