Category: Veterans

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The Transition to Civilian Life is Tough For the Military

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Just saw a video about Swedish soldiers in training. They looked awesome. They will be great at helping us defend. They are just one of many allies who are preparing for battle.

This tells me that we are in good shape at this time. We had trouble getting support in the past. Very reassuring.

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There are rumors that President Trump is going to have the National Guard watching polling places. What do you think of that? I am in favor of that after seeing how many cases of fraud and destroying of ballots have occurred already. What ever we can do to have a vailed election.

My state has had mail in ballots for years. Seems to work here, but states that have never had it before have too many chances for mistakes.

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I lost a very close buddy a couple of weeks ago. He was a veteran like me. He was out riding his bike and had a heart attack. The loss is extremely hard. Still grieving over it.

Have you lost a Military buddy? I have lost three total. Each one was devastating to me.

Two were while I was on active duty. I shared these stories in an earlier posts.

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What many of us face when we get out of the military is acceptance. The transition is hard, at best. Some adjust quickly, but others who deal with PTSD, TBI, depression, etc., have a hard time facing the world. It is those that I am reaching out to in my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of life.

I share my own stories, and then relate them to the reader as how to overcome their fears.

One story I shared in the book was about a day I was on Hill 468 in Korea. I was running a line for teletyping. I was to listen to the airways for breaches of security. As I was doing this the light and the equipment started shutting down. I went out and found that the generator was out of gas.

I climbed up on the big generator with a can of gas. Just about when I was finished, I started to fall. I was going to land very hard if I didn’t grab something. Unfortunately what I grabbed, was the manifold of the generator. It severely burnt my hand. I got back into the hut with severe pain. The skin was burnt off of my left hand.

Now what??

I had to continue to monitor the airways. I had to use only my right hand to operate things. My left hand was wrapped in a make shift bandage.

Why didn’t I radio down to the headquarters for help? My military training taught me that I can’t leave my post. Stay there and be strong.

I used that story to reach out to those who face trouble and want to run. Face your problems no matter what.

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Remember:

You are nor alone.

You are not forsaken.

You are not 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 for the site, please let them know about it. Your comments will not be seen by other people, just me, and I will connect with you to see if you are OK to share it.

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Sad, but Honest Endorsement by a Daughter Who lost Her Dad to Suicide

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I was going to share some more stats, and short stories about veterans, but today I am going to get you caught up on how my book is doing.

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I keep getting more endorsements by the day. Here’s a very appreciated endorsement from a daughter who lost her WWII father to suicide:

Learn from the best, Douglas Bolton, U.S. Army Veteran who has written a great book for all veterans, active duty service members of all branches, military families, friends and non-veterans. It provides a thorough understanding, knowledge, and the real stories among those who have served and their families that compliment today’s American Veterans.  Signs of Hope for the Military: In an Out of the Trenches of Life can make a big difference in today’s understanding of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and its affects.  As the daughter of Vietnam Marine Veteran that suffered all of his life with PTSD and then finally ended his own life, it will make a big difference in your life as you read the personal stories.  This author does a great job of creating a sense of urgency by calling it a “must-read,” and ends with a powerful “call to action” for the reader. 

Bella L. Burroughs

Daughter of WWII Veteran

Castle Rock, CO

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That really struck home with me. That is why I am writing the book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In an Out of the Trenches of Life.

There are over 22 veterans who take their own lives every day! Yes I said every day. That breaks ny heart, and hopefully this book will help some of them enough that they don’t take that final step.

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I shared a story for my basic training recently. Now I wil share one of the stories of when I was deloyed to Korea.

I came to Korea in not too bad of weather. I would learn later what they meant by, “The land of the frozen Chosen.”

My first day at Camp Red Cloud …

was scary of course. I knew no one! I fet like I was isolated on a tiny island. I got to my Quanset Hut, and unpacked. I was sitting on my bunk, when two guys came in. They were two very different guys. One looked like a line backer for football, and the other was very tall.

The line backer was from Alabama, and was black. The other was a “tall drink of water,” from Texas. They both looked very intiminating. I even wondered if this was a “hazing” like in college.

Instead they both walked up to me and reached out their hands for a shake. They both had a friendly look on their faces. They said they were glad I was there, and if needed anything to let them know. I was overcome with the greeting, and thank them for making me feel welcome

I stuck close to those two guys for the rest of my time in Korea. Why wouldn’t you want a linebacker, and a tall drink of water looking after you?

Those two guys would later get me into a lot of trouble. They loved to have fun, and they wanted me to be a part of it.

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Time to do bed check. How are you doing today? Are you having trouble facing the world?

You certainly are not alone my friend. There are 9,580 other veterans on this site, and they all have your back. Make a comment at the bottom if you want to reach out to them.

If it is getting too overwhelming, GET HELP! There is a toll free number you can call 24/7. It has highly quailified counselors there to help you. They will not hang up until they know you are OK.

Here is that number: 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 for the site, please let them know about it. You may be saving a life. Your comments will not be seen by other people, just me, and I will connect with you to see if you are OK to share it.

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Losing a Buddy in the Military is Hard at Best

+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 for the site, please let them know about it. You may be saving a life. Your comments will not be seen by other people, just me, and I will connect with you to see if you are OK to share it.

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I have been reading about all the upgrading the military is doing in all the different branches. In my opinion, we control the skies.

Why is it happening right now.?It is because President Trump has allocated much more money for the military, and this allows them to more testing and upgrading. I cannot see how anyone could say that Trump doesn’t like the military.

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I lost a dear friend recently who was a military buddy. We were very close. We connected almost everyday on RallyPoint, a Military social network. It was so sudden we all were stunned. Losing a comrade like that is very hard to handle.

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Have you lost a military buddy?

I know exactly what you went, or are going through. It is like losing a brother or sister. They were closer than many family memebers when you served with them.

This is a problem for many veterans who battle PTSD because of the loss.

They replay the loss over and over again in their heads. They can’t shake it. It haunts them even when they try to sleep.

I said I lost a buudy I knew through RallyPoint, but I also lost buddies I served with while I was deployed to Korea. When I enlisted I did it under the buddy system. Two other high school buddies and I enlsited the same day hoping we would be stationed together. It worked out fine. We were in basic training together, and we all got deployed to Korea.

This is when the story gets very sad. One of my buddies didn’t make it home. He died in Korea. It was a strange unknown death in many ways. All They could tell us is that he caught a virus of some kind. I think of him often.

While in Korea I made some close friends. Many of my company did things together. We were a “team.” When one suffered we all suffered. When one was glad we were all glad.

One of those very close buddies of mine got too very drunk one night and when he staggered back the the camp from the villiage, he fell into a “Honey Bucket.” This is a hole in the ground that the people filled with human waste to fertilize their rice.

He fell into one and sufficated. I was numb for a couple of weeks. So was the rest of the team. No one were talking to each other. Just do your job, and head to your qounset hut. (Barricks)

So I have been there with you. I lost three buddies. I am blessed that I didn’t aquire PTSD, but I was severly depressed when i got nack to the states. So much so, I was ready to end my life in 2001. I didn’t, and I am here crying in my beer.

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So now that I totally depressed you, How are you doing? Have you lost a buddy? Has it changed your life? Please do not let this happen. Seek some help if you are feeling this way. Below is a toll free number you can call 24/7. If you are the end of your rope, GET HELP!!

1-800-273-8255 Option # 1

There are highly qualified counselors there to help you. Tey will not hand up until they know you are OK.

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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 for the site, please let them know about it. You may be saving a life. Your comments will not be seen by other people, just me, and I will connect with you to see if you are OK to share it.

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Remember:


You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!