Losing a Buddy in the Service is Very Hard to Face

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This old soldier is having surgery in his mouth tomorrow. Got to take two teeth out that infected. The infection is going down into my body. Not good.

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Military News…

Black airmen 74% more likely than whites to get Article 15, report finds.
Dozens of West Point cadets caught in worst cheating scandal in decades.

Overweight troops are costing the Pentagon more than $1 billion a year.

Airman awarded for braving rocket fire to treat wounded troops during Camp Taji attack.

‘I don’t think I’m special’ says Marine who rescued a baby from a burning car.

Soldier and 16-year-old boy charged with murder of Fort Drum soldier.

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One of the things I really enjoyed while serving, was to get to know some great Afro Americans. (They would rather be called black people.)

There were some during Basic Training, but we were too exhausted to get to know each other. We trained and slept.

During my training at FT Gordon, GA. I met a black man who was an instant friend. He had a mustache, and smoked a pipe during off time. We had some great discussions in the barracks, about racism, etc.

While in Korea I met specialist Jackson. He was black and looked like a linebacker.

One day he and a buddy of his come strolling in to my Quesant hut (Barricks) I was just unloading my gear. It was my first day at Camp Red Cloud.

I thought this may be pick on the new guy time so I was very nervous.

I was very wrong. They both shook my hand and welcomed me to Camp Red Cloud. I became instant friends with both of them. (They were big and strong. Can’t hurt having them on your side.)

Those same guys took me to the base bar. Bad things happened. there.

You will have to read my book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life, to find out what happen.

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Did you meet some good buddies while in the service? Did some of them not come home? I lost two buddies. I know the feeling.

Not to worry!

There are 11.950 fellow veterans here that have your back.

If the losses for buddies is just too much GET HELP!!

Here is a toll free number to cal 24/7.

There are highly qualified counselors there to help you. They will not hang up until they know you are ok.

Never let the bad memories overcome you!

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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Powerful People Are Endorsing Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life

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President Biden is pushing out Military to a stressful level.

He was quoted as saying, “I refuse to have May 1st as my deadline to bring troops home from Afghanistan.” Very blunt, and very non caring remark.

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Antifa attacked Trump supporters in Salem, Oregon.

The outcome was outrageous. The police arrested some of the victims and none of the Antifa goons. What’s wrong with this picture???

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Here is some Military news for you:

Bed bugs have infested an attack submarine. Here’s what the Navy is doing about it.

Sailors aboard the fast-attack submarine USS Connecticut are in a pitched battle against an army of bloodsucking bastards known as bed bugs.

Geoff Ziezulewicz of Navy Times first revealed that the boat’s crew has been tormented by the voracious vermin for a year. The six-legged terrorists have been reportedly running amok since the Connecticut took part in an Arctic naval exercise in March 2020, causing crew members to avoid their racks in an attempt to avoid getting bitten.

The Seawolf-class submarine has reportedly been moored at Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton in Washington since December. So far, the Navy’s efforts to exterminate the interloping insects with extreme prejudice have failed. Crew members have told Navy Times that they feel their command has not responded quickly enough to the boat’s new insect overlords.

Sailors reportedly tried to sleep in chairs and on the floor of the crew’s mess because they were getting eaten alive in their racks, one petty officer told Navy Times. Having sleep-deprived sailors aboard the submarine when it was deployed created dangerous working conditions, another crew member said.

While the Navy received its first reports of the bed bug infestation back in December, it wasn’t until around Feb. 19 that inspectors actually found hard evidence that the critters had invaded the USS Connecticut, said Cmdr. Cindy Fields, a spokeswoman for Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet.

The Navy responded by inspecting sleeping areas, removing mattresses, laundering all linens and clothes, and cleaning all floors and surfaces aboard the boat, she said.

“Two Navy entomologists arrived March 4, to direct hands-on efforts,” Fields said.  “After two applications of pesticide and an initial application of diatomaceous dust, the entomologists directed sealing efforts to deny likely harborage to insects invulnerable to pesticide application, and oversaw additional application of diatomaceous dust and efforts to draw insects out of hiding and into contact with deadly countermeasures.” 

The entomologists have recommended having the Connecticut’s crew members return to their sleeping areas, but one sailor told Navy Times that the crew is being used as live bait to see if any bed bugs have survived the cleansing.

Fields said the entomologists have certified that the Navy has done all that humans can to eradicate the bug menace, including two applications of Navy-approved pesticide.

“All appropriate countermeasures have been taken with plans firmly in place to address further breakouts underway if they occur,” Fields said.

Normally, Task & Purpose would recommend using nuclear weapons against the bed bugs, but as the Navy only has three Seawolf class submarines because they are so expensive — the USS Connecticut cost $6 billion alone – other methods must be sought.

Because some scientists don’t always have the ‘ground truth’ perspective of professional bug slayers, Task & Purpose reached out to a grunt in the Bug Wars.

 “Usually, the preferred method for bed bug elimination is heat,” said Jesse Jardim, owner of Superior Bed Bug Solutions in Alexandria, Virginia.

“So, you elevate the temperature to about 135 degrees and maintain that for about three hours – 125 and above will kill them in seconds but you’ve got to make sure it permeates everywhere.”

However, Jardim added that he did not know how sensitive the instruments on submarines are to heat.

Bed bugs are tough to kill, said Jardim, who has a client in Baltimore who found the insects in an office building that had been vacant during the past year.

“So the bed bugs have survived there for a year with no one there,” Jardim said. “That just goes to show how tough they are.”

Officially known as Cimex lectularius, Cimex hemipterus and Leptocimex boueti, bed bugs may not look like much but they are actually evolving constantly. 

A scientific study on bed bugs found that their “genome sequence shows genes that encode enzymes and other proteins that the bedbug can use to fight insecticides, whether by degrading them or by preventing them from penetrating its body.”

In other words: Their survival is genetically coded into them, and they seem capable of adapting to pesticides the way human beings adapt to the weather, by shrugging it off and carrying on with their day-to-day. It also helps the species’ survival that they reproduce at a rate that would make most rabbits blush.

Bed bugs can be found anywhere people sleep or spend time, including homes, movie theaters, and, yes, even submarines, said Brittany Campbell, staff entomologist at the National Pest Management Association.

It can be hard to verify some infestations because bites alone are not considered proof of a bed bug presence, Campbell said.

“Bed bugs are notoriously difficult pests to control and eliminate, usually requiring multiple treatments and a variety of tactics,” Campbell said. “They are cryptic creatures that typically stay well hidden behind walls or inside bed frames, and can be found inside almost any item that provides a dark shelter.

“Aside from being small and well hidden, they have also developed resistance to many products that are used for control, hence why it is important to use a variety of control tactics for elimination,” she said.

Submarines also provide nearly limitless spaces where bed bugs can avoid detection, said Phillipe Maxwell, a former submariner who used to work for Jardim as a bed bug inspector.

“There are probably billions of tiny nooks and crannies that a pest could get into – like, billions,” said Maxwell, who left the Navy as a petty officer second class.

By design, submarines include piping and spaces that humans can’t reach, all of which are ideal hiding spaces for insect invaders, said Maxwell, who thankfully did not have to deal with bed bugs when he served aboard a submarine.

“I think if it’s not caught early, then it’s probably going to be years before that submarine would be declared clear, just because of all the places vermin could go within the submarine,” Maxwell said.

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I told you that I wasn’t going to share any more excerpts for now.

Instead I would like you to read some very powerful endorsements from very powerful people.

  1. Although ‘Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life’ wasn’t written for men only, it brings honesty and openness to veterans, military personnel and men in general about feeling ok to express fears and emotional challenges in a difficult world.  US Army Retired Veteran, Mr. Douglas Bolton brings his personal stories to life in a way we all can relate to and gives a big “you’re ok” for revealing our shortcomings and encourages us to open up and talk.  A must read for those seeking healing and forgiveness from ourselves and those wanting a fresh look on life. 

Steve Durgin, Founder & CEO with Victory For Veterans Foundation. 

2. Signs of Hope for the Military: in and Out of the Trenches of Life, is a must read book for any military, which are hurting from PTD, TBI, anxiety, depression, etc. It has extensive valuable and doable suggestions for successful cope mechanisms. I have also enjoyed Doug Bolton sharing his own stories about his time in the military. He shows that he has been there and done that. This makes him very qualified to offer his advice, guidance and support.  

I applaud Doug for his insight and wiliness to share. I know you will too.

Colonel Dona Marie Iversen

New York City, NY

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How are you doing my friend? Things not going your way? Is the darkness is closing in?

Fear not!

There are over 11,700 fellow veterans on this site who have your back.

Please know that things are just too tough now that you should 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.

Never face the darkness 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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+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.

We Have All Had Some Frightening Times While Deployed

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This old soldier is battling Pneumonia. Getting somewhat better with the antibiotics they are feeding me. Not ready to run a marathon yet though.

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

I had some frightening times in korea, on Hill 468 while working up there. One time it was very foggy, and I could hear noises coming from the shed area where all the gas and generators were.

That wasn’t a good thing, because there were “slicky boys,” (thieves,) always trying to steal from the military.

I kept hearing it so I opened the door of my hut and fired a shot, plus I yelled at the top of my lungs. Still couldn’t see anything, but the next morning when the fog cleared. I could that someone had been there.

No one was actually there, but over by the main entrance was a pair of torn-up tennis shoes, and blood on the barbed wire surrounding the compound.

Figured a slicky boy thought he could steal because no one could see him.

He paid a price for his wrong doing.

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Are you strong and facing this not so friendly world? Do you still have dreams of times when you were in the trenches?

Fear not! There are over 11,650 fellow veterans here, who have your back.

Of course if your path is too tough then you need to 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 that know you are OK.

Never take on this world alone!

1-800-273-8255 Option # 1

__________________________________

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.