Category: disheartening time

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Mariupol teeters as Ukrainians defy surrender-or-die demand

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Russian ship sinks after battling a fire that Ukrainian forces claim was caused by their missile attack
A Russian cruiser that Ukrainian forces claim they hit with two missiles has sunk, the Russian Defense Ministry reported Thursday.

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DOD identifies remains of WWII pilot and Medal of Honor recipient Addison Baker

On April 8, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency identified the remains of Lt. Col. Addison Baker, a posthumous Medal of Honor recipient from World War II.

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North Korea tests ‘tactical guided’ weapons, condemns US-South Korean drills
The initial estimates peg the projectiles as more limited in range than a launch March 24 of an intercontinental ballistic missile that was theoretically capable of reaching the U.S. mainland.  North Korea has conducted at least 11 other rounds of missile tests so far this year.

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Mariupol teeters as Ukrainians defy surrender-or-die demand

If Mariupol is captured, Russian forces there are expected to join an all-out offensive in the coming days for control of the Donbas, the eastern industrial region that the Kremlin is bent on taking after failing in its bid to seize Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.

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In Lviv, displaced artists create anti-war, anti-Russian work

Ukrainians feel a need to tell the world — and especially Russians — what has happened here. The country’s contemporary artists find themselves at the forefront of that storytelling mission.

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US troops to train Ukrainian forces on howitzers in coming days
The training, which will occur outside Ukraine, will teach Ukrainian forces to operate the 155mm howitzers. They will then return to the fight and train other Ukrainians to use the American cannons, the official said.

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Zelenskky: Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine has begun

Russia launched its long-feared, full-scale offensive to take control of Ukraine’s east on Monday, attacking along a broad front over 300 miles long, Ukrainian officials said in what marked the opening of a new and potentially climactic phase of the war.

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Two short stories about my own Uncles who fought in WWII. They are my heroes.

My Uncles in WWII

My Uncle Dwight Wood was a WWII veteran. He had a hard time sharing his time in the military, so I wasn’t able to interview him directly, but I did get some idea of what he went through to help defend our country.

Uncle Dwight was the driver of a tank during the war. One day he was in the tank with two other soldiers. A Japanese soldier climbed onto the top of the tank and threw a grenade down into the tank where they were. The grenade instantly killed one of the men right next to my uncle, and my uncle and the other men were wounded with fragments from the grenade. My uncle was given the Purple Heart, and to his death he would not talk too much about his time in the military. The event of seeing his buddy killed right before his eyes was too overwhelming, and it had haunted him until his death. They didn’t even know what PTSD was back in WWII. It was called, “Shell Shock,” back then.  This is a classic case that shows that thousands of WWII veterans surely lived with PTSD all of their lives. 

Another person who was a WWII veteran was my Uncle Claude.  He was a Seabee. The Seabees were an extremely important part of the military. They built bridges, forged roads through the brush. They built sleeping quarters for the troops. It hard to say how many lives were affected by their heroics, but they were very much admired by the rest of the troops.  I never got to ask him any question about his time.

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I will be sharing some more endorsements in my next post. Be sure to come back and 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 you inbox.

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Checking in on you. How are you doing? Is everything going OK, or are you struggling?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 14,345 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.

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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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There Are Over 22 Military Suicides in the Military Everyday. Has to stop.

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Military news…

Russia Says Some Troops Are Returning to Their Bases, But Other Large-Scale Military Drills Continue.

Some Russian troops deployed from military districts bordering Ukraine were being loaded onto trains and trucks and sent back to their garrisons, Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday, signaling that Russia could be stepping away from an invasive posture.

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Veterans Groups Asking Congress to Prevent Afghan Evacuees from Being Kicked Out of US

Some Afghans evacuated by the U.S. military last year could lose their legal status in the U.S. in six months and veterans groups are pushing Congress to find a permanent solution and guarantee their allies’ safety.

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Pentagon Orders US Soldiers Out of Ukraine as War Fears Mount

U.S. Army National Guard troops on a training mission in Ukraine were repositioned in Europe amid escalating signals of a possible Russian invasion, the Pentagon said Saturday.

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Biden Approves Pentagon Plan to Help Americans Fleeing Ukraine if Russia Invades

The White House approved a Pentagon plan to send 1,700 paratroopers with the 82nd Airborne Division to Poland to bolster that ally and assist with safeguarding Americans directed to leave Ukraine, U.S. officials said.

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Number of Veterans Living in Homeless Shelters Declined During Pandemic, Report Finds

Fewer veterans lived in homeless shelters or transitional housing last year, but officials say the pandemic’s real impacts on the homeless in America won’t be known until a new batch of surveys of those living on the streets.

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Americans Were Promised an ‘Orderly and Safe’ Withdrawal From Afghanistan. US Troops Say it Was Anything But

Several Marines provided investigators with visceral accounts of the chaos at Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport in the hours leading up to a suicide bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members and as many as 170 Afghans.

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Here is the last chapter of my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life

Let’s Start a Ripple Effect

Have you ever thrown a pebble into a lake? Did you notice the circles that form and slowly spread out away from where the pebble went into the water? This is called the ripple effect.

Well, this can happen in your own life.

Every time you offer your hand to pick someone up; every time you share your strength and ability to persevere and every time you fight for your own recovery and help someone else with theirs, the ripple grows.

I have seen it so many times in my many years of going around the block.

A close friend of mine, who was a veteran, was given only six months to live. He used those six months to give hundreds of other people hope. He was never negative. He never blamed God for his demise. He used his impending death as a tool to help others to feel comfort in their own battles. His ripple effect reached out to all of his close friends, and through those friends it spread to many other who needed a friend.

How about you? Do you have some buddies or friends in the military that are hurting? Do they seem too quiet, or distant? They often do not seek help because of the mental attitude of the military. It is the “tough it out,” attitude. This is the time for you need to sit with them to get them to talk. You don’t have to be forceful, just be a friend, and they will open up.

Since 1999 there have been over 128,000 suicides in the military, and the veterans who are out on the private sector. We all need to do what we can to help stop this epidemic.

Twenty-two veterans end their lives every day. This is not acceptable. This needs to stop.

Hopefully you have come up with some strategies from reading this book. Use them to help those hurting around you. 

Ripple effects can begin with you. You have faced many trials in your life. What did you do when you did? Was it a poor me pity party, or did you use it to help others?  

Through your one ailment, disappointment, or failure, you can spread hope to others around you. The ripple effect will grow and continue to grow far further than you will ever know.

IWILL

Check in on all of your friends and neighbors. I may have said this many times in this book, but just checking in with them cheers them up. By doing this you will brighten their day and they will in turn want to reach out to someone else.

I hope this book has been beneficial for you. Thank you for your service. As Lt. Lynn Buck Compton said when he wrote an autograph for me in his book, “All my best to an American hero.” That would be you.

Think about this

Isn’t it sad how we think about reaching out to someone, but often never do it?

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There will be more excerpts coming so come back aften. Better yet… go to the top of this page and click on “Subscribe.” When you do all future posts will come directly to your in box.

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Checking in on you…How are you doing? Are you struggling with memories?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 13,880 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.

I will start repeating some of the more popular chapters for you to see, 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.

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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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There Were Some times That Military Weren’t Happy With What They Had Done

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Military news…

Pentagon Readies 8,500 US-Based Troops For Possible Eastern Europe Deployment as Tensions With Russia Simmer

At President Joe Biden’s direction, the Pentagon is putting about 8,500 U.S.-based troops on heightened alert for potential deployment to Europe to reassure allies as the Russian military appears poised for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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Marine Corps Identifies Deceased Marines in Rollover Near Camp Lejeune

A lance corporal and private first class lost their lives in a rollover crash near Camp Lejeune on Wednesday, the Marine Corps announced Friday. Both enlisted in the Marines in March 2021

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National Guard Leadership Grilled by Lawmakers over Sexual Assault Prosecutions

Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, was grilled by members of a House Armed Services Committee subpanel on his command’s lack of oversight of sexual assault cases within the state-based National Guard units.

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Lawmakers Want the Pentagon to Waive Tricare Copays on Birth Control Services

House lawmakers are urging the Pentagon to expand access to contraception for military family members and retirees by waiving Tricare copayment charges for related doctor appointments.

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Report: U.S. Marines Returned Fire After Suicide Bombing, but No Enemies Were Shooting at Them

A declassified military report found that some U.S. Marines fired their weapons after the Aug. 26 bombing outside Hamid Karzai International Airport—but no enemy shooters were present. Investigators said the Marines were likely reacting to warning shots fired by the British military and other American units.

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SOCOM Boss Tests Positive For COVID-19

Army Gen. Army Richard Clarke is working from home this week with mild symptoms after testing positive for COVID-19 on Sunday. Clarke is fully vaccinated and has received a booster.

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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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Really?

Has there been a time in the military that you weren’t proud of? I had an incident that still bothers me to this day. On one of my days off I was invited to ride with a courier to the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone.)

I thought it would be very interesting, so I accepted the invite. The driver drove pretty fast in the open area. I was white knuckling it much of the way. We did slow down when we went through some villages. The people saw us and yelled at us because they didn’t want us there. This was hard to understand since we were saving them from the enemy. I was glad I couldn’t hear what they were saying.

We came to a farm area which had thousands of acres of rice paddies. In each field there was a deep hole with human waste in it. The people used their own human waste to fertilize the fields. We also saw the local farmers dipping the “honey buckets,” into the hole to get some of the waste out.

I saw an older farmer walking along the road with along pole across his shoulder that had a bucket on either side full of the waste. The driver dared me to spin the farmer with my hands. At that time of my life, I did stupid things to be accepted.

I reached out as far as I could as we passed the farmer. I caught one of the buckets, and this caused the farmer to completely spin around. I looked back and the farmer was screaming at us with human waste dripping from him.

The driver said, “Welcome to the club!” I guess there was a group of people that thought they were special being the one that knocked a defenseless old man down.

I immediately felt remorse for what I had done. I found out I was taken advantage by a guy, who hated the Korean people and did whatever he could to make their lives miserable. That made me even more remorseful.

I learned from this that you need to respect others and what they are doing to help their families. I realized in retrospect that if someone asks you to do something you know isn’t right for you to do it isn’t a group of people you want to be a part of.

We got to the DMZ. What a depressing place that was! It was a very small outpost with guards watching the North Korean soldiers on the other side of the DMZ.

They let me look through some powerful binoculars and I could see a North Korean soldier looking through his binoculars back at me. It was a very odd feeling. He was just another guy like me, but he would probably shoot me if he could.

Today, there is still strife between the two countries, and North Korea seems to be taking on the world on their own.  There is still the DMZ. There are still soldiers looking at each other through binoculars. Nothing much has changed except the lives of those who had to serve in Korea.

They had to come home to try to cope in the private sector. They had/have to adjust just to survive.

I can say that it is hard to block out some of the negative aspects of our military service. It is hard to change thoughts from the active duty mind-set to the different world of the private sector. It took me a while to clear my mind and concentrate on the future. I had to realize that I needed to move on and start a new adventure. I needed to think about the next day of my life and all the days after that instead of dwelling on days gone by.

I never regretted serving my country. I would do it again if I were able. I’ve learned that I just need to be thankful that I have another day on this earth and should seek what I can do to better my life and the lives of others.

IWILL

We have all done some things we are not proud of. We need to correct any wrong doings we have done, by asking for forgiveness or making sure we show others the negative consequences of what we do to others.

Some soldiers, returning to the private sector, have issues that stay with them from their time in the service. I understand this. I have had to re-group myself. The key is to do something about it. Don’t hide your feelings. Get the right help to get you back on track in life. There are many resources in the back of this book to help you on your way down your new path.

Think about this

Isn’t it sad how people think they’re cool when they bully or belittle someone?

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Checking in on you…How are you doing? Are you struggling?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 13,6670 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.

___________________________________________

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.