Category: war crimes

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Life in the Private Sector May be Difficult After Your Time in the Military

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Military news…

US soldiers just showed Russia how a competent army performs a bridge crossing

This is exactly what we would be doing in a combat environment.”

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Inside the US military’s modern ‘island hopping’ campaign to take on China

History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.

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The Navy is firing a lot of officers and saying almost nothing about it

Since May 31, six commanding officers and one command master chief have lost their jobs.

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Why Ukraine’s wins against Russian aircraft should worry the US Air Force

“Penetrating contested airspace is only part of the challenge — and it may not even be the most important one.”

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Iran is once again playing chicken with the US Navy

Three fast inshore attack craft from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy were recently caught on video harassing the US Navy. 

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No, aircraft carriers will not be useless in a war with China

A lot would have to align before China’s military could successfully hit a carrier at sea with a ballistic missile under wartime conditions.

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2 soldiers who just wanted to go home early wound up pulling a man from a burning truck

Two classmates found themselves putting out a vehicle fire and saving the driver together on an Oklahoma highway.

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I am trying a different size of font. Let me know if you like this size better. _______________________________________________________________

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

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Are You Trying to Finish the Race With a Broken Leg?

You have spent several years of your life serving your country. You have had many months of stress, and pain. You may be still in the trenches, or you may be already out in the private sector.

As the time gets near to facing the outside world, separate from the military, are you ready? Do you have a plan? If you are already in the private sector, have you attempted to fit in, or are you hiding from others?

What I have said here doesn’t fit most of you, but there are some who are having difficult times thinking about the future. You worry about the new approach to living. You were used to the strictness, and regimented type atmosphere, and fear that this approach will not be too acceptable in your new environment. Then you are facing a world where you make all the decisions. Some of us do not do well with no one in authority over us.

In the private sector, we have to find a new normal. The first goal at this time is to release the past. The second goal is to plan for the present. The third goal is to look to the future.

Treat each new day, in the private sector, as if there was just a new fallen snow and it has provided a white blanket for you to walk on to form a path that only you take and others follow.  

After we join the private sector, we expect our lives to suddenly be happy, trouble free, and victorious. We forget that victories come only after we fight battles and win. 

There shouldn’t be this barrier between you and what you are trying to accomplish. It is tough enough to survive in this world without other factors digging into your thinking process.

Having stress about facing the new world is like having a broken leg and trying to finish a race. It can be done, but the pain, and agony is almost unbearable.

Help yourself by taking time before you leave the military to study the ways of cooperation’s. Learn how to adjust to the new status quo. Don’t go into a new situation cold turkey.

Read up on life after the military. There are books that can guide you to walk the right path to help ease you into the new world.

Go to night school and get some college credits. There are also online courses you can take no matter where you are in the world. My son was able to get two Masters Degrees while in the military, and this helped him get a very nice job when he retired.

My first few months after I got out of the military were pretty stressful because I had a family. I had to provide, and there weren’t too many jobs to be had. I had to work at jobs I didn’t really like. Some were down right degrading, like the story I told you about working on the “chain gang,” railroad crew.

But I slowly adjusted and eventually found a job in teaching that was very good for not only providing for my family, but was rewarding as well.

Take on this world with vigor, and courage. It is almost as daunting in the private sector as it is in the deserts of Afghanistan. You are a brave soldier for facing that challenge, and I am sure you will be just as brave in the private sector. You will achieve your goals and be a very productive citizen, who has a big feather in their cap. The feather of valor, and commitment, because of your time you served your country.

IWILL

Don’t think that people will look down on you for being a soldier. It may happen from time to time. I went through that when I was a teacher, and invited my son Colonial K.C. Bolton to come and speak to my class. He was honored to come, and the principal even had him speak to the school.

However, there were a couple of the teachers who were anti-war, and wasn’t happy that a soldier was coming to speak. They let me know about it, and I stood my ground. I said I was very proud of my son, and since I was a veteran as well, I felt they were also attacking me.  That quieted them down a little, and they even recanted their thinking after hearing my son share the need for bravery in each of the children’s lives. It was a wonderful talk and the children loved him.

I once said in a talk during a book signing,” Let people feel the weight of who you are, and let them deal with it.”

Think on this

Isn’t it funny how people want to be protected and yet frown on those who do the protecting?

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I would like to put in a plea to you today. I would love it if you would subscribe to my site. I work very hard to provide with the best information on what is happening in the military world. I also share excerpts from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life. This book is written for you, the veteran. It shares my own military stories, and thoughts on how to survive with PTSD, TBI, and many other things. If you will help me, I would again love if you go to the top of this page and click on subscribe. When you do all future posts will come directly to your in box, and I will be a happy man.

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Checking in on you. How are you doing? Is everything going OK, or are you fighting back memories?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 15,219 Veterans on this site who have your back.

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If you are battling mentally, but you are losing, 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 not 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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Ukrainian strikes against Russian vessels are more than just lucky hits

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Military news…

Soldier who ran into burning helicopter in Vietnam War honored with street name

Sgt. Gary McKiddy was a member of the 1st Squadron, 9th Calvary Regiment, 1st Calvary Division, when he was killed in action May 6, 1970, at age 20 in Cambodia after pulling fellow soldier Spc. Jim Skaggs from a burning helicopter.

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The Navy is unprepared to fight in two conflicts at once with current fleet size, the service’s top officer tells senators
The current fleet of about 298 ships “is not sized to handle two simultaneous conflicts,” Adm. Mike Gilday, the chief of naval operations, said during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

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Ukrainian strikes against Russian vessels are more than just lucky hits

The destruction of at least eight Russian vessels in recent weeks points to an emerging strategic effort to break a Black Sea blockade that is strangling the Ukrainian economy.

North Korea fires 3 ballistic missiles off its eastern coast, South’s military says

North Korea launched three short-range ballistic missiles off its eastern coast on Thursday, according to South Korean military officials.

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Finland will apply to join NATO in decision welcomed by US and allies

Finland’s announcement of its intent to join NATO, prompted by Russia’s war on Ukraine, reverses Finland’s quasi-neutral status, which dates to the Cold War.

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US intelligence officials warn of prolonged war in Ukraine as Russia expands territorial goals
Fighting in Ukraine will be “significant” in the coming months as Russian President Vladimir Putin sets his sights beyond conquering the eastern Donbas region to building a land bridge across the entire Ukrainian Black Sea coast, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

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Here is another “interview” with WWII veteran. I sat down to interview him, and after the first question, he never stopped talking.

I sat down with WWII veteran Bob Kosta, who is still alive at 97 years old recently, and had a very pleasant surprise. After I asked him one question, he talked for an hour about his experiences:

What rank did you have?

CPL.

I was sent to France to fight in the war with Germany. On the way there our ship’s propellers broke down, and we were dead in the water. There were German subs in the area. We were very lucky to get the propellers fixed before we were spotted. (Near death experience # 1)

Once we landed we pushed our way into the center of France.

While we were maneuvering we came across a cave full of Russian lady’s, who were hiding from the Germans. If they would have been found, they all would have been killed. We got them to safety.

Then at another spot we were pinned down by enemy fire. A buddy and I could only find one spot to hunker down. It was in a furrow. Whereas trenches are over six feet deep. a furrow is only about 12 inches deep, so some of your body was still sticking up. My buddy and I figured we were goners at that time.

Then we heard some equipment making noise behind us. It was two tanks. They came over the top of both of us and they opened the hatch and pulled us in. (Near Death Experience # 2.)

Then we came to some concentration camps. One was full of military people. We set them free. We also came to another centration camp full of Jews. We set them free too.

At another time our vehicle was lost. We tried to find our convoy, and saw one up ahead that we got in behind a followed. After a while we realized it was a German convoy, and exited left. (Near death experience # 3)

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Talk about a wild ride! Bob is a hero in my book. A true greatest generation person. Come back often, because I have at least two other WWII interviews. The both had near death experiences as well. Better yet…go to the top of this page and click on Subscribe. When you all future posts will come directly to you inbox.

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This Military Appreciation Month, I hope you will take an extra minute to recognize the sacrifices made by our Nation’s service members.

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Checking in on you. How are you doing? Is everything going OK, or are you struggling?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 14,700 veterans on this site who have your back.

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

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If you are battling mentally, but you are losing, 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 not 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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Kyiv Asked for a New Kamikaze Drone to Fight Russia. The Air Force Delivered Phoenix Ghost.

+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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Military news…

The Pentagon is on the hunt for new weapons it can quickly get into Ukrainian hands

Anti-tank weapons and air defense missiles top the list.

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Russia releases Marine veteran Trevor Reed as part of prisoner exchange

Russia and the United States have carried out a dramatic prisoner exchange, trading a Marine veteran jailed by Moscow for a convicted Russian drug trafficker serving a long prison sentence in America, both countries announced Wednesday.

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More than half of the 90 US howitzers bound for Ukraine now delivered
Ukrainian troops now have more than half of the 90 howitzers that the U.S. pledged them to help beat back a Russian attack in the country’s eastern region, chief Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday.

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China protests another ‘routine’ US Navy transit through Taiwan Strait

The Navy sent another guided-missile destroyer through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, the fourth U.S. warship to make the trip this year.

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Kyiv Asked for a New Kamikaze Drone to Fight Russia. The Air Force Delivered Phoenix Ghost.

The U.S. Air Force has provided Ukraine with at least 121 Phoenix Ghost drones, a new lethal unmanned aerial weapon that the Pentagon is reluctant to share much information on.

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The Belarusian Railway Workers Who Helped Thwart Russia’s Attack on Kyiv

A clandestine network of railway workers, hackers, and dissident security forces disabled and disrupted the railway in Belarus that the Russian military planned to use to supply its soldiers in Ukraine. 

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i have been sharing some military interviews with you from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life. Here is another one.

Interview with SFC William Trent

I was honored to be able to interview SFC William Trent. He was an Afghanistan veteran.

You are from El Paso, Texas. It can get very cold there.

Yes, it can.

So, do you have family?

I am divorced, but I have three children.

When did you get into the service?

Right out of High school. I was seventeen.

What were your duties when you were in the service, especially in Afghanistan?

I was in Dessert Storm as well.

You mentioned you had a couple of buddies killed.

Actually, twelve of my buddies were killed.

How were you able to handle that?

You don’t allow yourself to think about it.

Were you very close to any of them?

I was close to all of them.

Why did you enlist in the first place?

It is a family tradition. My brothers and my grandfather enlisted. I was honored to serve my country.

(Interesting in that I also had a family tradition. My three uncles served in WWII. My brother and I served, and my son retired recently as a Colonel in the Army.)

Would you go back in again?

OH yah!!I wouldn’t change anything I served 22 years.

If there was one thing you could change, what would that be?

I would spend more time with my family. My job came first back then.

What would be your advice to soldiers who are struggling?

Don’t give up! If you are deployed, or getting ready to be deployed, do not think about it.

Do you have PTSD?

Yes, and because of this I recommend that it be mandatory to get counseling when you are getting discharged from the military.

What did you do while you were in the Army?

I was a sniper.

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There is more to this interview. he goes one and talks about what it is like to be a sniper, in my further interview.

Keep coming back to see more interviews from my book. 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? Is everything going OK, or are you struggling?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 14,540 veterans on this site who have your back.

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

______________________________________________________________

If you are battling mentally, but you are losing, 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 not 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.