Category: Signs of Hope

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Outline of a New Military Book

Got to pass this on to you before I get into my regular post On July 19th we had 8,601 subscribers. Today we have 8,765! That is a 64 increase in just twelve days. FANTASTIC!!!

Welcome to you all!

+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.

Today I am going to tell you about my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.ry

I will share an outline with you to help you get the feel of what the book will have:

  1. The first part of the book will be stories about my basic training. There were some very funny things that happen and others that weren’t so funny. I will give a short sampling: 1. A recruit let a grenade slip out of his hand. 2. Our platoon was marched into a bay. 3. My drill sergeant got into a fight and won. 4. Had a terrible time with the drill sergeant at first and then we were best friends.
  2. Then I will be talking about my deployment to Korea. There were some scary times. 1. Three of us went there on the buddy system. Only two came back. 2. A buddy suffocated in a honey bucket. 3. Had a good/bad time while on R&R in Tokyo. 4. I got a Colonel busted.
  3. Then my time at Ft Bragg will be shared. Some scary times. 1. Almost got busted for stealing gas. 2. Sat on a runway in a plane ready to go the Bay of Pigs. 3. Got married by a funny Justice of the Peace. 4. When I got, out my wife and I traveled across the U.S. in a bus, and she was pregnant.

There are many, many, more stories in the book, but my favorite part is the actual interviews I had with veterans in the trenches.

  1. One soldier watched his buddies burn to death in a humvee. 2. A WWII veteran begged to get a transport plane with his buddy, and the plane he was supposed to be on crashed killing everyone. 3. A sniper killed many enemy, but lost over 13 of his buddies. 4. A Marine saw his buddy in a helicopter crash into the ocean.

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I hope this has you feeling at least interested in the book. It will help many soldiers that are battling PTSD, TBI, depression, War wounds, anxiety, etc.

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How are you doing my friend. Have you been overwhelmed with the transition to civilian life? Do you dread mixing with other people?

You certainly are not alone!

There are 8,765 fellow veterans here who have your back.

Here is a toll free number to call if you are exhausted and overwhelmed. Do not feel you are a sissy for getting help. Some people may try to tell you that. They are totally wrong.

1-800-273-8255

Call it now if you need it. The people there are very qualified to help 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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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all….never, ever, give up!

Posted on

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 hearing. Read 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!

Posted on

This Pandemic is causing Havoc with Our Veterans

Since I last posted we have had 36 new subscribers. Welcome to all of you. We are now averaging over 15 new subscribers a day. I am proud to be your blogger, that wants the very best for each of you as veterans, or family members of veterans.

It has been a nightmare for those who are locked up and not able to get out to do things because of the virus. My State of Oregon is getting hit hard. The county I live in is a red hot spot for the virus. Second highest in the state.

As a veteran, who has underlining problems with my health, I have no choice. My wife and I go on walks. We get in our car and drive to no where just to get out. We do our grocery shopping online and go to the store, and they bring out what we ordered.

I fear that this Pandemic is causing havoc with those veterans who have their own battles of PTSD, TBI, Depression, Anxiety, etc. They are fighting their own, war only to have the enemy coming to their door.

Here are some suggestions to get your mind off of what is happening in the world.

  1. Do not turn the TV on and read. There are millions of great books at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and many smaller book stores online, like Powell’s Books in Portland Oregon.
  2. Write! This is a wonderful way to get “away.” I wrote my first book,Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World, just from some journals I had written, and it won a National Award from the Reader’s Favorite Awards. WRITE!
  3. Some have taken up art. You can draw or paint. I am not good at either, but you may have just what you need to relieve yourself of stress.
  4. Hand select movies on your TV that are uplifting and makes you laugh. We have a free movie section on our TV. I have watched a ton of them the last three months.
  5. Use Zoom, Skype, or any other connection, to talk to your buddies, or family. I have been doing this and it gives me hope and helps me smile.

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Seriously, how are YOU doing? Are you having a bad time adjusting to all this mess around us? Do you have times of depression, and anxiety? I know how you feel, because I have been there.

If it is getting far too overwhelming, get Help!

You are not a sissy for getting help. I know that some people thing that since we are veterans, that we should be able to handle anything. Total lie!

If you are hurting look for help. Here is a 24/7 toll free free number to get immediate help .

1-800-273-8255 (option # 1)

Just do 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!

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+If you feel this site is valuable and helpful for you, please subscribe. When you do all future posts will delivered directly to your inbox. Just go to the top of this page and click on “Subscribe.” It will guide you. Also, if you know of some veterans who are hurting or could benefit from this site please let them know about it.