Category: Signs of Hope

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As a Veteran, You should Never Feel Like a Failure. You Served Your Country

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Military news…

During recent testing at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, the Army tried out a new 20mm Gatling-style machine gun for the very first time.

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The Marine Corps is being really shady by not releasing public documents that lay out the exact charges it leveled against Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, the 17-year infantry officer who ignited a firestorm of controversy in August after publicly criticizing military leaders.

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Speaking of fire, bravo to the Marine Corps photographer who managed to make this picture of an M777 howitzer look like the depths of hell.

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Ok…Here is another excerpt from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

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Are You Trying to Finish the Race With a Broken Leg?

You have spent several years of your life serving your country. You have had many months of stress, and pain. You may be still in the trenches, or you may be already out in the private sector.

As the time gets near to facing the outside world, separate from the military, are you ready? Do you have a plan? If you are already in the private sector, have you attempted to fit in, or are you hiding from others?

What I have said here doesn’t fit most of you, but there are some who are having difficult times thinking about the future. You worry about the new approach to living. You were used to the strictness, and regimented type atmosphere, and fear that this approach will not be too acceptable in your new environment. Then you are facing a world where you make all the decisions. Some of us do not do well with no one in authority over us.

In the private sector, we have to find a new normal. The first goal at this time is to release the past. The second goal is to plan for the present. The third goal is to look to the future.

Treat each new day, in the private sector, as if there was just a new fallen snow and it has provided a white blanket for you to walk on to form a path that only you take and others follow.  

After we join the private sector, we expect our lives to suddenly be happy, trouble free, and victorious. We forget that victories come only after we fight battles and win. 

There shouldn’t be this barrier between you and what you are trying to accomplish. It is tough enough to survive in this world without other factors digging into your thinking process.

Having stress about facing the new world is like having a broken leg and trying to finish a race. It can be done, but the pain, and agony is almost unbearable.

Help yourself by taking time before you leave the military to study the ways of cooperation’s. Learn how to adjust to the new status quo. Don’t go into a new situation cold turkey.

Read up on life after the military. There are books that can guide you to walk the right path to help ease you into the new world.

Go to night school and get some college credits. There are also online courses you can take no matter where you are in the world. My son was able to get two Masters Degrees while in the military, and this helped him get a very nice job when he retired.

My first few months after I got out of the military were pretty stressful because I had a family. I had to provide, and there weren’t too many jobs to be had. I had to work at jobs I didn’t really like. Some were down right degrading, like the story I told you about working on the “chain gang,” railroad crew.

But I slowly adjusted and eventually found a job in teaching that was very good for not only providing for my family, but was rewarding as well.

Take on this world with vigor, and courage. It is almost as daunting in the private sector as it is in the deserts of Afghanistan. You are a brave soldier for facing that challenge, and I am sure you will be just as brave in the private sector. You will achieve your goals and be a very productive citizen, who has a big feather in their cap. The feather of valor, and commitment, because of your time you served your country.

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There will be more excerpts in the future. Keep coming back to read them. 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.

Checking in on you… How are things going? Not too good? Does it seem like that are too many storms in your life?

FEAR NOT!!

There are over 13,330 fellow veterans on this site who have your back.

If the storms are just too fierce, 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 fosaken.

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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The Pentagon is Now Saying There Are Over 140,000 Americans Still Trapped in Afghanistan

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I told you in my last post that I would be sharing more discounts for veterans. However the current military news is overwhelming right now and we need to know…

Military news…

The Pentagon has quietly removed a massive collection of Afghanistan War footage totaling more than 120,000 photos and 17,000 videos from its official visual record.

(Something to hide?)

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Speaking of Afghanistan, millions of Afghans will starve as Americans carve Thanksgiving turkeys this month.

(So sad. )

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“Setting up and operating out of a small airport terminal with minimal supplies, equipment, people and so forth is almost like the Air Force dream.” That’s from Master Sgt. Daniel Fajardo, who helped set up a mini airfield with a few dozen other airmen in the middle of the Pacific this summer in preparation for a possible war with China.

(Hope they never need it.)

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An Air Force colonel who was relieved of command last month claims she was fired because she did not personally order her subordinates to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

(MIxed emotions on this.)

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The Marine Corps has publicly admitted what many junior Marines have long known: That it doesn’t really care if you stick around past your first enlistment,

(So very sad.)

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The U.S. military’s toxic exposure problem is far bigger than just ‘burn pits,’ writes Keith Dow in this opinion piece. Whether it’s fuel, chemicals, exhaust or ammunition, chances are that if you’ve served, you’ve likley been exposed to toxic substances, no matter if you’ve deployed or not.

(Scary.)

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Three years after a belly-landing wrecked its nose, A-10 tail number 80-0264 is fully repaired and back in action.

(They are hard to destroy. )

One last shocking bit of news. The Pentagon today admitting that they had the wrong total of Americans still stuck in Afghanistan. They kept reporting that there only 400 or 500 still trapped. The fact is that there is still over 140,000!

(Ridiculous!)

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I am passing on sharing an excerpt from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In adn Out of the trenches of Life. There will be more on Monday. Be sure to come to read that excerpt. Better yet..go to the top of this page and click on “Subscribe.” When you do all future posts will direcly to your inbox.

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Checking in on you my friend…

How are you doing? Have the waves of trouble overcome you. Do you need to be rescued?

FEAR NOT!

There ra over 13,310 fellow veterans here who have your back.

But you are on the edge of a cliif, GET HELP!!

here is a toll free number to call 24/7. There are highly qualified counselors there who will help you, and theynwill 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!

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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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Not Everything Has to be Serious in the Military

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Military news…

“The Marine Corps taught me not to [mess] around.” That’s from Marine veteran James Kilcer, who grabbed a would-be thief’s pistol during a robbery attempt in Yuma, Arizona earlier this month.

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“A blank can actually do you a huge amount of damage. If it was pressed right up against your head, it could probably kill you.” That’s from Paul Biddiss, a former British Army paratrooper who told James Clark all about how firearms are handled on movie sets. This is after Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on film set in New Mexico last week, killing one person on set and injuring another.

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“I don’t really like to talk about how many times I [deployed] here or there … because even if you go once, you did more than most.” That’s from Senior Master Sgt. Robert Gutierrez Jr., a legendary Air Force combat controller whose humility shined in a recent video posted to the Air Force Special Tactics Facebook page.

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Pentagon Mandates COVID-19 Vaccine for Civilian Workers

All civilians working for the Defense Department and the military services must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by Nov. 22, under new guidelines released earlier this month.

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Navy Recovers Helicopter, 5 Sailors Killed in Crash That Prompted Pause in Flight Operations

The Navy has recovered the five crewmembers and MH-60S helicopter that crashed
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3 Brothers Reunited After 50 Years Include an Army General and An Army Colonel

Maj. Gen. Edmonson was reunited with his younger half-brothers, Brian and Army Col. Eric Jackson, at Fort Knox. Edmonson’s father was stationed in Germany when he learned his child had been given up for adoption.

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As Afghanistan Sinks Into Destitution, Some Sell Children to Survive

A housecleaner in Herat, Afghanistan, said she may have to hand her three-year-old daughter over to a man to settle an insurmountable debt of $550, illuminating the starvation crisis in the Taliban-controlled country.

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Another excerpt from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: This shows that not everything is serious in the military.

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I Hope I Can Swim!

There weren’t always serious times in the military.

One day after we were done with shooting at the range in basic training. The regular platoon leader had to go to headquarters, and he asked a Warrant Officer to march us back to the buses.

The Warrant Officer had never led a march before and it was very clear that he was not in control. The men whispered to each other that we needed to follow his commands completely, but only if they were Army regulated.

Well, the Warrant Officer had no idea what the Army regulations were for marching troops, so he just told us to start marching. We didn’t move. He shouted, “Let’s go!” We still didn’t move. Then a passer-by soldier told him the wording was “Forward march!” 

He said “Forward march!” We started marching. He wanted us to do a turn at a street corner, and said “Turn right!” We kept going straight. He was heading us toward a boat ramp leading down to the ocean. He saw what was happening, and yelled, “Stop!” We didn’t stop! He shouted “You’re going into the water, stop!”

By this time the front of the platoon was in the edge of the ramp and had water over their boots. He was again getting desperate. He ran over to some other soldier watching “the show,” and begged them to tell him what he is supposed to say. He said yell, “Platoon halt!” He did, but by that time there were some men swimming, and laughing I might add.

The platoon leader didn’t get mad when he heard what happened. He even chuckled to himself, and then he called the Warrant Officer to apologize.

Have you ever gotten confused with some orders you have received in the military? Were they in such a way that you had to question them? Let me tell you that it is OK to question a command or orders if you stay with the guidelines of the Army manual.

If an officer asks you to do something you aren’t comfortable with you could say, “No disrespect sir, but could you explain that order to me?” You could also say, “I would like to say “Respectively sir that I will do what you say, but I am not comfortable doing it.”

Any good officer will not chew you out for statements like that. My son, who was a colonel, had times when he had to give soldiers commands, and I am sure if they questioned him, he didn’t punish them or he didn’t become angry. I met many of his soldiers when I visited him on base, and every soldier I met said that my son was a soldier’s soldier. Meaning, they knew he was in charge, but they also knew that he would listen to them if they had a disagreement.

In your life it is wise to be open to others who may disagree with you. It may make you uncomfortable, but in the long run, the other person will respect you for listening to them even if you stick to what you first advocated.

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There is more to this chapter, but I am cahllenging ypou to buy the book to read the rest of it. 🙂

If you want to see more excerpts, keep coming back. Better Yet, go to the top of this page and slick on “Subscribe.” When you do all future posts will come directly to your inbox.

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Hey, how’s it going my friend? Has the world sent you lemons? Do you dread going to sleep?

FEAR NOT!

There are 13,270 fellow veterans subscibed to this site who have your back.

BUT! If the going is just too rough 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 they know you are OK.

1-800-273-8255…texting838255.

____________________________________________

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.