Category: upcoming book

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While Deployed in the Military, Loneliness Sucks the Life Out of You.

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Military news…

‘Tanks and mud are not friends’ — Ukraine’s terrain is proving to be a problem for Russian armor

“Eastern Europe is either frozen or it’s muddy, that’s just how it is.”

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The Army is now letting soldiers pick their first duty station


Make sure to read the fine print, though.

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Congress takes step towards granting free health care to millions of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans

It’s one of many needed.

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Where is the Russian Air Force? Experts break down why they might be hiding


“It is clear to us that Russia is losing aircraft and helicopters at a damaging rate.”

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Putin likens sanctions to ‘declaration of war,’ says invasion pushback risks future of Ukrainian statehood

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday said that sanctions and pushback from leaders in Ukraine and around the world in response to the invasion are risking “the future of Ukrainian statehood.”

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Zelenskyy ‘desperate’ plea to US Congress: Send more planes

Fighting for his country’s survival, Ukraine’s leader made a “desperate” plea Saturday to American lawmakers for the United States to help get more warplanes to his military and cut off Russian oil imports as Kyiv tries to stave off the Russian invasion.

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My take….

Putin is directing his bombs on residential areas. Apartments etc. Very barbaric. He is desperate.

He is even losing support from his own military officers. The parliament is not happy either.

An interview of a young teenager in Russia, says he is not happy with his countries choices. He says the allies should help to end this war.

Up to fifty Russian planes have been shot down. 44 tanks have been destroyed. A whole convoy wiped out. Many helicopters destroyed. Seems to be that the Ukrainians are holding tough.

Over 11,000 Russians have been killed.

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Here is another chapter from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the trenches of Life. This one is about the loneliness you face when deployed.

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Loneliness Sucks the Life Out of You

I have written about loneliness already in this book, but I think one of the biggest battles a person in the military may battle is the loneliness that creeps up on them.

Many civilians do not understand how you can be lonely when you have so many other soldiers around you.

It may be hard to comprehend, but all those other soldiers are from all over the country, and do not relate to your needs of needing to connect with your home. They all have their own worlds of loneliness from not hearing from their own loved ones.

I think the worst time of my own loneliness was while I was stationed in Korea. We were stationed on a small base called Camp Red Cloud. There weren’t a lot of soldiers there. I was with the Army Security Agency, and we were there to help keep the peace plus monitor the radio waves to make sure there were no breaches of security.

Being there made me really feel isolated. I was in a foreign country that didn’t speak my language.

That was only part of it. We realized once we settled in to our duties that the people there didn’t want us to be there. We heard rumors about people throwing rocks at the military trucks as they drove from one place to the next. We were protecting them from North Korea, and they wanted us to leave. Didn’t make sense to me, and I am sure it didn’t make sense to any of you who have gone through the same thing.

My task was to be stationed on top of a high hill-they were all numbered- outside of the camp monitoring the radio waves for breaches of security. My hill was hill 468. Talk about being isolated. It was just one person, alone on top of that hill for twelve hour shifts. I was alone inside a deuce and a half ton truck that was full of radio equipment.

The silence was deafening! Just a slight scratch on the roof of the truck had you grabbing your rifle and aiming it at the door. We had antennas attached to the roof to help us get good reception, and the wind often caused the antennas to rub against the roof of the truck. It sounded like someone was on the roof.

You had to be tough. You couldn’t call down to the camp and ask someone to come up. The rest of them had to go through the same things and they knew exactly why you would be calling. No sissy people allowed!!

During the twelve hours shifts you had free time to think, and I mean deep thinking. It wasn’t good to have such long quite times. You thought about home. You thought about that girlfriend waiting for you. You thought about the fun times you were missing, such as fishing in the lake near the farm where I grew up.

So, I know what loneliness is all about. I know what you each have gone through. I feel your pain.

Loneliness is something we allow to happen. We let it creep into our system like the plague. We don’t fight it enough to make it go away.

After about a month of battling the loneliness in Korea I came up with some ideas to conquer loneliness, and survive. Hopefully it will help you as well, if you are deployed or even a veteran back in civilian life:

  • Write a journal. Don’t worry about what to write, just write. I wrote about some fun times I had in high school. I wrote about the biggest fish I ever caught as a youngster. I even wrote about being bullied in grade school. By putting down the good and the bad, I was able to release my feelings down on paper. It was like I was having a session with a counselor, only on paper.
  • I became an avid reader. Reading takes you into another world. A world you become a part of. You feel the pain; the happiness, and the fear the characters go through. They become family and you are guided through their lives in in a way you can learn about coping in your own life.
  • Send letters home. I know many of you now have SKYP and many other ways to communicate, but the written word seems so much more personal to me. Sending a letter to your family is a direct connection that I can almost guarantee you they will cherish, and keep forever.

Among the books I read was the Bible. I read it every day. I found comfort through many of the passages. I recommend Psalms, Isaiah, Jerimiah, Genesis, and Proverbs from the Old Testament and all of the New Testament.

Don’t let loneliness control your life. Take steps to rid the darkness that it can cause in your life. God is always there for you. He loves you. He even loves me warts and all.

IWILL

Loneliness is a direct cause of depression, and sadness. Try to fill your life with things you enjoy. Don’t sit and think of negative things. Don’t hide from the world where you are stationed overseas. Find things to fill your day that will change your attitude, and give you hope.  

Think about this

Isn’t it great that the more we communicate the happier we are?

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Come back and read more chapters from the book, Signs of Hope for he Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life. 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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Checking in on you. How are you doing? Did you face loneliness while deployed?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 14,104 veterans on this site who have you back. (BTW…on my last post there were 14,068. That is an increase of 36 in just two days. The subscriptions are skyrocketing right now, and I am very pleased.)

Here is what I am asking you to do…please share this site with other veterans you may know. It has helped so many.

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If you are battling mentally, because of your love for others, but it isn’t working, GET HELP!!

Here is a toll free number that you can call 24/7. There are highly qualified counselors there to help you, and they will no 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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Putin Has Bitten Off More Than He Can Chew and It is Costing Him Dearly.

+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.

________________________________________________________________

Military news…

Navy to proceed with court-martial of sailor accused of torching USS Bonhomme Richard

More than 60 people were injured fighting the fire, which damaged the $1.2 billion ship so badly it was later scrapped.

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First time caller, long time listener provides tips on guerrilla warfare for public radio

“For the average population, the Molotov cocktail is a very important tool.”

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‘The Ghost of Kyiv’ is the first urban legend of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

(This hero has shot down at least six Russian planes already in the short war.)

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US military spouses in Europe organize impromptu donation drives to aid Ukraine

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UN to hold 2 meetings today on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

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Ukraine seeks to join EU as round of talks with Russia ends

As outgunned but determined Ukrainian forces slowed the Russian advance and sanctions crippled the Russian economy, the military confirmed that its nuclear forces were on high alert, following President Vladimir Putin’s order.

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EU shuts airspace to Russian airlines, will buy Ukraine arms

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My take…

1.Putin has bitten off much more than he can chew. There are 44 million Ukrainians who will not let him take over their country. Citizens by the thousands have taken up arms, and moved the the front to fight.

2. Russia is taking heavy losses. Dozens of their planes have been shot down. A whole caravan of trucks and their men surrendered to the Ukraine forces. Dozens of tanks have been lost.

3. Many of the Russian soldiers do not want to be there fighting. The morale is getting very low.

4. Over 4,000 Russian soldiers have been killed.

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I am in awe of the support you have been showing me here. In the last three days ninety one new people have subscribed. That is amazing and I thank you.

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I will share another excerpt from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the trenches of Life, on Wednesdays post. Come back to check that out. Better yet.. go to the top of this page and click on subscribe. When you do all future posts will directly to your inbox.

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Checking in on you…How are you doing? Are you struggling with memories?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 13,997 fellow veterans here who have your back.

If you are battling mentally, because of your love for others, but it isn’t working, GET HELP!!

Here is a toll free number that you can call 24/7. There are highly qualified counselors there to help you, and they will no hang up until they know you are OK.

1-800-273-8255…texting 838255

_______________________________________________________________

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.

Posted on

Have You Ever Done Something in the Military You Are Not Proud of…Me Too

+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.

Military news…

US Says Russia Has a List of Ukrainians to Kill or Detain After an Invasion

U.S. officials told the U.N. human rights chief of “credible information” that Russian forces have a list of Ukrainian citizens to be killed or sent to detention camps following an invasion and occupation of the country.

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Russia launches full-scale attack on Ukraine

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Pentagon worried the ‘Nintendo Generation’ can’t survive boot camp because their bones are weak

“The ‘Nintendo Generation’ soldier skeleton is not toughened by activity prior to arrival, so some of them break more easily.”

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Here’s what those mysterious white ‘Z’ markings on Russian military equipment may mean

‘They’re different from what you normally see on Russian vehicles.’

(No actual proof, but it is said they have a “Z” to separate them from the Ukraine equipment, which looks very similar. )

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Biden: US troops will not fight in Ukraine

“Our forces are not and will not be engaged in a conflict with Russia in Ukraine.”

(Not happy with this.)

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Generation Z has a simple message when it comes to World War III: Please don’t draft me.

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Russian naval assault on Ukraine could mean greater control over waters shared by US Allies Russian attacks on Ukraine from the Black Sea ultimately could give Moscow more control over an area transited by U.S. and allied naval ships under normal circumstances.

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‘Russian warship, go f— yourself’: Guards who died refusing to surrender will receive top honors, Ukraine says

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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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Really?

Has there been a time in the military that you weren’t proud of? I had an incident that still bothers me to this day. On one of my days off in Korea I was invited to ride with a courier to the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone.)

I thought it would be very interesting, so I accepted the invite. The driver drove pretty fast in the open area. I was white knuckling it much of the way. We did slow down when we went through some villages. The people saw us and yelled at us because they didn’t want us there. This was hard to understand since we were saving them from the enemy. I was glad I couldn’t hear what they were saying.

We came to a farm area which had thousands of acres of rice paddies. In each field there was a deep hole with human waste in it. The people used their own human waste to fertilize the fields. We also saw the local farmers dipping the “honey buckets,” into the hole to get some of the waste out.

I saw an older farmer walking along the road with along pole across his shoulder that had a bucket on either side full of the waste. The driver dared me to spin the farmer with my hands. At that time of my life, I did stupid things to be accepted.

I reached out as far as I could as we passed the farmer. I caught one of the buckets, and this caused the farmer to completely spin around. I looked back and the farmer was screaming at us with human waste dripping from him.

The driver said, “Welcome to the club!” I guess there was a group of people that thought they were special being the one that knocked a defenseless old man down.

I immediately felt remorse for what I had done. I found out I was taken advantage by a guy, who hated the Korean people and did whatever he could to make their lives miserable. That made me even more remorseful.

I learned from this that you need to respect others and what they are doing to help their families. I realized in retrospect that if someone asks you to do something you know isn’t right for you to do it isn’t a group of people you want to be a part of.

We got to the DMZ. What a depressing place that was! It was a very small outpost with guards watching the North Korean soldiers on the other side of the DMZ.

They let me look through some powerful binoculars and I could see a North Korean soldier looking through his binoculars back at me. It was a very odd feeling. He was just another guy like me, but he would probably shoot me if he could.

Today, there is still strife between the two countries, and North Korea seems to be taking on the world on their own.  There is still the DMZ. There are still soldiers looking at each other through binoculars. Nothing much has changed except the lives of those who had to serve in Korea.

They had to come home to try to cope in the private sector. They had/have to adjust just to survive.

I can say that it is hard to block out some of the negative aspects of our military service. It is hard to change thoughts from the active duty mind-set to the different world of the private sector. It took me a while to clear my mind and concentrate on the future. I had to realize that I needed to move on and start a new adventure. I needed to think about the next day of my life and all the days after that instead of dwelling on days gone by.

I never regretted serving my country. I would do it again if I were able. I’ve learned that I just need to be thankful that I have another day on this earth and should seek what I can do to better my life and the lives of others.

IWILL

We have all done some things we are not proud of. We need to correct any wrong doings we have done, by asking for forgiveness or making sure we show others the negative consequences of what we do to others.

Some soldiers, returning to the private sector, have issues that stay with them from their time in the service. I understand this. I have had to re-group myself. The key is to do something about it. Don’t hide your feelings. Get the right help to get you back on track in life. There are many resources in the back of this book to help you on your way down your new path.

Think about this

Isn’t it sad how people think they’re cool when they bully or belittle someone?

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There will be more excerpts coming. Come back often 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 you doing? Are you struggling with memories?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 13,9010 fellow veterans here who have your back.

If you are battling mentally, because of your love for others, but it isn’t working, GET HELP!!

Here is a toll free number that you can call 24/7. There are highly qualified counselors there to help you, and they will no hang up until they know you are OK.

1-800-273-8255…texting 838255

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.