Category: excerpts

Posted on

On A Plane ready to fly to the Bay of Pigs in Cuba

+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 for the site, please let them know about it. Your comments will not be seen by other people, just me, and I will connect with you to see if you are OK to share it.

___________________________________

Veteran’s Day is just a few days away. Check back to some of my previous posts where I share tons of great restaurant deals, plus events for veterans coming up. YOU DESERVE IT!

___________________________________

I am going to talk about my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

It is almost finished.

I just need to organize the interviews into something that is readable. I also have to format the whole book, which I know nothing about, but I am contact with an editor who may know someone to do it for me.

When all that is finished it will be off to publisher. I have been talking to a publisher that is very interested. I am negotiating with them, and I believe they are the one I will go with.

__________________________________

What a blessing this book has done for me.

My first book, which won a national award from the Reader’s Choice Awards, was fun and it help many people. This book however is much needed. It hopefully it will reach out enough to save some brothers and sisters lives.

___________________________________

I have receive some powerful endorsements.

I shared those with you in previous posts. I have endorsements from Generals, Colonels, CEO’s. and many more. They feel this book may be the break through to savings veteran’s lives.

___________________________________

I am now going to share with you another excerpt for the book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and out of the Trenches of Life.

This is from FT Bragg, my last base I was at before I transcend to private life. I only had about a month left and was feeling pretty good about where I was headed.

Then my world changed directions. We heard a call over the intercom for all personnel to report for formation outside of the headquarters.

We felt it was just another drill, but we moved fast because they timed us during drills. Found out it wasn’t a drill. The commander came out to talk to us. We never saw much of him.

He said, ” This is not a drill men. We have been informed by the President of the United States to be ready to be shipped to Cuba ASAP! The Bay of Pigs is to be our destination. You have one hour to pack all your gear and report back here. Dismissed!

I ran to get packed and made it back under the hour allocated. I thought maybe it had calmed down now, but instead they were loading us into buses to take us to the airport.

We got to the airport and started loading on the plane. My heart was pounding, and I could see on the other people’s faces that they were scared too.

We were all loaded on the plane and strapped in. The plane started its engines. We all started realizing that this was very real.

The plane started moving, and went to the spot where they would turn onto the take off runway. It revved it engines and I thought we were taking off.

Then the engines died down a little and we just sat there for it seemed like forever.

Then the pilot came on and said. “We are returning to the terminal. The Bay of Pigs has been aborted. ”

You could see the look of relief on all the men’s faces. some were even crying in relief.

____________________________________________

Bed check. How are you doing? Is this crazy world starting to get to you? With all the insane things happening, is it starting to wear you down?

You are not alone. There are over 10,000 fellow veterans on this site. They all have your back.

If it is just too much for you right now, GET HELP!

Here is a toll free number for you to call 24/7. There are highly qualified counselors there to help you. They will not hang up until they know you are OK.

1-800-273-8255 Option # 1

________________________________________

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

Your 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 for the site, please let them know about it. Your comments will not be seen by other people, just me, and I will connect with you to see if you are OK to share it.

Posted on

Interesting Stories From the Military Trenches

+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 for the site, please let them know about it. Your comments will not be seen by other people, just me, and I will connect with you to see if you are OK to share it.

I was thinking back to my military days. Some days were OK, but others not as much. Today I am going to share some of the times I had while enlisted. I am not sure how much I will share, because some are pretty intense.

_________________________________________

While in basic, There was a scary, but good outcome that happened. We had a Native American who was drafted into the Army. He was not a happy camper, and let everyone know about it including our drill sergeant.

Finally our drill sergeant told him to stop whining. He told our drill sergeant to &%#! off. Sergeant McDonald told him to give him ten pushups for saying that. The soldier wouldn’t do it. So Sergeant McDonald told him to come into his room at the head of the barracks.

We all assumed there was going to be a fight. We were right. The native American was strong looking, and SGT MacDonald was only about 5′ 8. We all thought the native American would win. WRONG!!

We heard crashing and groaning. More crashing and groaning. Then it got very quiet. The door opened and SGT Macdonald came staggering out. He looked like he had been hit by a truck. We assumed he had lost.

Then we looked in into his room and the native American was out cold. Our drill SGT won the battle!! SGT MacDonald won all our praise. Even the native American liked him after their fight.

_________________________________________

While in South Korea we had what was called R&R (Rest and recuperation. ) It was me and another buddy’s turn to go. It was a full week, All paid by the military including air fare and a hotel room in Tokyo, Japan. We were pretty excited. We knew we earned it so we didn’t feel bad about doing it.

We we got there, we did a lot of sight seeing. The pagodas, beautiful gardens, and incredible food.

About half way through we decided to visit a disco bar. We got there and we were drinking pretty heavy. I was feeling no pain, when a belly dancer came out on to the floor. They announced that who ever held onto her sequenced skirt the longest would get a prize.

She started around the edge of the floor near the tables. Several other soldiers tried to hold on to her while she shimmied. One or two could do it for a while, but let loose when their hands started hurting.

She came near our table, and I couldn’t resist. I held onto her hips while she wiggled. I kept holding on after she went faster. I still was holding on when she stopped. She was too tired to keep going.

I looked at my hands and they were a bloody mess.

The announcer said that I was the winner, and the prize was free drinks for the rest of the night. Just what I needed right? That was about the last thing I remember from that night.

__________________________________________

Both of these stories are in my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of he Trenches of Life.

There are many pages of similar type of stories. All of them have a personal story like above and then they relate to how we all can benefit from it. This is done on purpose to try to reach out those those veterans who may be suffering from PTSD, TBI, Depression, war wounds, etc.

__________________________________________

Time to check on you. How are you doing? Have the rough times we are going through right now caught up to you? Would you like the world to stop and let you off?

You are not alone. There are over 9,800 fellow veterans here who have your back.

However, if it is just too much right now, GET HELP!!

Here is a toll free number you can call 24/7. There are highly qualified counselors there for you who will never hang up until they know you are OK.

!-800-273-8255 ) Option # 1

___________________________________________

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 for the site, please let them know about it. Your comments will not be seen by other people, just me, and I will connect with you to see if you are OK to share it.

Posted on

Stories From the Trenches of Life that will Shock you

+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 for the site, please let them know about it. Your comments will not be seen by other people, just me, and I will connect with you to see if you are OK to share it.

________________________________________

I am in the mold of seeing doctors a lot. Saw one today, and later today I have a CT scan done. Then it off to another doctor’s appointment on Monday and yet another one next Friday.

They all know me by my first name down at the clinic. LOL

________________________________________

Today I am going to go back to telling you more about my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

I will remind you that the book is in five sections:

  1. Basic Training.
  2. Deployment to Korea.
  3. Ft Bragg.
  4. Interviews.
  5. Complete index

Each section will have some humor; some sadness, and deep some thoughts. Some of what I wrote was extremely difficult. Brought tears to my eyes as I typed sometimes.

________________________________________

Here is one of many endorsements. This one is from a CEO from a Nonprofit that I love called, Victory for Veterans:

Although ‘Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life’ wasn’t written for men only, it brings honesty and openness to veterans, military personnel and men in general about feeling ok to express fears and emotional challenges in a difficult world.  US Army Retired Veteran, Mr. Douglas Bolton brings his personal stories to life in a way we all can relate to and gives a big “you’re ok” for revealing our shortcoming and encourages us to open up and talk.  A must read for those seeking healing and forgiveness from ourselves and those wanting a fresh look on life. 

Steve Durgin, Founder & CEO with Victory For Veterans Foundation. 

Here is another one from a retired woman Colonel. She was a head flight nurse while enlisted. She is now the director of the NYC nurses.

Signs of Hope for the Military: in and Out of the Trenches of Life, is a must read book for any military, which are hurting from PTD, TBI, anxiety, depression, etc. It has extensive valuable and doable suggestions for successful cope mechanisms. I have also enjoyed Doug Bolton sharing his own stories about his time in the military. He shows that he has been there and done that. This makes him very qualified to offer his advice, guidance and support.  

I applaud Doug for his insight and wiliness to share. I know you will too.

Colonel Dona Marie Iversen

United States Air Force

NYC, New York

________________________________________

Now I will share a story from the actual book.:

I lost two great friends while deployed to South Korea. When I enlisted, I did it on the buddy plan. Two close friends and myself signed up the same day. We went to the same high school.

We went through basic training together. Many funny stories there. Then we went to Signal school at Ft. Gordon, Georgia. There we learned how to do Morse Code. We were placed in the Army Security Agency because of our good scores. All three of us. The ASA looks for security branches, like the CIA in public areas. Not as secret as the CIA, but we monitored the air waves for breaches in security. (I have another story where I had a Colonel busted for doing a breach.)

We we shipped out to Korea on the USS Mitchel. It was some rough times because of storms. One of my buddies lost 20 pounds just while we crossed the ocean.

Now for the sadness. Three of us we stationed at different places in Korea. Only two of came back home. One of my buddies caught some serious virus and died quickly. I was stunned for months after that happened.

Then I was stationed at Camp Red Cloud, near Uijeongbu. When we were stationed there in 1960 it was just a tiny village. Now is is a large city.

One night a close friend of mine got severely drunk coming home from the village. He was walking very erratically. He came by a rice field, and right by the road was a “Honey Bucket.” A honey bucket is a big hole in the ground that the farmers put human waste in of fertilizer for their rice. My friend fell into it and suffocated. Devastating news when he wasn’t there for our morning formation. The Captain had to tell us why.

__________________________________________

I have lost friends like many of you have. I know your pain.

After those two very sad stories, I need to see how you are doing. Have you lost a friend while in the Military? Has it stuck with you like it has for me? You are not alone! There are over 6.700 fellow veterans on this site that have you back.

It was pretty unbearable for me for a while. I battled big time depression, and had thoughts of ending my life. I was strong enough to overcome that, I am here writing to you to let you know I am here for you.

________________________________________

If it is just too overwhelming, GET HELP! Here is a toll free number to call 24/7. There are highly qualified counselors there to help you. They will never hang up until they know you are OK.

________________________________________

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 for the site, please let them know about it. Your comments will not be seen by other people, just me, and I will connect with you to see if you are OK to share it.

Yoast SEO

Move upMove downToggle panel: Yoast SEO

Focus keyphraseHelp on choosing the perfect focus keyphrase(Opens in a new browser tab)Get related keyphrases(Opens in a new browser window)

Google preview

Preview as:Mobile resultDesktop resultSEO title preview:Stories From the Trenches of Life that will Shock you – Doug BoltonUrl preview:dougbolton.com/stories-from-the-trenches-of-life-that-will-shock-you/Meta description preview:Oct 16, 2020 – It is devasting to lose a buddy in the military. Two stroies about that happening to me twice.Scroll to see the preview content.SEO titleInsert variableTitle Page Separator Site title Site titleTitlePrimary categorySeparatorSlugMeta descriptionInsert variableIt is devasting to lose a buddy in the military. Two stroies about that happening to me twice. Site titleTitlePrimary categorySeparator

SEO analysisOKshock

Add related keyphrase

Cornerstone content

Advanced

  • Document
  • Block

Status & visibility

VisibilityPublicPublishImmediatelyPost FormatAsideGalleryLinkImageQuoteStandardVideoAudioStick to the top of the blogPending reviewAuthordboltondreamhost dreamhostMove to trash

Yoast SEO

 Readability analysis: OK SEO analysis: OK
Improve your post with Yoast SEO8 Revisions

Permalink

URL Slug

They all know me by my first name down at the clinic. LOL

________________________________________

Today I am going to go back to telling you more about my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

I will remind you that the book is in five sections:

  1. Basic Training.
  2. Deployment to Korea.
  3. Ft Bragg.
  4. Interviews.
  5. Complete index

Each section will have some humor; some sadness, and deep some thoughts. Some of what I wrote was extremely difficult. Brought tears to my eyes as I typed sometimes.

________________________________________

Here is one of many endorsements. This one is from a CEO from a Nonprofit that I love called, Victory for Veterans:

Although ‘Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life’ wasn’t written for men only, it brings honesty and openness to veterans, military personnel and men in general about feeling ok to express fears and emotional challenges in a difficult world.  US Army Retired Veteran, Mr. Douglas Bolton brings his personal stories to life in a way we all can relate to and gives a big “you’re ok” for revealing our shortcoming and encourages us to open up and talk.  A must read for those seeking healing and forgiveness from ourselves and those wanting a fresh look on life. 

Steve Durgin, Founder & CEO with Victory For Veterans Foundation. 

Here is another one from a retired woman Colonel. She was a head flight nurse while enlisted. She is now the director of the NYC nurses.

Signs of Hope for the Military: in and Out of the Trenches of Life, is a must read book for any military, which are hurting from PTD, TBI, anxiety, depression, etc. It has extensive valuable and doable suggestions for successful cope mechanisms. I have also enjoyed Doug Bolton sharing his own stories about his time in the military. He shows that he has been there and done that. This makes him very qualified to offer his advice, guidance and support.  

I applaud Doug for his insight and wiliness to share. I know you will too.

Colonel Dona Marie Iversen

United States Air Force

NYC, New York

________________________________________

Now I will share a story from the actual book.:

I lost two great friends while deployed to South Korea. When I enlisted, I did it on the buddy plan. Two close friends and myself signed up the same day. We went to the same high school.

We went through basic training together. Many funny stories there. Then we went to Signal school at Ft. Gordon, Georgia. There we learned how to do Morse Code. We were playced in the Army Security Agency because of our good scores. All three of us. The ASA us a security branch, like the CIA in public areas. Not as secret as the Cia, but we monitored the air waves for breaches in security. (I have another story where I had a Colonel busted for doing a breach.)

We we shipped out to Korea on the USS Mitchel. It was some rough times because of storms. One of my buddies lost 20 pounds just while we crossed the ocean.

Now for the sadness. Three of us we stationed at different places in Korea. Only two of came back home. One of my buddies caught some serious virus and died quickly. I was stunned for months after that happened.

Then I was stationed at Camp Red Cloud, near Uijeongbu. When we were stationed there in 1960 it was just a tiny village. Now is is a large city.

One night a close friend of mine got severely drunk coming home from the village. He was walking very erratically. He came by a rice field, and right by the road was a “Honey Bucket.” A honey bucket is a big hole in the ground that the farmers put human waste in of fertilizer for their rice. My friend fell into it and suffocated. Devastating news when he wasn’t there for our morning formation. The Captain had to tell us why.

__________________________________________

I have lost friends like many of you have. I know your pain.

After those two very sad stories, I need to see how you are doing. Have you lost a friend while in the Military? Has it stuck with you like it has for me? You are not alone! There are over 6.700 fellow veterans on this site that have you back.

It was pretty unbearable for me for a while. I battled big time depression, and had thoughts of ending my life. I was strong enough to overcome that, I am here writing to you to let you know I am here for you.

________________________________________

If it is just too overwhelming, GET HELP! Here is a toll free number to call 24/7. There are highly qualified counselors there to help you. They will never hang up until they know you are OK.

________________________________________

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 for the site, please let them know about it. Your comments will not be seen by other people, just me, and I will connect with you to see if you are OK to share it.