Category: Military

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I Found Out That White Lightning Can Make You Blind, in the Military

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Military news…

The Army is developing a COVID-19 vaccine to fight all variants of the virus, including those that may not yet exist.

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Russian forces could soon push deeper into Ukraine, and this time it may look more like an invasion than the covert campaign Russia has waged since 2014.

“When I opened the door, it didn’t even register at first who I was looking at, and when it finally clicked … words cannot describe the feeling.” That’s from Army veteran Adam Strick, who got a surprise visit on Saturday night from his old battle buddy Mike Fligg. The two spent every day of their 15-month deployment to Iraq together, but they had not seen each other in 14 years.

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A private housing contractor that subjected military families across the country to mold, insect infestations, burst pipes and other problems agreed to pay more than $65 million in fines and restitution.

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A Florida state Senator wants to bring back the old cliche ‘join the military or go to jail’ for criminals.

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Everyone knows reindeer help Santa deliver presents, but did you know they also helped defeat the Nazis? That’s right, about 6,000 reindeer played a crucial role helping the Soviet Army beat the Wermacht back into Germany during World War II.

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rally sweeps

Win $100 Gift Card with Rally$weeps

Holidays are cherished times spent with family and loved ones. Sometimes, due to deployment, or situations outside of our control, we can’t spend holidays with the people we love.

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Another excerpt from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the MIlitary: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

This chapter was about my exposure to White Lightening

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White Lightning in West Virginia

While I was stationed at Ft Bragg, North Carolina, we went on maneuvers in West Virginia. We were out in the country hills right in the middle of farm land.

We had time off on one of the days there so a couple of others guys and me went on a walk through the farm land. As we came around a bend, we saw some men sitting up on a hill in lawn chairs laughing and carrying on. We thought we might as well get to know some of the locals.

As we got closer we saw that the men had rifles leaning up against their chairs. I started thinking about the movie, Deliverance. They were all in overalls, and were smoking pipes with who knows what in them. Beards were the style for all of them. They would fit right in with the people of, Duck Dynasty.

We said hi, and they invited us to sit with them for a while. I noticed one of them was drinking out of a Mason jar. It looked like water, but I knew better. One of my friends asked what it was. “We call it White Lightning, here,” said one of the men who looked like he may be the elder of the group.

I was such a naïve young man, that I had no idea what they meant by the term White Lightning. They laughed when I asked them.

They said I should take a taste of it to see for myself. They handed me a jar, and I took a sip. I thought my insides were going to explode. I made some kind of noise, because all the Virginia guys laughed when it looked like I was going to heave.

However, the guys with me were “veteran,” drinkers and they tried a taste. They really liked it and drank the whole jar full. It wasn’t long before they started acting “silly.”

One of them liked it so much he asked for a refill. The “farmers,” had no trouble doing that. My friend sat there and drank another full jar of the concoction. He was getting very dizzy and incoherent about that time.

Then he started screaming, “I am going blind!” He said he couldn’t see. The hosts didn’t seem to get too worried. They said it is common to go temporarily blind for those who are new at drinking it.

It wasn’t funny for my group, and we helped our blind friend back to the camp area. He eventually got his sight back. It must have been interesting for him to explain how he was blinded in the first place.

In life we can start slowly doing things we maybe shouldn’t be, and think that it is OK. We keep doing the things we know we shouldn’t be doing, and then we see we are in too deep and fall.

It is no different than drinking White Lightning. It seems harmless at first, but then we are blinded by the force that has overcome us.

Be careful to always check out what is happening around you, wherever you may be. There things that look innocent, and yet can lead you down the wrong path.

IWILL

All too often there are people in the private sector who try to take advantage of the soldiers when they come home. It could be a scheme to supposedly help you get rich quickly, or it may be people wanting to pilfer money out of you in other ways.  Never jump into any project or new venture without researching everything about it. Let others see what you may be doing and ask for their opinion. You will have many eyes to help you seek the truth for you.

Think About this

Isn’t it interesting that we always believe someone who says they are trying to help us be successful?

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I will be sharing excerpts from time to time, so keep coming back to check this site out. 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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Bed check. How are you doing? Do you have dreams about your service time? Are they nightmares?

FEAR NOT!!

There are over 13,530 fellow veterans subscribed to this site who have your back.

If the dreams just too much for you right now, GET HELP!

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

1-800-272-8255..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.

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Happiness in the Military is Sometimes Hard to Find

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Military news…

“I got an award and I don’t even know if I deserve it … I’d give it back in a second if I could get the soldiers back.” That’s from Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston, who spoke about the hard losses he and his men went through together in Iraq, where Grinston earned a reputation as both a bullet magnet and a true follower of the Ranger Creed.

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Speaking of space, did you know that the first song performed live in space was ‘Jingle Bells?’ The first performers were two U.S. military pilots who wanted to troll Mission Control with some Christmas merriment.

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The military’s efforts to weed out white supremacists and other extremist groups are finally showing some teeth now that the Pentagon has expanded what constitutes “active participation” in extremist activities,.

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Air Force Discharges 27 For Refusal to Get COVID Vaccine

The Air Force has discharged 27 people for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine, making them what officials believe are the first service members to be removed for disobeying the vaccination mandate.

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Female Ex-pilot in Afghan Military Surfaces in U.S., Defying Rumors That She Had Been Killed 

An Afghan woman who was one of the few female pilots in her country’s air force corrected a rumor that she had been killed by the Taliban, saying she’s resettled on the West Coast.

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103 Marines Already Separated For Refusing COVID-19 Vaccine

At least 103 Marines have been separated from the Marine Corps for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19, the service said Thursday.

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The Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many Hazing Incidents Happen in the Military, Watchdog Finds

Five years after a Muslim-American recruit died by suicide days after joining Marine Corps boot camp, launching the discovery of hazing scandals, the Pentagon still doesn’t keenly track abuse in the ranks, a government watchdog found.

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Sharing another excerpt from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the MIlitary: In and Out of the trenches of Life.

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Happiness is a Choice

It is a well-known fact that most people are as happy as they choose to be. People go through life allowing depression to overcome them to the point that they are incapacitated. Even presidents have trouble with depression. Can you imagine the daily stress they have? It is non- stop.

Abraham Lincoln once considered suicide, he was so depressed. One of the greatest times he remembered while was in office was when a little old lady came to see him at the White House, and gave him some cookies she had made. He thanked her, and said it was one of the greatest moments of his tenure. A very little gesture, but it brightened a person’s life that was battling depression and life in general.

Some people accept depression because they think they deserve it. They feel they have done something wrong and this is their punishment. I had some of those days myself. I often thought I must deserve this if I keep having it happen to me.

This world is not the Disney Channel anymore. It’s Law and Order. There are many battles to fight, and many fronts.

Many people try to find happiness to overcome depressions and they fail. Why?

Because so many people think a fancy car, a big house on a hill, or owning a yacht, will give them happiness, and “things,” do not give us happiness.  We also seek happiness through sexual prowess, but end up with fleeting pleasures and bitter disappointments.

We try to seek power in corporations, in government, or in their own families through excessive control, but still many are unfulfilled seeking happiness.  

What are they missing? They are missing inner peace and joy.

How do we fine that inner peace and joy? It is from the love of God who provides us with all the love and understanding we need.

While we spend time in the military, or many years afterwards, we need to know that the path to true happiness isn’t from “things” we own, or people we control, it is found through searching our own souls, and coming up with ways to reach out to those around us, and when we feel the love, they return it back to us.

That is happiness!

IWILL

I spent too many years of my life trying to do whatever I could to be accepted. I would go way out of my way to let someone know that I was a person, and needed love. What I didn’t know is that love is very powerful, and if you just share that love with someone they will return it and provide you with all the happiness you need.

Think about this

Isn’t it funny how we sometimes think we aren’t accepted and it is because we didn’t ask?

There will be a few more excerpts coming up so keep coming back to check them out. Better yet… go to the top of this page and click on “Subscribe.” When you do all future posts will come directly to your inbox.

__________________________________________

Bed check. How are you doing? Do you have dreams about your service time? Are they nightmares?

FEAR NOT!!

There are over 13,530 fellow veterans subscribed to this site who have your back.

If the dreams just too much for you right now, GET HELP!

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

1-800-272-8255..texting 838255.

__________________________________________

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.

Posted on

There is Hope for Those Military Who Have Come Home Battling PTSD, War Wounds, Etc.

+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.

_____________________________________________

Military news…

Guantanamo Bay prison has outlasted the War in Afghanistan and it’s not going anywhere.

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The best part of the Army-Navy game on Saturday took place off the football field, when the victorious midshipmen put the youngest son of fallen Navy SEAL Cmdr. Brian Bourgeois in the middle of their celebration.

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The Marine Corps has released the service records of two former special operators who are accused of taking part in a kidnapping and murder scheme that eerily resembled a military operation.

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The Navy has little direct evidence tying an accused sailor to a fire that destroyed a $1.4 billion warship last year, But that did not stop prosecutors from calling several witnesses to talk about how he could be a cocky braggart at times.

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Nearly 17 months after a training accident that cost the lives of eight Marines and one sailor, the Marine Corps announced that it will no longer include its aging fleet of amphibious assault vehicles for regularly scheduled deployments or for waterborne training

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America’s three newest Medal of Honor recipients have very different stories, but there are a few things all three share: a relentless focus on the mission, an undying loyalty to the soldiers they served with, and an unhesitating willingness to sacrifice themselves for others.

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“Because people don’t like you doesn’t mean you did what the government has accused him of … In fact, it makes you a target.” That’s from Gary Barthel, the defense lawyer for Seaman Apprentice Ryan S. Mays, the sailor who the Navy has accused of setting the fire that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard last year.

“You’ve seen this airplane come and go countless times since the beginning of the deployment but this time your name is on the manifest. It is your ‘freedom bird.'” That’s from Jonathan Lenz, who wrote about the emotional roller coaster of finally going home after a deployment.

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I have been sharing endorsements for my new upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life. It will be sent to the publisher in January. Here is another endorsement:

In the current conditions of our military, there is a need to find realistic affordable sources to reach out and help our veterans and current military. Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of life, is that source. Doug Bolton spends many chapters on showing the veterans and military ways to cope in this not so friendly world.  Sadly, he feels and knows of the pain from his volunteer service and sacrifices for our great country first hand. Being a seasoned registered nurse and a battlefield Air Force flight nurse, I have seen many young men and women coming home sick, injured wounded and highly depressed. This book is a must for many. I highly recommend this book without hesitation to all those who have served and currently serving.  I am also advocating for the loved ones and families to read this read, as well.

Colonel Dona Marie Iversen-retired

United States Air Force

NYC, New York

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Checking in on you my friend. How are you doing? Do you have dreams about your service time? Are they nightmares?

FEAR NOT!!

There are over 13,500 fellow veterans subscribed to this site who have your back.

If the dreams just too much for you right now, GET HELP!

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

1-800-272-8255..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.