It is Hard to Lose a Buddy in the MIlitary

I have been sharing excerpts from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

To read them go below and read the last two posts.

+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. You may be saving a life. 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 think back to my time in the Military and think about what was good and what wasn’t good.

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Some of the not good things were:

  1. Good friend in Korea suffocated in a human waste ditch, called a “Honey bucket.”
  2. Three of us enlisted into the military Buddy System and only two came back alive.
  3. A drunken soldier was goaded into placing his wet tongue on a frozen flagpole pipe. (Wasn’t pretty.)
  4. A “slicky boy,” snuck in my compound in Korea. I was the only one there.
  5. One soldier in Korea had sex so many times in the Village that he came down with an awful disease, and had to have part of his penis amputated.

All of these stories will be in the book in much more detail.

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Some good and fun things were:

  1. I was nominated for soldier of the month in Basic Training.
  2. We had fun with a Warrant Officer who was marching us back to the barracks in Basic. He marched us into the bay.
  3. My buddy made the mistake of washing all of his military clothes at once, and there was a sudden call to assemble.
  4. I went to Tokyo, Japan for R&R (Rest and recuperation.) I remember most of it.
  5. I got to go up to the DMZ zone in Korea and saw a North Korean looking at me through his binoculars.

These stories will also be in length in the book.

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News

They have pulled the Federal Agents out of Portland, Oregon. They replaced them with State Police. The Governor thought they had left, but the leader of the Agents said they weren’t leaving until they can see that the State Police can get control of the rioting.

President Trump is being attacked on all sides. Much of it from Fake media. He is staying strong, and facing the storm.

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How are you doing these day my friend? The country is not a friendly place to be right now. There is the rioting, the Pandemic, shootings, and violence. Almost like the war zone we faced.

I am holding on as strong as I can, but I am on lock down. I have underlying problems that the virus would love to attack.

Is the stress getting to you? Is it too overwhelming right now?

There is a toll free number you can call 24/7 to get help. The people there are very qualified.

1-800-273-8255

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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 for the site, please let them know about it. You may be saving a life. 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.

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Remember:


You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never ever, give up.

The American Legion and National Guard Reaches out to Help

Glad to be back today. I have an update on subscribers that you may not believe , but it is true. Five days ago there were 8,601 subscribers. Today there are 8,682. That is an increase of 81 in just five days. AMAZING AND WELCOME TO ALL OF YOU!

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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 for the site, please let them know about it. You may be saving a life. 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.

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It has been a long haul for me. Since March I have been in lock down. I have underlying problems with my health, and I would be dead meat if I was to catch the virus. I am way past the staring at the walls stage. I am watching a couple movies on TV everyday. Most aren’t very good, but I am doing something. I am able to get out and walk, so the one blessing is that I have lost a lot of weight. I feel better because of that.

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I am very high on the American Legion. They truly care for veterans. Here are some examples:

  1. Buddy Checks Help Veterans

Post 18 in Weehawken, N. J., has a buddy plan that really reaches out to other veterans. They especially check on older veterans. They connected with a recently widowed WWII veteran and helped him with outdoor chores he is no longer able to do on his own.

Blood Drive

  1. Post 199 of Harrison, Ohio had a blood drive that attracted more than 60 donors to help with the shortage caused by the Pandemic. The post also provided a free drive through hamburger lunch that fed 200.

60,000 Dollars raised

  1. At least $60,000 dollars was raised by the Department of Florida American Legion Riders in a virtual Unity Ride for the project, Vetrelief suicide Prevention Initiative.

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The National Guard has stepped up to the plate and hit a homerun recently.

  1. They have been testing for the virus. 2.4 million people have been tested or screened.
  2. They have been on 7,000 missions supporting testing and screening.
  3. They have made 149 million meals packaged or delivered to those in need.
  4. The have delivered 88 thousand tons of food.
  5. They have driven 1.6 million miles delivering food and essential supplies.
  6. They have made 18 million masks.

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Let’s talk about you my friend. How are you doing? I know there is a struggle just transitioning out of the military into the private sector for some of you. I know there are some who are battling PTSD, TBI, Depression, and war wounds. I know that some of you are being chased by memory demons who haunt you.

Don’t let that happen one day longer. GET HELP!

There is a toll free number to call that has qualified counselors to help you. They are very good and they will help you out.

Here is that number:

1-800-273-8255

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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 for the site, please let them know about it. You may be saving a life. 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.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

The Fourth of July can be good or Bad for a Veteran

(Sorry this is so long! So much news, and important information.)

Very busy news day. Read to get caught up with the VA, and other news. You can click on the underlined words, and it will take you to more news pertaining to that subject:

Virtual July Fourth Celebrations: Celebrate the Fourth of July with the 40th annual broadcast of A Capitol Fourth which will air on PBS on Saturday, July 4, 2020, from 8:00 – 9:30 p.m. ET. This year’s concert performance was pre-taped without live audiences, as the concert will not be held on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. You can also celebrate with the National Archives’ first-ever virtual Fourth of July celebration. This year’s festivities will include a reading of the Declaration of Independence, as well as other family-friendly programming.

House Holds Hearing on VA Reproductive Health: On Wednesday, members of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Health Subcommittee and Women Veterans Task Force conducted a hearing on veterans’ access to reproductive health care. Chief Officer of Women’s Health Services Dr. Patricia Hayes and Deputy Director of Reproductive Health Dr. Alicia Christy responded to questions regarding VA’s policies and procedures on in vitro fertilization, maternity care, contraceptive care, termination of pregnancy under extreme circumstances, and research on the reproductive health of both men and women. In a statement submitted for the record, the VFW cited results from a VFW survey of women veterans on gender-specific services, expanding teleradiology to include mammography, extending newborn care coverage, and ensuring VA prioritizes veterans’ reproductive health. Watch the hearingRead the VFW’s testimony.

 Legislation Introduced to Recognize Early Vietnam Veterans: Sens. John Boozman (R-AR) and Jon Tester (D-MT) introduced VFW-supported S. 4086, the Forgotten Vietnam Veterans Act. This important legislation is the Senate companion bill to H.R. 6082, and would allow veterans who served in the Republic of Vietnam from Nov. 1, 1955, to Feb. 27, 1961, to receive wartime benefits. “More than 3,000 veterans served in Vietnam from Nov. 1, 1955, to Feb. 27, 1961, 10 of whom were killed in action,” said VFW National Legislative Service Deputy Director Matthew Doyle. The VFW thanks Sens. Boozman and Tester for their efforts to expand benefits for veterans

VA Simplifies Travel Reimbursement System: VA is implementing a new system for veterans and eligible beneficiaries to submit and track transportation reimbursement claims using VA’s secure web-based portal, Access VA. The Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System (BTSSS), which is accessible 24/7, 365 days a year, will simplify how eligible veterans and beneficiaries claim mileage reimbursement for travel and travel-related expenses. The roll out of this system is scheduled from July through November 2020. While BTSSS will replace the use of kiosks, in-person claims and hard-copy submissions will still be an option.

DPAA Returns Remains of South Korean Service Members:The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) repatriated the remains of 147 South Korean service members who died during the Korean War. The DPAA and South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense Agency for KIA Recovery and Identification worked together in a joint review of the remains. This is the largest repatriation of South Korean service members to date

 VA Launches COVID-19 Screening Tool: On Monday, VA announced the launch of a digital COVID-19 screening tool to streamline veteran access to medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Veterans, their caregivers, and VA health care employees can use this tool on their mobile phones before entering facilities. It takes less than a minute to complete and ideally will help to reduce wait times. “This screening tool emphasizes the ongoing importance of VA’s investment in digital modernization, as it went from initial concept to national availability in less than two weeks,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “In addition to providing a broad range of innovations and improvements that significantly benefit the veterans we serve; our culture of innovation allows us to respond quickly to urgent and evolving needs.”

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With the 4th of July coming up this week end, I urge you to take care and not let the noise bother you. Just last night at 11:39pm, a very loud firecracker went off right by my bedroom window. It was the neighbor behind me. Took me a long time to be able to go back to sleep.

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I want to tell you about a vital phone conference program that is going on right now. It is called Warriors for Life. There is a person in charge who shares the thoughts of the day and then those who want to speak can share. It is a great way to listen and learn. You do not have to talk, just listen to other veterans and how they handle things. Here is the information to join in:

Here are the Warriors for Life (WFL) Meeting days and times.  Veterans, First Responders, Service Members, and Caregivers are welcome to join the private Facebook Page as well by sending me a request a to join the page: 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1764479933863763/
Here are the days and meeting times:

WFL Virtual Meetings Line-Up – TIMES Each Night:

4:30 PM PT, 5:30 PM MT, 6:30 PM CT, & 7:30 PM ET

**Saturday Nights – Host & Founder COL (Ret) Mikel Burroughs) – :

Join from PC, Mac, iOS or Android: https://meetings.ringcentral.com/j/3266151203

**Sunday Nights – Host Veteran & Therapist PO3 Christopher St. John

Join from PC, Mac, iOS or Android: https://meetings.ringcentral.com/j/4357174198

** Monday Nights – Host Reiki Master Kirk Poe

Join from PC, Mac, iOS or Android: https://meetings.ringcentral.com/j/9997870573

**Tuesday Nights (Healing Through Faith) – Host Veteran SGT Steve McFarland

Join from PC, Mac, iOS or Android: https://meetings.ringcentral.com/j/4623907474

** Wednesday Nights – (Looking for a new Facilitator)

Join from PC, Mac, iOS or Android: https://meetings.ringcentral.com/j/5828658553

**Thursday Nights – Host Veteran Derrick Iozzio

Join from PC, Mac, iOS or Android: https://meetings.ringcentral.com/j/8273554957

Here is a link to the Victory for Veterans, Inc website and information about the Warriors for Life (WFL) program and through this link they can send me a private message:
https://www.victoryforveterans.org/support

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How are You doing? Do you feel lost and wander around in a fog? You certainly aren’t alone. There are 8,425 fellow veterans here and have your six. If you are overwhelmed, please get help!! Yes, there are those who think that since we are veterans we should tough it out. That is a lie.

Here is the connection for help. It is a 24/7 emergency help line.:

1-800-273-8255

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If you like what you see, and want to keep up, you can subscribe at the top of this page. If you do then all future posts will come directly to your inbox. Also, let other know about this site that may benefit for what is shared.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!