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Veterans Suicide Rate May Be Double Federal Estimates, Study Suggests
The rate of suicide among veterans may be more than double what federal officials report annually because of undercounting related to drug overdose deaths and service record errors, according to a new analysis released Saturday.
Air Force Gen. Anthony Cotton dismissed veiled Russian threats of nuclear war during his Senate confirmation hearing and said the U.S. stockpile of nuclear weapons — the world’s second largest — is serving as an effective deterrent in Russia’s seven-month invasion of Ukraine.
The South Korean Cabinet has approved a measure to designate a day honoring South Korean service members who served abroad, including those sent on United Nations peacekeeping missions.
I mentioned this in my last post, but if you are struggling trying to get disability compensation from the military, never give up! Find some sources who can help you with this like the DVA. They are working with me right now, I have been trying for over ten years. I will not give up, because both of my injuries were real.
Checking in on you. How are you doing? Is everything going OK, or are you fighting back memories?
FEAR NOT!
There are over 15,219 Veterans on this site who have your back.
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 highlyqualified 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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NATO fighter jets positioned around the Baltic and Black seas scrambled multiple times over four days to track and intercept Russian aircraft flying near allied airspace, NATO said Friday.
Florida National Guard soldiers who trained troops in Ukraine before Russia’s invasion are now training Ukrainian forces again outside the war-torn country, chief Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Friday.
A strong international response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine is critical to deterring China from embarking on territorial conquests in Taiwan or the South China Sea, said Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi.
North Korea fired what is suspected to be a short-range ballistic missile off its eastern coast, according to a message sent to reporters from South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff on Saturday.
Scores of Ukrainians were feared dead Sunday after a Russian bomb flattened a school where about 90 people were taking shelter in the basement, while Ukrainian fighters held out inside Mariupol’s steel plant as Moscow’s forces apparently raced to capture the city ahead of Russia’s Victory Day holiday.
The rebuilding effort is imbued with a sense of optimism that Ukraine will outlast Russia’s assault. Volunteers are mostly carrying it out, allowing government funds to remain focused on the war.
What follows is some information about some Band of Brothers who lived right in my home town. These soldiers fought in WWII and parachuted behind enemy lines on D-Day June of 1944. They were called Easy company. They are part of my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.
One of the honors I shared was right in my home town of Salem, Oregon. Three members of the Band of Brothers live close to me. Two of the three died before I started this book.
One name was Leo Boyle and high school teacher and then the special education director. He was the least known. He died in 1997. That was four years before the Emmy winning television series aired.
Only Bill Wingett was still living when I started this book. He was in a military assisted facility in Lebanon, Oregon. I was ready to go interview him and the pandemic hit. He died before I could get to him.
He is part of the ever shrinking Easy Company of the 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne, which most Americans know as the Band of Brothers.
I also personally met another Band of Brothers in Minneapolis, Wisconsin. I bought his book that shares many of the actual happenings in WWII that was done by this group.
A list shows that there are only 14 Brothers left, but it is outdated.
Easy company was involved of some of the most brutal on D-Day over 75 years ago. They also fought during Market Garden-the battle of Bastogne, and the Battle of the Bulge.
But the whole story about them got started on June 6th, 1944. They were assigned a night jump behind enemy lines several hours before the invasion.
Wingett said that one day was a “red-letter day.”
As important as that day was some details faded for him who just turned 97 during this interview for the Statesman Journal, Salem, Oregon. The interviewer was Capi Lynn.
“I may not be able to dig up some of the stories, but I lived them,” Wingett said. He really didn’t want to tell his own stories.
Years ago he described D-Day like this, “We got in an airplane in England and we jumped out of the Damn thing in France, and the fight began. There’s not much more to say about that.”
His group jumped into darkness in the early morning hours.
The target was Utah Beach. The allies divided the 60-mile coastal stretch into five code-named sectors for the invasion. Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sward were the others.
Wingett landed where the Germans flooded the area as a defensive tactic. Many paratroopers were killed by gun-fire before they hit the ground. And many more drowned.
Wingett struggled in the water That day. He only survived because he was slowly able to shed much of the 150 pounds of gear he was carrying, including a main and reserve chutes, weapons, ammunition, and rations, between breaths of air above water.
Malarkey from Salem, jumped roughly in the same area and landed in a tree. He dangled in his chute until he got his bearings, then cut himself loose and fell to the ground.
He went on to serve more time on the front lines than any Easy Company soldiers. He received the Bronze Star for his bravery in the Battle of Brecourt Manor.
Boyle also parachuted into Normandy, where he was wounded and evacuated to England. Boyle was later promoted to Staff Sergeant, and served as commanding officer Richard Winters’ right hand man before being severely wounded during Operation Market Garden. He was discharged after nine months in various hospitals.
Wingett said he never had a close call even though he was wounded three times.
I wasn’t able to see all of his medals because of the Pandemic. He had a purple heart with two oak leaf clusters. This was along with the many medals, ribbons, badges, and patches displayed in a frame on the wall in the apartment where he lived at the Oregon Veteran’s Home in Lebanon, Oregon.
There are more parts of the book dedicated to these heroes from WWII. Come back of ten to check them out. Better yet…go to the top of this page and click on Subscribe. When you all future posts will come directly to your inbox.
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 highlyqualified counselors there to help you, and they will not hang up until they know you are OK.
+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.
+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 war in Ukraine is barely two weeks old, and in Washington and European capitals, officials anticipate that the Russian military will reverse its early losses, setting the stage for a long, bloody insurgency.
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In support of Ukraine, US governors cut economic ties with Russia Governors in at least 11 states — Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, North Dakota, New York and Virginia — are pushing state entities to review or cut financial ties with Russian companies.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett made an unannounced trip to Moscow Saturday to meet with Putin. Israel alerted the White House in advance of the visit.
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No, The US Air Force Isn’t Going to Give Ukraine its A-10 Warthogs
Despite calls from former U.S. defense officials to transfer some of A-10 Warthog attack planes to Ukraine, the Air Force’s top leaders say there are no current plans for such an exchange.
Here is another excerpt from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life. Being separated from family while in the military can be very hard.
Deployment Can Be Very Hard on the Military Family
As parents get deployed in the military, there is a void created. The children are left without a mother or father to have for love and guidance. So remember, it can also be very hard on the children as well.
As for the boys in a family there is a need for a father figure to help show them the way. A father can help him acquire knowledge and confidence he needs.
There is a time when a boy needs to seek out his father for attention. There is a need for someone to play catch with, to wrestle with.
I didn’t have a dad that came home each night to give me a hug and share my day with. My parents divorced when I was only about six years old.
My mother called me her “little one,” when I was very young.
I needed a dad to say, Hi Ace, or How’s it going today champ? I never heard that. It was like my dad was deployed to somewhere else, but he was never coming back.
My mother was my only comfort zone. She had to be the one that showed interest in me. She was the only one who could support me when I needed it. She was my protector, but I needed someone to show me the excitement outside the realm of our home. My mother worked long hours and was very tired when she came home each day.
My mother did teach me toughness. She allowed me to play with toy guns, Beebe guns, and let me play with GI Joe figures. She did this because three of her brothers fought in World War II.
I didn’t have a dad to go fishing with. That was probably the most glaring thing missing in my childhood. I loved to fish, but didn’t have the proper skills to know how to do it. My Uncle Paul taught me how to fish, but he was a farmer and didn’t have the freedom to go with me during the summer months because that was the busiest time for him. So I grew up fishing by myself. I needed a dad to get excited with me as I pulled in a fish.
Today, I go fishing with my two sons often, and there is a special bonding there. Now I need to learn how to spend more time with my daughter, and come up with different ways of bonding with her.
Speaking of daughters, they also need their father or mother to be there for them. Sometimes it is the mother who is deployed, and the father becomes “Mr. Mom.”
He needs to find ways to give his daughter the love she needs without mom around. He needs to join in her fantasy tea parties. He needs to allow her to paint his fingernails a special color. She may even want to give dad a perm. No one expects a mother or father to be perfect in a military home. But you should do whatever you can to keep the family united and happy.
One of the happiest times for a military family is when their loved one comes home. I just watched some videos of surprise home visits that no one knew was coming. To see the joy in the children’s eyes and the tears in a wife’s eye make anyone who is half sane to cry for joy as well.
So many months of separation. So many times of loneliness and sadness from missing their loved one came to a screeching end in one moment.
IWILL
I can’t totally relate to each of you that have a family member deployed, and thus causing a mother or father to be absent. However, I did have a broken home when I was little and possibly I did feel the same hurts, and lost moments.
My heart cries out to you, and I hope that you remain strong, and show confidence to your children through a trial that hopefully will only last for a while.
Think about this
Isn’t it true that a family that prays together stays together?
There will be more excerpts in the future, but they are getting scarce. Come back often to check them 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.
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 highlyqualified counselors there to help you, and they will no hang up until they know you are OK.
+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.
