Category: basic training

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We All Need to send Letters to Our Troops Deployed. It Makes Them Feel Loved

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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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Stories of Near Death Experiences and Some very Funny Moments

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Some military news:

“We’ve got to keep pushing on this” Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston talked about the branch’s efforts to prevent more soldiers like Spc. Vanessa Guillén from being sexually harassed and murdered. Thursday marked exactly a year since Guillén first went missing: and her death forced a reckoning within the Army on how it treats its lower enlisted soldiers, particularly women.
“They leaned into the danger, firing as fast as they could” was how Marine Gen. John Kelly described the last moments of Cpl. Jonathan Yale and Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter, two Marine grunts who died exactly 13 years ago Thursday while trying to stop a truck carrying 2,000 pounds of explosives as it barreled toward their post in Ramadi, Iraq. Marine veteran and Task & Purpose deputy editor James Clark remembered the fallen infantrymen and the lives they led in a moving story. Both Marines were posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for their actions that day.

Speaking of sacrifice, Navy vet Stephanie Kroot is one of only 50 or so Americans to have donated two of her organs to two separate people, literally giving parts of herself to save the lives of strangers. But those donations are only the latest episodes in Kroot’s long life of service, which includes stints as a police officer, a Navy intelligence specialist, and a critical care nurse. Yeah, she’s good people.

There’s a first time for everything, like sending a general officer to court-martial, as the Air Force found out on Wednesday when it referred a sexual assault charge against Maj. Gen. William T. Cooley to a general court-martial.The former commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory, Cooley is the first Air Force general in the branch’s 73-year history to be court-martialed, though he’s far from the first to be accused of sexual misconduct.

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There are many soldiers who aren’t happy with the way our country is going. Many have joined ranks and formed their own groups. This is not good. We need to stand together and correct the problem. We do not need hundreds of splinter groups.

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Update on my upcoming book, Signs of Hope of the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of life.

It has been a long time since I last shared the outline of my book. I think it is very helpful to share this to let our kow what is coming.

This is the order that it is written:

  1. Basic training. Lots of funny stuff happened plus some good stuff happened.
  2. Mos training- FT Gordon, GA. Got hit with a hurricane. Fast and furious training.
  3. Korea- Here is where I learned about life. Just a teenager, and facing the dark side of life. Lost two buddies there as well.
  4. FT Bragg, NC. Got a huge scare with the Bay of Pigs incident.

Each section of the main book, will have many pages of things I faced and how I faced them. Some were life threatening. Some were embarrassing. Some were as stupid is and stupid does.

Another section will be interviews with soldiers who were actually in the field. Like WWII, Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam, etc.

Many of the interviews will have life threatening stories. Too many of the interviews were with buddies fighting PTSD, TBI, war wounds, etc.

The third section will Appendix #1.

Appendix #1 will have pages and pages of help for you and how to use them.

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How are you doing? Is the mile you walk in life, seem more like a marathon? Is it too difficult to continue the battle?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 11,880 fellow veterans here who have your back. Many of them are people I have met and are sharing some of their lives.

Please know, that if it is just to much for you right now, GET HELP!!

Here is a toll free number that is 24/7.

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

Never, ever, face this 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 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.

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There Are Some shocking Things Happening in the Military These Days

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President Biden said this morning that there have been over 200 million first time virus shots given. That is good news. It is rolling in the right direction.

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Some military news for you. Some of it is shocking.

“Even though you are a police officer, you still need to be held accountable” Marine veteran Carl E. Andersen Jr. told Pentagon reporter Jeff Schogol about the 2019 incident when Colorado Springs police officers tased him while he was in the hospital room of his 19-month old daughter. They tased Andersen because he refused to hand over his cell phone to a detective without an explanation, said Andersen, who is now suing the city of Colorado Springs, Teller County and the four officers involved in the altercation.
The Pentagon just can’t quit Afghanistan seems to be the message after U.S. Central Command chief Marine Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr, told lawmakers about the military’s plan to keep launching attacks against terrorist groups in the country without having troops on the ground.  President Joe Biden wants U.S. troops to leave Afghanistan by Sept. 11, but the plan to keep the country from being used as a base for terrorist attacks against the U.S. is still in play.

“I ask for peace,” said Maj. Gen. Shawn Manke, the head of the Minnesota National Guard, after two of his soldiers were injured in a drive-by shooting while they sat in their Humvee in Minneapolis on Sunday, writes Paul Szoldra in this article. Though the soldiers suffered only minor injuries and are back on duty, the event “highlights the volatility and tension in our communities,”  as the Twin Cities await the verdict of the trial of Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer charged with murdering George Floyd last May.

On a more serious note, a retired Pennsylvania Air National Guard brigadier general, 69-year-old Frank Sullivan was sentenced to five years probation and a $2,500 fine after blaming his child porn possession on PTSD. Sullivan, whose military biography never mentions combat, isn’t the first veteran to pull the “PTSD made me do it” card, writes Marine veteran and T&P editor-in-chief Paul Szoldra in his article. And, unfortunately for victims of child pornography, the card works.

A congressman wants to “fire the generals”  An investigation revealed that safety and maintenance lapses led to a fatal training accident last summer. Eight Marines and one sailor died in the accident when the amphibious assault vehicle they were riding in sunk off the coast of California. The Marines were not trained in escaping a submerged vehicle; the crew had no time to do proper maintenance beforehand; and no safety boats were nearby to help. But the generals in charge have not been punished.

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Short warning…If you take a break from working at your computer, do not go outside to see how your wife is doing in her yard work!! She put me to work, and I just got back. LOL

Love that lady!!

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As a teenager, just out of high school, I was pleasantly surprised how I adapted so quickly to basic training. The first few days, I was in shock, but then I decided I wanted to learn everything I coud and started listening carefully. I also decided that you HAVE to obey all orders. Makes life easier for you.

I have a story in my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life, about a soldier in basic training that decided to challenge the rules. Wasn’t pretty.

The book is rolling again. I has to slow down for a while since I has some health issues, but

I am roaring back. I still hope to have the book out by this fall.

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In basic there was a nightly “Bed check.” Not sure what that accomplished, but I got used to it.

Well, I am doing a bed check on you right now. How are you doing? Does the dark clouds cover your world? Do you have bad nights in your sleep?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 11,870 fellow veterans subscribed to this site, and they all have your back. Just leave a note in the comment section below and we will be by your side.

If it is just too overwhelming right now, GET HELP!

Here is toll free number that is 24/7. There are highly trained counselors there to help you. They will not hang up until they know you are Ok.

Never, ever, take on this, not so friendly world, alone.

1-800-273-8255 Option # 1

___________________________________

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unlloved.

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 about it.