Category: good moments

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Articles From the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and The American Legion Magazines Are Astounding

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Military news…

Labor Department recommends Congress codify SCOTUS ruling that impacts Reserve troops working for state agencies
A new report calls on Congress to codify into law a Supreme Court decision that allows service members to take state employers to court if they feel the state has violated federal laws that ban discrimination against employees because of their military service.

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Russia privately warns of deep and prolonged economic damage

Russia may face a longer and deeper recession as the impact of U.S. and European sanctions spreads, handicapping sectors that the country has relied on for years to power its economy, according to an internal report prepared for the government.

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Military-themed beer company hits it big in Walmart ‘Open Call’ competition: ‘I knew it would be huge’

While driving through Annapolis and seeing the Naval Academy for the first time, businessman Alan Beal had an idea to create a beer specifically for service members. Seven years later, that thought has turned into a growing business producing three beers that will soon be sold at a major nationwide retailer.

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Japan calls live-fire drills by Russia, China near disputed islands a ‘serious concern’

Russian and Chinese warships fired machine guns off Japan’s northernmost prefecture over the weekend, part of a military exercise that elicited protests from the Japanese government.

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I have been doing some changes lately on this site. I hope you enjoy them. i will now be sharing some news from the Veterans of Foreign War magazine and the American Legion magazine. There will be interesting tidbits of information from each:

The VFW magazine has the following statistics:

  1. 10 Billion- the total annual amount the VFW helped veterans recoup VA Disability compensation, and pension benefits.
  2. 25- The number of time the VFW has testified before congress in the last 12 months. Leading to many victories for the veterans.
  3. 10.65 million Amount of scholarships awarded to more than 2,372 veterans and service members since January 2014.

The American Legion magazine has the following information:

  1. Highlights of the 2022 defense bill: 2.7 pay raise for service members. 7.1 Billion in new spending for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative. 4 Billion for the European Defense Initiative. A statement of congressional support for the defense of Taiwan. 300 million for the Ukraine Security Initiative.
  2. 77% of Americans who agree military families experience more financial stress than the average family.
  3. 76% of Americans think the military doesn’t do enough to teach financial literacy.

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Keep coming back to read more information for these two great military magazines. 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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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 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.

+Now there is an easier way to get help. Just dial 988, and you will have help ready for you.

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There Are Actually Happy Stories Coming From Vietnam Veterans

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Military news…

Army’s top civilian defends Russian deterrence program, predicts more US troops could deploy to Europe
Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told House lawmakers that the European Deterrence Initiative might not have stopped Russian President Vladimir Putin from ordering a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February, but it positioned the U.S. military to respond quickly to it.

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US soldiers model river crossing in contrast to Russians’ Donbas disaster

Days after dozens of Russian armored vehicles were obliterated during an attempted river crossing in eastern Ukraine, US and allied soldiers launched a training version of a similar maneuver.

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Air Force successfully fires hypersonic weapon after multiple failures last year

The service said the weapon traveled five times faster than the speed of sound.

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US Navy ship makes $39 million meth bust in Middle East waters

A Navy destroyer patrolling in the Gulf of Oman this week seized $39 million in methamphetamine from a fishing ship in waters used to smuggle people, weapons and narcotics, U.S. 5th Fleet said Tuesday.

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A Lesser-Known Group At Risk of Suicide—Children of Servicemembers

Military kids can suffer from emotional stressors, that left unaddressed, can increase their risk of taking their own lives.

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US Left Behind $7 Billion of Military Equipment in Afghanistan After 2021 Withdrawal, Pentagon Report Says

About $7 billion of military equipment the U.S. government provided to the Afghan government over the course of 16 years was left behind in Afghanistan after the military withdrew from the country in August.

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Western Artillery Surging Into Ukraine Will Reshape War With Russia

Ukraine is receiving artillery and training from Western allies that will likely set off a deadly battle of long-range weapons as fighting intensifies in the Donbas.

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Here is another interview with combat veterans. This is a rare one with a Vietnam veteran. It was extremely hard to get Vietnam veterans to talk.

I know you are not willing to say too much about your experiences in Nam, what can you Share?

I will share a happy time while I was there. Me and a buddy were sitting in an opening in the jungle. I looked up and saw hundreds of monkeys playing in the trees. I told my buddy if I could just have one of those guys for a pet, I would be very happy.

He said he knew what to do to make that happen. He got a coconut and cut a whole in it. He put a shiny quarter in there and sat it the middle of the opening. He said, “Now Watch.”

Sure enough the monkeys started gathering around the coconut. They were curious about the shiny thing in the coconut. One finally put his hand in there to try to pull the quarter out. His hand got stuck and we went and picked up the monkey.

I loved the little guy. I even made a home for him. It had an area to sleep. Food readily available, and limbs to climb on.

The monkey loved his new home. I didn’t keep good track of what he was doing in the cage, and he dug a hole big enough for him to get out.

He went into the other soldiers tents and stole goodies from them. One of the soldiers caught him doing it and complained to me. I tried to find how the monkey could get out, but apparently the hole was so small I couldn’t find it.

This went on for a few days. The monkey would be in his cage with new goodies he had stolen for the guys.

One soldier had enough. He made a miniature parachute; caught the money and attached to him. He then took the monkey to a near cliff and threw him over it.

I couldn’t find my monkey and got very upset. The soldier finally told me what he had done. I was very mad at him.

Then a couple days later I looked at a path that went through the jungle and here comes my monkey with the chut still attached to him. He came right up to me. We had many months of joy with my monkey.

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It made me feel so good to interview someone from the Vietnam war that had some happy moments. Come back often to read some more interviews. 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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My next interview will be with another Vietnam veteran that was not such a happy story. Don’t miss it.

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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 14,745 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.

_________________________________________________________________________

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 from this site, please let them know.

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Soldiers Need to be Accurate With Their Rifles During Basic Training

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An Army chaplain faces court-martial after being charged with over a dozen counts of rape and child sexual assault. Capt. Jeremy Dunn, of the 3rd Chemical Brigade at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, is expected to plead guilty at his court martial hearing on July 14. (Today)

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With just two months to go until U.S. troops are scheduled to leave Afghanistan, the Biden administration is still figuring out how to get Afghan interpreters out of the country. Despite those interpreters taking on unimaginable risks during America’s long stay in Afghanistan, U.S. officials still don’t know the answers to basic questions such as how many people they can move or what countries they can move them to.

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A few good Marines will start training with the Army in Colorado soon to learn all about space operations. While they won’t be dropping into hell like the Colonial Marines in ‘Aliens,’ these space marines will get schooled in satellite intelligence, jamming enemy communications and other aspects of Final Frontier fighting.

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President Joe Biden’s promise to rescue Afghan interpreters and their families before the Taliban kills them has rung hollow, because no evacuation plan has been finalized and most U.S. troops have already left the country, reports. Now an estimated 70,000 Afghans who worked for the U.S. are in grave danger as the Taliban sweep across the country.

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A battalion of Black women who served overseas in World War II could soon receive Congress’ highest award for distinguished achievements. Hundreds of women served in the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, where they were instrumental in getting millions of pieces of mail to service members in Europe. In doing so, they reversed a huge backlog that was hurting morale, and now they could soon receive the Congressional Gold Medal for it.

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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.

Taking Aim On Perfection

One part of basic training was done on the firing range. We all had to learn how to properly line up the sights on our rifles, and shoot at the targets with some accuracy.

I had never shot a weapon before in my life. It was a little intimating at first. The loud noise each time you shot was one thing, but the kick from the weapon on your shoulder was another. You had to how to “hug” the rifle and keep it tight against your shoulder to keep it from kicking.

The first day was mostly learning how to lie down in the right position, and how to wrap the strap properly around your arm and keep the rifle steady. This got boring pretty quickly, but the leaders were determined to having all of us doing it perfectly.

The second day was more exciting. They had us actually shooting at targets. They targets were pop-up type targets. You waited until one popped up and then shot. It tested awareness and your quick judgment. The targets didn’t stay up very long.

I did my shooting and the soldier assigned to me said I was the fastest of hitting all the targets of anyone in my platoon.

Then they moved targets further away These were about 75 yards away. I again was done faster than anyone else and hit all of my targets.

Then we saw some of the men weren’t shooting any more. I was told they missed too many targets. The targets were moved to 100 yards. (The length of a football field.) You really had to concentrate because the targets went up and down pretty fast. I hit all my targets again.

There were only five of us left. They told us the targets will now be 150 yards way. At this time they taught us about “Kentucky windage. ” This is were you aim a little higher on the target and let the wind bring the bullet down to the target.

I had some miss hits, but the first round was just a practice to get us accustom to shooting at the distance. By the end that round I was hitting most of the targets.

The final round came and I was ready. The targets popped up and I shot them. I hit four our of five targets. The rest of the men didn’t do as well. I was named the champion of the shooting range for that day. From all of that I received an expert medal that I still have today.

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This is a shortened version of this chapter of my book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life. So come back often to see what the rest is. Better yet…go to the top of this page and click on “Subscribe.” When you do all future posts will directly to your inbox.

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Checking your pulse. Are you doing Ok? Have the dreams from your military time been driving you crazy?

FEAR NOT!

There is toll free number to help you if you need extra help. There are highly qualified counselors there to help you. There is no shame to GETTING HELP when you need it.

Never face this world alone!

1-800-273-8255 Option # 1 For texting…838255.

+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.