Category: troops

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Basic Training Has Some Fun Times, and Some Not so Fun Times.

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Military news…

Troops Get Biggest Raise in Ten years

Active duty troops received a 3.1 percent raise thanks to the passing of the National Defense Authorization Act. It was the largest raise in a decade.

For the military the new Act includes the funding to build:

  • Almost 100 new F-35’s
  • 24 new F/A-18’s
  • 155 new helicopters
  • 165 Abrams tanks
  • Nearly 50 Paladin howitzers
  • 10 new Navy war ships- including two amphibious ships, three submarines, three destroyers, and three aircraft carriers.

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As Congress squabbles over funding, National Guardsmen around the country are bracing for the loss of training time and the paychecks that come with it. The uncertainty comes as Guardsmen are still recovering from an extremely busy 2020 that saw them responding to the COVID-19 pandemic; hurricanes, wildfires, and eventually the U.S. Capitol riots in January.

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The first group of Afghan interpreters and their families arriving in the United States will be housed at Fort Lee, Virginia. It’s not clear when the 2,500 Afghans will arrive, but their numbers include about 700 Afghans still applying for Special Immigrant Visas that would allow them to stay in the U.S.

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The Air Force’s top general delivered a laser-guided kick that emphasizes the branch’s commitment to diversity in its ranks. Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown Jr. talks about how, when he’s in the cockpit of an F-16, nobody knows the color of his skin. He’s just “an American airman, kicking your butt.”

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

This is my rifle; this is my gun

When we were in inspection mode in basic, one of the things we had to do was strip down our rifles as fast as we could, clean them, and put them back together again. We were timed. That was in case you were on the battle field, and had to do repairs in a hurry. Our rifles meant a lot to us.

One time our drill sergeant had us in formation, and came in front of each soldier. He would ask us questions to try to trap us into saying the wrong things that pertained to military regulations.

He stepped in front of one of my buddies, and asked him what he had on his shoulder. My buddy said, “This is my gun sir!” That was the worst things he could have said. The sergeant grabbed the rifle and said , “This is your rifle!” The he grabbed my buddy in the groin, and said, “This is your gun!.”

My buddy bent over in pain, but the sergeant wasn’t through yet. He made my buddy step in front of the whole company and yell, “This is my rifle and this is my gun,” as he grabbed his groin. He had to say further, “One of for fighting and one is for fun!” The sergeant made him do this for several days. He also made my buddy sleep with his rifle, to make sure he know the difference.

We need to take our time and think about we are going to say. Often times what we say is something we regret.

When we say something that hurts someone else, all the apologies, or acts to to overcome what you have said will help, but the wounds are still there.

Think about this story when you are getting upset with someone. Is what you are about to say constructive, or are you just going to say something to hurt them?

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This is a shortened story from the book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

Come back and see other excerpts. 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.

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Be check… How are you doing? Did you have some not so fun things happen to you during your basic?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 12,500 fellow veterans here on this site who have your back.

If it is just too overwhelming for you GET HELP!!

Here is a toll free number you can call 24/7.

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

Never let past dreams over come you!

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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The Government is Crossing the Line as to What They feel the Military Should do.

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Military news…

“I’ve read Mao Zedong, I’ve read Karl Marx, I’ve read Lenin. That doesn’t make me a communist.” That’s from Gen. Mark Milley, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who’s had it up to here with everybody accusing the military of being ‘woke’ for teaching classes and recommending books about racism. Milley told federal lawmakers what he thought of their accusations at a hearing on Wednesday, and boy was it spicy.

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The Navy’s also under fire from Republican lawmakers for trying to be less racist, in this story about Adm. Michael Gilday, the chief of Naval Operations, who testified before Congress on Tuesday about why he included Ibram X. Kendi’s “How To Be An Antiracist” on his recommended reading list for sailors. Other books cover artificial intelligence, guides on China’s rise, and profiles of historic Navy leaders.
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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin supports taking the decision to prosecute sexual assault and domestic violence cases out of commanders’ hands, marking a major shift toward a change that military leaders have long opposed. Victims and activists say leaders fail to take action against offenders, but Austin’s top generals are more cautious, especially about opening up the change to other crimes beyond sexual assault.
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I am dumbfounded to see the two reports above about Congress pushing for the learning on how not to be racist. I shared last week that from a survey that showed that the military is the lowest for racism compared to the private sector. There are not black, yellow, brown or white soldiers in the military. They are all brothers.
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I have been sharing many excerpts from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the trenches of Life. Come back often to see the progress. Better yet…Go to the top of this page and click on subscribe. When you do that all future posts will go directly to you own inbox.
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Friday bed check. How are you doing in this not so friendly world. Is it spinning too fast. Do you want it to stop so you can get off?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 12,350 fellow veterans here who have your back.
If this isn’t enough, 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 let this crazy world get the best of you!

1-800-273-8255 Option # 1…for 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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People Are Concerned About the Interpreters in Afghanistan After Our Troops Leave September 8th

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Military news…

At least 1,900 firearms belonging to the U.S. military were lost or stolen in the last decade — the vast majority having come from the Army. That’s from this story by Haley Britzky, who expands on the Associated Press’ reporting of the issue. The missing arsenal includes rifles, machine guns, rocket launchers, grenade launchers, mortars and several mysterious weapons listed as “others.”

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‘I Want the White House’s Hair on Fire:’ Senator Calls for Action to Save Afghan Interpreters

A Maine senator is calling for the U.S. to house tens of thousands of Afghan interpreters and their family members in territories held by NATO countries while their visa applications are being completed.

“I want the White House’s hair on fire” over the pressing need to ensure Afghans’ safety, Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said in a telephone briefing with reporters. “The time is short, and getting shorter all the time.”

King said he has not discussed his idea to temporarily house Afghans in NATO territories with President Joe Biden, but added that he is “trying to think as creatively as possible about how to solve the problem.”

U.S. troops have a mandate to depart Afghanistan no later than Sept. 11, 2021.

King later clarified in the roundtable that he was not suggesting Afghans stay in NATO nations themselves, but territories they held, similar to how the United States holds Guam. This, he said, would give the Afghans a safe place to stay while not compromising the NATO nations’ security.

“Afghanistan is a NATO operation, and there were NATO allies involved along with us in Afghanistan, pretty much from the beginning,” King said. “I think we need to call upon our NATO allies to help with this process, and perhaps to provide a waystation for some of these people.”

He also said the military may need to detail some Washington D.C.-based personnel to the State Department to help plow through a backlog of roughly 18,000 Afghans awaiting processing for their Special Immigrant Visas.

But the State Department’s handling of the Special Immigrant Visa program is troubled and slow, taking more than 900 days on average to process applications for Afghan allies and their dependents. At this pace, by the time the vetting process for many is finished, King said, the Americans will be long gone — and their lives are in danger.

A rapid military evacuation of Afghans would be complicated, King said. Because Afghanistan is landlocked and there is no sealift option, the evacuation would almost certainly have to be done by air.

Further complicating matters: The U.S. Embassy in Kabul on Sunday suspended all visa operations, due to an intense outbreak of COVID-19 throughout the country.

“It’s not only a moral issue, it’s a national security issue,” King said. “This can’t just be business as usual at the State Department. … History judges you for how you go into a war, but also how you leave it.”

King noted that after the Vietnam War, the United State temporarily housed Vietnamese refugees in Guam while similar immigration issues were resolved. Today, some advocates for Afghans are vociferously pushing the government to take the same step now.

King said he’s not specifically recommending Guam as the waystation for Afghans, but that NATO nations may fill that role today, and allow the time for proper processing.

King did not spell out exactly how he envisioned detailed Defense Department personnel might help out with Afghan visas. It could be, he said, that as personnel are transitioned out of remote areas in Afghanistan, they could do a stint in Kabul to help with visa processing.

He cited the need to get the chief of mission at the U.S.’s embassy in Kabul to sign off on visas, helping to alleviate one major backlog.

The U.S. also has a practical motivation for acting here, King said: if it does not help Afghans now, will potential allies in future conflicts risk their own lives to assist America?

“The signal it sends is, do not help the Americans, because when the crunch comes, they’re going to abandon you,” King said. “You cannot operate in a foreign theater without the cooperation and assistance of residents there, who believe in the cause that you’re supporting. But they’re going to have to think twice, if there’s a major bloodbath after we leave Afghanistan and we didn’t do everything possible to solve this problem.”

King stressed that he isn’t calling for lowering screening standards “or simply opening the gates,” as that could possibly allow a terrorist planning an attack to sneak into the country. But, he said, “we’ve got to speed it up.”

He said he has heard from service members who have depended on Afghans as interpreters and guides, and are now “gravely concerned” for their safety.

King said he was alarmed when Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley testified to the Senate Armed Services Committee last week that planning to help Afghans is “working through the system right now.” But in a conversation after the hearing, King said, Milley agreed that this is an urgent problem that requires an “all hands on deck” solution.

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The second story brought back memories for me about South Korea.

There were interpreters need to talk to certain fascists of the enemies force. Chinese, North Korean, etc.

I wondered about this very same thing that the article is talking about. What happens to the special interpreters we used. Never found out, but I hope the military took good care of them.

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I have many more memories from my time in the military. That is why I have written the book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

It has many stories from when I was deployed to South Korea. Some sad. Some scary. Some funny.

Keep checking into this site to see more information about how the book is doing.

Better yet… if you subscribe to this site by clicking on the subscribe button at the top of this page, you will get all future posts I right sent directly to you inbox.

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Another bed check. (I remember those well.) How are you doing? Do you dread going to sleep, because the nightmares are getting worse?

Fear Not!

There are over 12,170 fellow veterans here who have your back. However, if the dreaming is driving you insane right now, GET HELP!

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

Come out of the darkness to the light!

1-800-273-8255 Option # 1 and 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!

__________________________________

+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.