Category: Fear

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So Many Veterans Take Their Own Lives

Thanks to all of you who have been joining us here. The response has been wonderful.  We just past 3,745 new subscribers. That is a huge increase in 2016. We only had 1,000 two years ago. In 2017 help us to make it to 4,000. We are only 260 away of reaching our goal.  Help us make it by subscribing today if you haven’t already. This shows you care for veterans. Just click on the icon right after the title of this post to do that, and the posts will come straight to your inbox.                            ____________________________________________________________

Doug Bolton, the founder of the blog, Signs of Hope, which is at www.dailysignsofhope.com, has written a new book, “Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.” It reaches out the many military and veterans who may be battling anxiety, fear, depression, addictions, rejections, and the many other usual suspects. There are 22 military connected suicides every day. That is almost one every hour. Doug wants to help stop those statistics.  

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This is a new social network just for veterans. I joined it and made instant friendships with veterans who want to talk about what I want to talk about. Please check it out. You will be glad you did. 

www.rallypoint.com/join/spc-douglas-bolton

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One of the hardest thing to accept about the military is that there are 22 veterans who commit suicide every day. Yes I said every day.

That is not acceptable of course, and i am doing whatever I can to reach out to these brothers and sisters.

What follows is an actual post I did for the site http://www.victoryforveterans.org. It is a site dedicated to getting help for veterans for any reasons they need help. I highly recommend you check them out. Go to the blog and subscribe there so you can get the posts in your inbox like you can here.

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Why Does Someone Think of Committing Suicide? 

Suicide is a topic that no one wants to talk about.

One of the harshest realities of the military, is that 22 veterans are committing suicide every day. That includes women.

The rate of suicides is much higher than the private sector. Before I finish this post another brother or sister in the military will have ended their life.

Those are very stark statistics, but they are real.

How could someone even think of taking their own life?

That is the question everyone keeps asking. Why are there so many veterans ending their lives?

I can’t read into the minds of each of the people who have left us, but I can say that I was there myself at one time.

In 2001 I was at my lowest point in my life. I had retired for teaching in 1995, and I had a job as a clerk at Macy’s. It felt I had hit a wall. Nothing to look forward to. I felt like I was on an island by myself. How could I be feeling that when I had a loving wife, three wonderful children, and seven grandchildren.

On March 31st, 2001, I was driving my old Ford Explorer, and crying my eyes out. I didn’t even know why I was crying. I couldn’t  even drive I was sobbing so much, so I turned into a high school parking lot.

The windows all got fogged up from my crying. I was at the end of my rope, and I knew I was going to make a terrible decision soon.

I called my wife and she drove to me quickly and calmed me down. She literally help me through that day. She went back home, and I sat there relieved that I had come to my senses, and not committed suicide, but I was also angry that I was going through this nightmare. I cried out to God, I can’t take this anymore!

Then suddenly the air in the rig was different. The windows cleared up, and the air was fresher. It was if God was saying to me, It’s about time you came back to me, now let me carry you the rest of the way. 

My whole life changed that day. I went home and asked God why He saved my life? I suddenly realized that He wanted me to write a book, from my journals I had collected through the years.

So I dug them out of the closet, and opened the oldest one up. Sure enough it talked about my hurts, my good times, and how I made it through the hurts.

Much  from those journals are in my first book, Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World. 

How about you? Are you struggling. Do your days seems dark and dreary? Do you wish you could stay in bed all day and not face the world? Have you actually thought of suicide?

I hear you! I have been there. Seek help if you are lost and are feeling hopeless. There are resources you can find to help you. Don’t hide your feelings. Tell someone about your struggles and let them show you the way out of the fog of life.

This is our goal here at Victory for Veterans. We find help for anyone who is struggling. We have partners who specialize in any issue you may be facing. They can get you the much needed help you need.

http://www.victoryforveterans.org

There is always help for you 24/7 at: 1-800-273-8255

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all….never, ever, give up!

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Come On Man! Suck it Up!

Thanks to all of you who have been joining us here. The response has been wonderful.  We just past 3,716 new subscribers. That is a huge increase in 2016. We only had 1,000 two years ago. In 2017 help us to make it to 4,000. We are only 284 away of reaching our goal.  Help us make it by subscribing today if you haven’t already. This shows you care for veterans. Just click on the icon right after the title of this post to do that.

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Doug Bolton, the founder of the blog, Signs of Hope, which is at www.dailysignsofhope.com, has written a new book, “Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.” It will be reaching out the many military and veterans who may be battling anxiety, fear, depression, addictions, rejections, and the many other usual suspects. There are 22 military connected suicides every day. That is almost one every hour. Doug wants to help stop those statistics.  

______________________________________________________________

This is a new social network just for veterans. I joined it and made instant friendships with veterans who want to talk about what I want to talk about. Please check it out. You will be glad you did. 

www.rallypoint.com/join/spc-douglas-bolton

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Have you ever had someone on say to you, “Come on Man!.” Meaning that they may not believe what you are telling them.

It is a common phrase that I have heard from time to time.

Here are some facts about veterans that you may not believe either:

  • 22 veterans take their own lives every day. I didn’t say every year. I said every day. That is appalling! We need to find way to reach out to our brother and sisters from the military.
  • There are a total of 22 million veterans in all branches of service. 22 million men and women who are putting themselves in harm’s way so that you and I can live in a free country.
  • There are 4 million veterans disabled. Many have wounds that forces them into wheelchairs, assisted living facilities, and need permanent care every day.
  • This is the saddest statistic: There are 1/2 million veterans who are homeless and live on the streets. They fought for us, and now they are living day to day in the cold, damp, world as we know it, with only cardboard, or newspapers covering them.

COME ON MAN!!!

Yes, it is hard to believe this is happening in our own country, but it is the truth. These are not made up statistics. These aren’t there to make you ashamed, even though I am. They are there to try to wake all of us up and do something about it.

Those of you that may be suffering. Be strong! Let people help you. Don’t hide in your own self pity. I am a disabled veteran myself, and know the pain that you have to go through in life.

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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Where Can I Get The Military Help I need?

Thanks to all of you who have been joining us here. The response has been wonderful.  We just past 3,705 new subscribers. That is a huge increase in 2016. We only had 1,000 two years ago. In 2017 help us to make it to 4,000. We are only 295 away of reaching our goal.  Help us make it by subscribing today if you haven’t already. Just click on the icon right after the title of this post to do that.

____________________________________________________________

Doug Bolton, the founder of the blog, Signs of Hope, which is at www.dailysignsofhope.com, has written a new book, “Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.” It will be reaching out the many military and veterans who may be battling anxiety, fear, depression, addictions, rejections, and the many other usual suspects. There are 22 military connected suicides every day. That is almost one every hour. Doug wants to help stop those statistics.  

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If you follow Twitter, join me by following @heavenencounter. Many veterans are starting to follow and we hope to have many more to share thoughts and ideas with. You can also connect with me on Facebook by putting my name in the search area. A third place to connect is: 

www.rallypoint.com/join/spc-douglas-bolton

It is a new social network just for veterans. I am a member, and I made hundreds of new friends that have served our country. Try it out!

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I just have been selected to be a board on a new nonprofit. It is called: http://www.victoryforveterans.org.

I am honored to be on their board. There are Colonels and Generals on the board with me. Not bad for a Specialist Fourth Class, don’t you think?

Why did I accept being on the board? I checked it out thoroughly and I am very impressed. This site will be reaching out to veterans who may be battling PTSD, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and the many other usual suspects.

It is a new nonprofit. Actually we are still waiting to be approved as a nonprofit. That takes time.

I really hope you will check the site out. I just happen to also be their full time blogger, so when you go there click on the Blog icon and join me there. There is a sign-up area just like this site has. Subscribe and you will get every post I post sent right to your inbox.

I assume many of you, if you are a veteran or a family member of a veteran, have seen some of the horrors that a military has faced. The most prevalent one is PTSD. There are several thousand veterans who are battling that.

A Victory for Veterans, we have “partners,” who share our dream and support us and we support them. This process is great because we can send a military person suffering with PTSD to experts in that field and get them the help they need.

If you are struggling, try to be strong. If you need help Get it! This is a help line for all military. Please use it if you are in need.

There is always help for you 24/7 at: 1-800-273-8255

Never take on this world alone. I personally rely on God to give me strength. I have faced most of the problems that a soldier has faced, and I wouldn’t have made it this far if I didn’t lean on God.

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…..never, ever, give up!