Category: struggling

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Military Spouses Are Very Vital to Helping Their Loved Ones

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Military News…

Russia.” That’s what one former teammate of Peter Debbins said in court documents about the former Green Beret. Debbins, 46, was sentenced last week to more than 15 years in federal prison after admitting he passed secrets to Moscow for years. It sounds made-up, but unfortunately for Debbins’ former teammates, who now feel like they have to spend their whole lives looking over their shoulders, it’s all too real.

‘Stop the social experiment’ is one of several biased views that women face in Army special operations, according to an internal survey sent to Haley Britzky. Forty percent of women in Army special operations say they’ve faced gender bias in the workplace, Haley writes, and many said that, unlike men, they are assumed to be worthless as soon as they walk in the door. On top of that, they also have to deal with issues like ill-fitting body armor, inadequate childcare and the false impression that they get an easier time through the selection process than men.

Constant mobilizations may be pushing the National Guard to the brink
More mobilizations. More time away from jobs and families. More strain on the Guard.
The Air Force wants to ‘enhance’ and ‘augment’ its ‘draft beer capabilities’

The Air Force is calling for additional self-serve beer taps at its on-base bar and grille at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.


 Ranger training battalion commander relieved for making ‘derogatory’ comments about subordinatesA Ranger Training Battalion commander was relieved last month after making “derogatory comments” about soldiers training to become Army Ranger.
The Air Force has deployed its drone-killing microwave weapon to Africa

The Air Force is currently testing a prototype of its new drone-killing microwave weapon “in a real-world setting” in Africa, Breaking Defense reports, a major step forward for the service’s directed energy efforts.
Military spouses are the backbone of the military
The United States military is the finest fighting force in the world, ready to deploy anywhere within 48-hour notice. A combat-ready unit cannot operate without logistics, communications, and of course, family support. While they don’t wear uniforms, military spouses are fundamental in keeping our forces domestic and abroad focused, supported, and ready to go.
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The last aritice is special to me. I feel that spouses are vital to the military. In my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life, I have a whole chapter on the subject.

I talk about my own daughter-in-law being a spouse to my son KC. He spent close to thirty years in the service and she was by his side the whole way.
As many of you already know, when your spouse is deployed, you are it. You have to make all the decision, pay all the bills.
My son was deployed to Iraq two time and he was gone for two years total. My daughter-in-law was wonderful spouse during all of this. She never wavered.
I want to also mention that not all spouses are women as far as staying home. Many men are spouses to women soldiers.
It is tougher for them to survive, because they do not have the massive support groups like the women have.
When they need help it is hard to know where to go.
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One of my favorite moments of all time was when I able to be at FT Lewis when the plane carrying my son landed from Iraq.

We were in a hanger waiting them to march into view. You could hear them coming because they were doing cadence.

Then the head of the group started coming into the hanger. I could see my son amongst them.

He didn’t know I was there. That made it even more special. He was very excited to see me and his wife.

These stories and much more are in the book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the trenches of life.

+ Keep coming back to read updates on how the book is doing. Better yet, subscribe right now by clicking on the subscribe button at the top of this page. When you do all future posts will come directly to your inbox.

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Were you deployed and was away from family? Did you cherish the reunion when you came home? No? Did your spouse leave you? Did people not even come to meet you?

Fear not!

There are over 12,000 fellow subscribed to the site, and they have your back.

However, if you life is spinning out of control, 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. This is all free!

Never be alone if you are hurting.

1-800-273-8255 Option # 1

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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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Losing a Buddy in the Military is hard, at best, to Accept

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A day late again. Sorry about that. I am still struggling with pain after my surgery. I see the doctor tomorrow.

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I see some interesting things developing in our country. This weekend Donald Trump will be speaking at a huge gathering. This is his first public speech since he left office. Should be extremely insightive.

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Today I am going to share an excerpt of my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

I am leaping ahead here to my time deployed to South Korea. I have many stories about there in my book.

One of the pluses of joining the military was that I was able to sign up under the buddy plan. There were two other guys I enlisted with. We all went to high school together.

We had basic training together. We had Signal Corp training, and we were sent to Korea together. When we got there we were scattered to three different locations. Our training was needed at several spots.

Did I face the loss of a friend while deployed? Yes I did. One of the other friends never made it back to the states alive. He contracted some ugly virus, and died in Korea.

I took it very hard, but not to the point of PTSD. Back then they never heard of PTSD. They labeled mental stress as “Shell Shock.”

I did lose another buddy while in Korea. He got extremely drunk one night. As he came back to Camp Red Cloud from the village, he was wavering and struggling to stay on his feet. He accidently feel into a “Honey Bucket,” and suffocated. (A honey bucket in Korea is the name of a waste ditch that human waste is dropped into to fertilize their crops.)

It was a horrible death. I that was also very hard on me.

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I will be sharing excerpts from, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life, from time to time, to let you get the feel of the book.

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Checking in on you now my friend. Did you lose a buddy in the military? Was it extremely hard to accept it. Did it cause you to have PTSD?

You are not alone!! There are over 11,570 fellow veterans here on this site, that have you back.

Many have been where you have been.

If there is no way you are able to handle things right now, 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.

DO NOT take in this not so friendly world alone.

1-800-273-8255 Option # 1

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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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So Many Unsung Heroes in the MIlitary That we Need to Honor

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I wasn’t able to post on Friday. I had surgery on that day. It was to replace a battery in my defibrillator. Still slowly recovering today.

I can see you weren’t too excited about my post last Wednesday. It was a report about sexual harassment and rape. Sorry if it offended you, but we have to face it and follow through in helping those afflicted.

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Times are not exactly fun right now. Our country is in turmoil. Lots of verbal fighting. Seems there a division right down the middle of our country as to beliefs.

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There are many reports of heroic feats by the military. That tells me that people in the military are special people. Here is a story about another hero:

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Marine awarded for saving drowning couple from rough waters in California.

When Cpl. Jordan Perez heard a couple calling for help, he ripped off his boots and sprang into action. The Marine saw two civilian kayakers, their vessel capsized in the waters of 21 Area Boat Basin, a training section for amphibious vehicles at Camp Pendleton, California that opens up onto the Pacific Ocean.

It was around 1 p.m. on Feb. 15, and large, sharp boulders in the basin had caused strong waves that flipped the kayak, leaving the kayakers struggling in the water.

“That’s when I took action,” said Perez in a recent press release. A combat engineer with 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, Perez was working at a nearby construction project when another Marine noticed the drowning couple. “I took my boots off and just started swimming.”

The Marine swam 250 meters through the choppy waves to reach the kayakers. He grabbed the woman’s hand, pulled her back on the kayak and started pushing the boat back to the rocks. The woman’s husband could swim, but he started panicking halfway to the shore. Perez swam back to the man, put a life jacket on him, and continued pushing the woman to safety.

Perez was in the right spot at the right time: while other Marines also noticed the drowning couple, he happened to be training with a retired reconnaissance Marine to prepare for assessment and selection with the Marine Raiders. Part of that training includes swimming two hours every day.

“That [training] takes away any hesitation that comes with putting your own life at risk,” Perez said. “Since I had been training, I was confident that I could get myself out there and get those people back.”

Perez was awarded a challenge coin from Brig. Gen. Dan Conley, the commanding general of Marine Corps Installations West, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, on Feb. 19th. Though Perez technically does not fall under Conley’s command, the general wanted to personally thank him for what he did. A challenge coin is presented to Marines who go above and beyond, and any further awards will be processed by his chain of command, the press release explained.

“I’d like to believe a lot of people would do what you did, but I know they wouldn’t,” Conley told him. “So, to hear it actually happen is just amazing. That was really gutsy of you.”

But it’s just par for the Corps, as far as Perez is concerned.

“It’s what Marines are expected to do,” he said.

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His instinct saved lives, and left yet another reminder how special our military is.

Do you have a story about a hero? Share it in the comments below. I would love to post it.

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Time to talk about you. How are you doing? Is everything going in the right direction, or has your path been altered?

You are not alone. There are over 11,550 fellow veterans here who have your back.

Of course if your struggling is too hard for you right now, GET HELP!

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

Never take on this crazy world alone!

1-800-273-8255 Option # 1

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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.