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Military news…
Why the US can’t afford to abandon Ukraine
No army, not even one as tenacious and courageous as Ukraine’s, can overcome such a numerical overmatch. And if Ukraine loses, what then?
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Watch these soldiers regret absolutely everything during gas chamber training
The Army: putting the ‘suck’ in embrace the suck since 1775.
(Remember it well)
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The real-life Maverick who took on 7 Soviet jets in a classified Korean War dogfight
The existence of the improbable dogfight remained under wraps for decades, yet the details of what happened are the stuff of legends.
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Moving Again. And Again. My Experience as a Military Spouse.
Recruiters and their families are embedded in every single sleepy little civilian town, and that is where we found ourselves next, miles from any base reminiscent of our military community. It felt so refreshing.
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Army Drops Requirement for High School Diploma Amid Recruiting Crisis
The Army is tossing its mandate for potential recruits to have a high school diploma or GED certificate to enlist in the service, in one of the most dramatic moves yet in the escalating recruiting crisis hitting the entire Defense Department.
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Battle Over A-10: Lawmakers Seek to Break Perennial Deadlock on Retiring Aging Warplanes
The carveout would still need to be endorsed by the Senate and included in a compromise defense bill for President Joe Biden to sign.
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The Army’s top enlisted leader went to Reddit for soldiers’ ideas on fixing the service’s biggest problems
The Sergeant Major of the Army turned to Reddit to ask soldiers for their help fixing issues with Army culture. One suggestion: “Cut back on the bullshit.”
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I thought I might share another excerpt from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life. This is the actual foreword done by Colonel Mikel Burroughs retired.
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Foreword
By Colonel Mikel J. Burroughs, Retired
I’m very honored that the Author of this book, Douglas Bolton, even approached me to write a Foreword about his amazing work with veterans; the countless interviews hehad with some of our finest veterans, and his unique writing ability.
In order for me to me foreward on this mission there must be a good understanding of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or (PTSD). I’m not the expert, so I want to share with you some of the signs and symptoms of PTSD as presented by Catherine Roberts in her article the “The Signs and Symptoms of PSTD” published on ActiveBeat, March 18, 2014. ActiveBeat provides Trending Health News and other articles about health.
Accordingly, PTSD is a mental condition resulting from a series of emotional and/or physical reactions that service members have witnesses or experienced. PTSD is not only found in veterans or service members, but it affects many individuals not associated with the military all over the world. This can include car accidents, physical or sexual assault, long term abuse, torture, a horrific national disaster, death of a love one, and yes the sustained operations of being in a war zone.
To better understand PTSD I’ll list some of the most common signs and symptoms that are the foundation of the author’s logical presentation for the reader most commonly associated with veterans.
Physical Pain. PTSD often begins with a series of physical ailments, such as migraine headaches, fatigue, chest pains, difficulty with breathing, dizziness, and stomach issues to name a few.
Nightmares & Flashbacks. It is very common for individuals suffering from PTSD to suffer flashbacks from war events and to have nightmares as they re-experience the affects of war. These are repetitive in nature, which lead to sleep deprivation.
Depression or Anxiety. These symptoms described above can lead to irrational and persistent fear or avoidance of certain objects or public situations, thus leaving the individual paranoid and in a state of depression.
Withdrawal. Many of our returning veterans or those that have been assaulted that once had social interests, were outgoing, and involved in many activities suddenly lose all interest in their favorite hobbies and their friends, to include family members once they return from combat or after facing a very situation while serving on active duty. This can also lead to drug abuse, alcohol abuse, or seeking to perform dangerous events or activities.
Avoidance. There is an avoidance of physical or mental activities that remind them of the past traumatic events, like being around those of the opposite sex or same sex if a violent sexual assault has occurred causing their PTSD, driving on very busy roads that remind them of convoy operations, attending fire works displays, or being crowed downtown areas that remind them of traumatic encounters during urban warfare.
Repression. Destroying memorabilia of their war time or military experience to intentionally block out the memories or immersing themselves into a project or work to distract the bad memories are signs of repression.
Emotional Numbing. There is an attempt to numb their feelings. This will lead to total avoidance and withdrawal from society. Total isolation from all social circles and activities.
Hyper-arousal. Many veterans or assault victims suffering with PTSD from Mental Sexual Trauma (MST) can suffer from jitters that won’t allow them to relax due to the fear of potential threats. Always on edge and jumpy or easily frightened.
Irritability. With a constant state of fear caused by PTSD this can lead to indecisiveness, lack of concentration, sleepless nights, agitated constantly making it very difficult to maintain personal relationships with friends or family members.
Guilt and Shame. Many veterans and service members find it very hard to get past all of the negative experiences and find it hard to move forward with normal and healthy life. They end up blaming themselves and thus resulting in the increased veteran and service member suicides that we have experienced after 15 years of prolonged deployments and combat operations during Operations Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). This doesn’t preclude that served in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, and many other operations that service members have been involved in throughout out military history.
There are no definite tests for PTSD. Most physicians will have to take potential patients through mental and physical health exams. PTSD Symptoms are usually present for more than 30 days.
This book provides a valuable window on information and looks into the life of real veterans through their experiences from the civilian world into the community of military culture, life, unique training experiences, and the ultimate test through combat (the good, the bad, and the ugly).
The challenges experienced by the veterans in Doug’s Interviews,are both difficult and interesting. Doug covers their thoughts, feelings, and emotional baggage with enthusiasm, tenacity, and dedication to develop a better understanding of what America’s warriors (both male and female) are experiencing and working through in their day-to-day lives. In this new age of global conflicts and possible future wars Doug provides state-of-the art knowledge on the frontiers and affects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This book is a great look inside the individual aspects of those suffering or dealing with aftermath of war or service in today’s military service. It is a great step in that direction.
Colonel Mikel Burroughs
Retired
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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.
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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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+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.
