Alcohol Abuse is very Common in the Military

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Military news…

A memorial for the Global War on Terrorism may still be a long way off, but it has taken an important step towards its eventual completion.

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Facing It. “The Harder I Held on, the Further I Felt From Home.”

Drew Pham grieves for the family of the man he killed at war. His peers and commanders told him it was a good kill, but how can a kill be “good”?
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Air Force Discharges 27 For Refusal to Get COVID Vaccine

The Air Force has discharged 27 people for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine, making them what officials believe are the first service members to be removed for disobeying the vaccination mandate.

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Guardsman in Jan. 6 Mob Gets Probation, Still Serving in the Guard

A Wisconsin National Guard soldier was sentenced in federal court Dec. 10 to two years of probation and $1,500 in fines and restitution on one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

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Kentucky National Guard Soldier Returns to Hometown For ‘Deeply Personal’ Mission Following Tornadoes

Kentucky National Guardsmen uncovered the state and U.S. flags while clearing debris last week at the County Courthouse destroyed by a tornado in Mayfield, Kentucky.

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103 Marines Already Separated For Refusing COVID-19 Vaccine

At least 103 Marines have been separated from the Marine Corps for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19, the service said Thursday.

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Army veteran, hit man in killing of Navy officer, awaits new sentencing hearing on death row

Army veteran David A. Runyon, convicted of being the hit man in a murder-for-hire slaying of a Navy officer, was sentenced to death in 2009, but in December 2020 a panel for the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered that the case be sent back to Norfolk for a hearing.

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Another excerpt from my upcoming book, Signs of hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of life.

Not too many left before I stop sharing, so come back often to chek this site out. Better yet… Go to the top of this page and click on “Subscribe.” When you do all future posts go directly into your inbox.

JUST DO IT! 🙂

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Just One More Drink!

I knew some men who were lost in the drinking world. They couldn’t put that glass down. When they drink they would drink to the last drop, not wanting to waste any of it, like a soldier on the desert getting the last drop out of their canteen. 

Alcohol abuse is common in the military. I was a naïve and unknowing boy when I went into the military. I hadn’t done any drinking of any kind. I was right out of high school. 

But once I got to Korea I met some veterans of another kind. They were veteran drinkers.

They wanted me to go with them to the base tavern. I resisted for a while and they kept after me. I finally went with them one night. It was the end of the month, and they were having drinks for ten cents each. I think they said they try to clear out all the booze at the end of the month, because a new shipment was coming from the main land.

Ten cents? Wow! I thought. This is too good of a deal to pass up. I was nearly broke, but I had a couple of dollars. That could buy me twenty drinks. (What a deal!)

I was with two soldiers that I befriended when I got there. One was an athletic looking guy, and the other was a “tall drink of water,” from Texas.

They showed me that they loved to drink. I decided to have my first drink. I asked them what drinks were good. They told me the Zombie drink was especially sweet, and tasty. I had no idea what kind of drink it was. (I should have known just from the title of the drink!) They each also ordered one. They brought the drinks to our table.

The Zombies were huge. They were in a tall glass and had a murky green and brown look to them.

My friends (?) said “Let’s have a drinking contest. Let’s see who can finish their drink first.” I fell for the trap. We all held the glasses to our lips and one of them yelled “GO!” 

I had two gulps down before the burning sensation in my throat started. I thought I had swallowed a nest of yellow jackets! I coughed, and tried to standup.

They guys pulled me back down and said, “You aren’t finished yet. Keep at it.” I wanted this experience to end so I kept drinking. I remember about four gulps, and then everything went black. I was having a black-out.

I didn’t remember the whole rest of the evening, and woke up the next morning lying next to a big truck and having dry heaves. There had to have been people walking by the spot where I was, but no one helped me. They probably just said, “Oh, there is another recruit who just got in.” 

It took me several days to get my life back to a livable state. I had to go to the infirmary to get some medicine to help, and the doctor just laughed and said, “You must be a new guy.” 

So what did I learn from that?

  • Things aren’t what they seem.
  • Friends you are supposed to trust aren’t always good friends.
  • If something looks like it may be wrong, it probably is.
  • You don’t have to do things to empress anyone to make them like you.

Now days, I have a beer once and a while, but I never overindulge. It just doesn’t make sense to me to be drinking just to get drunk. I used to think that non-alcoholic beer was a joke. I also thought, if I am going to drink beer I am doing it for the buzz, not the taste. Now I enjoy the taste, and feel that once I have quenched my thirst that is all I need.    

How about you? Do you struggle with drinking too much? I know it is possible in the military to have down times, lonely times, depressing times, drinking with buddies, where you seem to be attracted to alcohol, because it is needed to drown your sorrows in it.

I suggest to you that the opposite should be true. We shouldn’t be going to the one thing that could give us more depression. We shouldn’t be going to the one thing that could cause us to stop thinking clearly, which is dangerous when you are depressed and lonely.  

During your moment of depression you should be thinking as many positive thoughts as you can. Push out all that garbage out of your brain. Talk to friend. Let them know you are feeling down. Don’t go to alcohol to try to hide your pain. It may cause you more.

IWILL

If we can keep our minds clear of all the negativity around us, we have a much better chance of fighting off the dark side that is trying to cause us pain. We should never, ever think we need alcohol to free us of the mental pain.

Think about this

Isn’t it interesting how we think we are sad, and yet we have so many people around us who want to help?

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Checking on on you. Have things gone wrong from you drinking too much?

FEAR NOT!!

There are over 13,590 fellow veterans subscribed to this site who have your back.

If the dreams just too much for you right now, GET HELP!

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

1-800-272-8255..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.

I Found Out That White Lightning Can Make You Blind, in the Military

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Military news…

The Army is developing a COVID-19 vaccine to fight all variants of the virus, including those that may not yet exist.

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Russian forces could soon push deeper into Ukraine, and this time it may look more like an invasion than the covert campaign Russia has waged since 2014.


“When I opened the door, it didn’t even register at first who I was looking at, and when it finally clicked … words cannot describe the feeling.” That’s from Army veteran Adam Strick, who got a surprise visit on Saturday night from his old battle buddy Mike Fligg. The two spent every day of their 15-month deployment to Iraq together, but they had not seen each other in 14 years.

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A private housing contractor that subjected military families across the country to mold, insect infestations, burst pipes and other problems agreed to pay more than $65 million in fines and restitution.

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A Florida state Senator wants to bring back the old cliche ‘join the military or go to jail’ for criminals.

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Everyone knows reindeer help Santa deliver presents, but did you know they also helped defeat the Nazis? That’s right, about 6,000 reindeer played a crucial role helping the Soviet Army beat the Wermacht back into Germany during World War II.

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rally sweeps

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Holidays are cherished times spent with family and loved ones. Sometimes, due to deployment, or situations outside of our control, we can’t spend holidays with the people we love.

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

This chapter was about my exposure to White Lightening

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White Lightning in West Virginia

While I was stationed at Ft Bragg, North Carolina, we went on maneuvers in West Virginia. We were out in the country hills right in the middle of farm land.

We had time off on one of the days there so a couple of others guys and me went on a walk through the farm land. As we came around a bend, we saw some men sitting up on a hill in lawn chairs laughing and carrying on. We thought we might as well get to know some of the locals.

As we got closer we saw that the men had rifles leaning up against their chairs. I started thinking about the movie, Deliverance. They were all in overalls, and were smoking pipes with who knows what in them. Beards were the style for all of them. They would fit right in with the people of, Duck Dynasty.

We said hi, and they invited us to sit with them for a while. I noticed one of them was drinking out of a Mason jar. It looked like water, but I knew better. One of my friends asked what it was. “We call it White Lightning, here,” said one of the men who looked like he may be the elder of the group.

I was such a naïve young man, that I had no idea what they meant by the term White Lightning. They laughed when I asked them.

They said I should take a taste of it to see for myself. They handed me a jar, and I took a sip. I thought my insides were going to explode. I made some kind of noise, because all the Virginia guys laughed when it looked like I was going to heave.

However, the guys with me were “veteran,” drinkers and they tried a taste. They really liked it and drank the whole jar full. It wasn’t long before they started acting “silly.”

One of them liked it so much he asked for a refill. The “farmers,” had no trouble doing that. My friend sat there and drank another full jar of the concoction. He was getting very dizzy and incoherent about that time.

Then he started screaming, “I am going blind!” He said he couldn’t see. The hosts didn’t seem to get too worried. They said it is common to go temporarily blind for those who are new at drinking it.

It wasn’t funny for my group, and we helped our blind friend back to the camp area. He eventually got his sight back. It must have been interesting for him to explain how he was blinded in the first place.

In life we can start slowly doing things we maybe shouldn’t be, and think that it is OK. We keep doing the things we know we shouldn’t be doing, and then we see we are in too deep and fall.

It is no different than drinking White Lightning. It seems harmless at first, but then we are blinded by the force that has overcome us.

Be careful to always check out what is happening around you, wherever you may be. There things that look innocent, and yet can lead you down the wrong path.

IWILL

All too often there are people in the private sector who try to take advantage of the soldiers when they come home. It could be a scheme to supposedly help you get rich quickly, or it may be people wanting to pilfer money out of you in other ways.  Never jump into any project or new venture without researching everything about it. Let others see what you may be doing and ask for their opinion. You will have many eyes to help you seek the truth for you.

Think About this

Isn’t it interesting that we always believe someone who says they are trying to help us be successful?

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I will be sharing excerpts from time to time, so keep coming back to check this site out. Better yet…go to the top of this page and click on “Subscribe.” When you do all future posts will go directly to your inbox.

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Bed check. How are you doing? Do you have dreams about your service time? Are they nightmares?

FEAR NOT!!

There are over 13,530 fellow veterans subscribed to this site who have your back.

If the dreams just too much for you right now, GET HELP!

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

1-800-272-8255..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.