Finally, The Outline of the Upcoming Book, Signs of Hope for the Military

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Military news…

A soldier with the Florida Army Reserve has a religious exemption to not only grow a beard, but also wear his hair long while in uniform.. Sgt. Jacob DePietro observes the Nazarite vow from the the Old Testament in the Bible, which states that “no razor may be used on their head.”

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+Report from Jeff Schogol on his trouble trying to get an Afghan interpreter way from his country. They are threatening these people ahead of the final withdraw.

“On Thursday, I received a series of frantic texts from Sher Ahmad Ahmadzai, an Afghan man who worked for coalition forces, after someone threw a Molotov cocktail at his home.” That’s from Jeff Schogol, who wrote this piece about his inability to help Ahmadzai and other Afghans who risked their lives to help the United States and are now in danger of being killed by the Taliban.

“This story is difficult to write because journalists are rightly expected to not get involved in the stories we cover, and the modicum of help that I have tried to provide to Ahmadzai clouds my objectivity,” Jeff writes. “In a way, I’ve already failed at my job.”
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When U.S. Marine Security Guards at American embassies around the world need backup, they call on the Marine Security Augmentation Unit. This may be your first hearing about the MSAU, but the unit’s been putting in a lot of flight time recently: in the past 30 days, the quick reaction force has responded to the call twice to protect embassies in Africa and the Caribbean.

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 A soldier with the 82nd Airborne Division is heading to a court-martial in connection with a murky incident in Syria last summer in which U.S. troops and pro-regime forces exchanged gunfire.


“We are all suffering in silence,” is how one soldier described the unseen problem of eating disorders in the U.S. military. The Army and other branches use outdated body fat measurements to judge soldiers’ fitness, which, when combined with PTSD, sexual trauma and other common military mental health issues, create a rampant eating disorder problem that has gone largely underreported until now.

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The U.S. may be leaving Afghanistan, but the ‘Forever Wars’ aren’t really ending, writes defense expert Bonnie Kristian in this guest op-ed. Despite his statements about leaving Afghanistan, ending support for the Saudi war in Yemen, and leaving Iraq, President Joe Biden’s plans for doing so remain vague, and you can stuff a lot of violence into an absence of details, Kristian argues.

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No excerpt today from my book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

What I am going to to is give you an outline of the book to give you a taste of what is coming:

  1. The first section will basic training. I have many stories there. Some funny some not so funny. Many things to talk about.
  2. The second section will be being deployed to Korea. Some very sad stories there, and few humorous.
  3. The third section will be my states side time at FT. Bragg. One very scary time there, but good vibes most of the section.

Then I will have two appendixes:

  1. Interviews from the trenches. I have interviews from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq. Many are heartbreaking. I also have an interview with a Gold Star mother I am working on right now. Pretty exciting.
  2. The second Appendix will be eight pages of resources for veterans. It will have every conceivable information you may be looking for.

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How are you doing? Do you fear sleeping? Have you seen enough of the turmoil we are facing in this world today?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 12, 550 fellow veterans here who have your back.

If the road is getting to rough for you, 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.

Never face this not so friendly world alone!

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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Many Soldiers Fear Going to Sleep, Because of the Nightmares That Are Waiting for Them

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Military news…

A self-proclaimed ‘incel’ allegedly joined the U.S. Army to train for a mass shooting of women but washed out after four months. What’s an incel? They are men who preach violence against women out of sexual frustration, and at least 50 people have died in the U.S. and Canada from incel attacks.

Prosecutors allege that sometime between July and August 2019, 21-year-old Tres Genco wrote a note saying he “will get arms training in BCT [Basic Combat Training] and the “KC [kill count] needs to be huge! 3,000?” 

By the time Genco was arrested, Sheriff’s deputies found an AR-15 rifle modified to shoot fully automatic, a 9mm Glock pistol without a serial number, and plenty of ammo. “I will slaughter out of hatred,” he allegedly wrote in a manifesto.

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Getting attacked by a bear is one thing. Getting attacked by the same bear repeatedly, however, is the stuff of both nightmares and films starring Leonardo DiCaprio. A story about a recent Coast Guard rescue of a man fighting off bears in Alaska in a real-life version of ‘The Revenant.’

This was the experience of one unidentified man at a mining camp in Alaska before the Coast Guard rescued him last week, according to a news release from the service. And they came just in the nick of time: “He only had two rounds left,” said Coast Guard spokeswoman Petty Officer First Class Ali Blackburn. “I’d imagine you’d be a little loopy after not sleeping for so long.”

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What does the U.S. Army and the ‘Fast and the Furious’ movie franchise have in common? They both have robot mini-tanks that look ready to kick some serious butt.

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Most people wouldn’t do push-ups after climbing up 20,310 feet of snow and ice, but it was easy-peasy compared to what these airmen just went through. a tory about a group of remarkable Air Force mountaineers. Last month, the airmen climbed Denali, the highest peak in North America, but not without a near-fatal incident that took all of their training and resilience to get through alive.

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An Army Ranger who recently returned from Afghanistan has been accused of brutally murdering a security guard in Tacoma, Washington.  Spc. Patrick Byrne is now being held in a Washington jail.

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Here is another excerpt from Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

Skosh the Dog

While I was stationed in South Korea, we had a company stray dog that made our Quonset hut home. She was a loving dog that was pretty small, and that is why we named her Skosh.

We had to protect her as much as we could, because the Koreans consider dogs a delicacy. She wouldn’t last long in the village outside the Camp Red Cloud compound.

Much to our surprise she got pregnant. We didn’t know there were any other dogs in the area. I guess when a dog is in heat, any dog will find them.

She had four little puppies. As soon as they were born, right in our hut, she took them and hid them. We feared for the lives of those puppies, and we were right. Withen a week after Skosh moved them, she came back to our hut and never left again. She obviously lost her babies.

It was sad time for the soldiers in my hut. We knew what had happened, but there was nothing we could do about it. Skosh wanted to raise her babies her way.

I find that this happens in life today. We do whatever we can to guide our children, and show them what is best for their lives, but they still go into unknown territories and see what they can find out.

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There is much more to this chapter in the book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

Come back often to see more. Better yet… Go to the top of the pages and click on “Subscribe.” When you do all future posts go directly to you inbox.

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How are you doing? Does going to sleep frighten you?

FEAR NOT!

There are 12,525 fellow veterans subscribed to this site and they all have your back.

If the night a just too much for you, GET HELP!

Here is a toll free number for your to call 24/7.

There are highly qualified counselors there to help you. They will not hang up until the know you are OK.

Never sleep in fear!

1-800-273-8255 ….For texting, 838255

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never fosaken.

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.

Drugs and alcohol Pull Down Many Military While Serving Their Country

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Military news…

The German military has to deal with a very German problem: What to do with 65,000 cans of beer at its base in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan? In this amazing story about our NATO ally, about the enormous quantity of alcohol that Germany wants to withdraw from the country before the scheduled departure date for coalition troops on September 11. There would be much less around if only American troops could help um, get rid of the booze.

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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has a baller home worth nearly $3 million

Did you know that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has a baller home worth nearly $3 million? The military takes us on a grand tour of the retired Army general’s 7-bedroom 7-bathroom, 5-car garage home, with heated floors in the master bath.

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Yes, the Marines have to learn the correct way to open and close doors. That is, if you are a Marine sentry guarding the White House, where opening doors is one of many duties they must execute with robot-like precision. In this story, James Clark takes us behind the scenes of what it’s like to prepare for the most public parade ground on the planet, where even opening a door has to be done with style.

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I remember when I was a recruit. That was 65 years ago. I was only 18 and super naive.

The military made me into a man. I learned discipline. I learned honor and country. I learned that there are brothers to protect as they protect me.

I learned some things the hard way.

I had never left my home state of oregon. When I was deployed to South Korea, I was pretty much in shock.

Total different culture. Totally different the way the people looked.

One thing I learned quickly is to question people before you move forward. I had one incident that had me grow up overnight.

I came into Camp Red Cloud in South Korea, and was lost, of course. They directed me to my quinsite hut, and I started to unpack.

About half way through two guys came in looking like players for the 49er’s.

I was guessing this was a hazing. I was very wrong. These two guys came up and shock my hand to welcome me to Camp Red Cloud. They were very friendly and polite.

The next night, they invited me to go with them to the Camp bar. I thought it was a good idea to say yes, so I could be a part of the group.

We got to the bar, and they bought me a couple of beers. Then oneof them went up to the bar and ordered three drinks. He brought them to our table and said, “Drink up!”

I had no idea what kind of drink it was. I was gray and ugly.

I had a sip, and my head exploded. The other guys laughed, and challenged me to keep drinking with them. Again, wanting to be accepted I took a couple more sips.

After the fourth gulp, I went into a blackout. I never remembered the rest of the evening.

I woke up the next morning lying next to the tire of a deuce and a half truck, doing the dry heaves.

Welcome to camp!!

This is another story from my upcoming book. Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

Keep checking back to see more stories and reports about the progress of the book.

By subscribing to this site, you do not have to keep coming back. All my posts will go directly to your inbox. Just click on Subscribe at the top of this page.

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How is your world spinning? Out of Control? Did you have times when you battled the drinking and drugs that were so available?

You certainly are not alone. Alcohol and drugs were to plentiful in the military.

FEAR NOT!!

There are over 12,100 fellow veterans subscribed to this site, and they all have you back.

However, if you are in a dark world and struggling mightily GET HELP!

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

Fight back against drugs and alcohol!

I-800-273-8255 Option # 1 For 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!

___________________________________

+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 about it.