Too Much Pain and Suffering Going on in Kabul, Afghanistan

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Military news…

This news report will not be very reassuring, but I have to report the truth.

Massive crowds of Afghans trying to escape. Chaos and bodies on the streets of Kabul. Taliban fighters lurking everywhere. These are just some of the sights U.S. troops are witnessing as they arrive in the capital of Afghanistan to evacuate Americans and Afghans while the Taliban seize control of the country, shown in this collection of pictures taken by professional photographers in Kabul.

Crowds, chaos, and Taliban fighters everywhere: What US troops are seeing on the ground in Afghanistan

soldier in afghanistan at kabul airport
Crowds, chaos, and Taliban fighters everywhere: What US troops are seeing on the ground in Afghanistan

Crowds, chaos, and Taliban fighters everywhere: What US troops are seeing on the ground in Afghanistan
Crowds, chaos, and Taliban fighters everywhere: What US troops are seeing on the ground in Afghanistan

Taliban fighters take control of Afghan presidential palace after the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Crowds, chaos, and Taliban fighters everywhere: What US troops are seeing on the ground in Afghanistan

Taliban fighters patrol the streets in Herat on August 14, 2021. 

Crowds, chaos, and Taliban fighters everywhere: What US troops are seeing on the ground in Afghanistan

Taliban fighters drive an Afghan National Army (ANA) vehicle through the streets of Laghman province on August 15, 2021.

Crowds, chaos, and Taliban fighters everywhere: What US troops are seeing on the ground in Afghanistan
Crowds, chaos, and Taliban fighters everywhere: What US troops are seeing on the ground in Afghanistan

Afghan people climb atop a plane as they wait at the Kabul airport in Kabul on August 16, 2021, after a stunningly swift end to Afghanistan’s 20-year war, as thousands of people mobbed the city’s airport trying to flee the group’s feared hardline brand of Islamist rule. Five people died trying to stay with the outside of the plane when it took of.

Crowds, chaos, and Taliban fighters everywhere: What US troops are seeing on the ground in Afghanistan

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN-AUGUST 16: Thousands of Afghans rush to the Hamid Karzai International Airport as they try to flee the Afghan capital of Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 16, 2021. Those who aren’t airlifted yet are being killed and the women and children captured to face horrible future.

Crowds, chaos, and Taliban fighters everywhere: What US troops are seeing on the ground in Afghanistan

Marines heading to Afghanistan to help with the departure of thousands of Afghans.

There are many more pictures coming in, but I think you see the horrible pictures and what they mean.


I have discontinued sharing excerpts from my up coming book, Signs of hope for the Military: in and out of the Trenches of Life.

You can check out the archives to find some excerpts. I also suggest you subscribe to this blog to find out the latest news, and more excerpts coming later.

The book will be going to the publisher by SEPTEMEBER.

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What’s up in your world. Are the clouds bringing storms in your life?

FEAR NOT!!

There are over 12,800 fellow veterans subscribed to this site who have your back.

If the storm looks to heavy for you, 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 face the storms alone!

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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Sexual Harassment, and Rape Are too Common in the Military

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Things are heating up now that President elect Biden is choosing his cabinet. The following example shows you what I mean:

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Once again, lawmakers must decide whether to allow a retired general officer to serve as defense secretary even though he has been out of uniform for less time than the seven years required by law.

Retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin left active-duty in 2016 after 41 years of service. He is a Silver Star recipient and has had extensive command experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he would also be the first Black man to lead the Defense Department.

Slotkin, a former CIA analyst who worked with Austin when he was on active-duty, said she has deep respect for the retired general. 

However, the defense secretary’s job is to ensure civilian control over the military, added Slotkin, who served as acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs from 2015 to 2017.

“That is why it requires a waiver from the House and Senate to put a recently retired military officer in the job,” Slotkin said in the statement. “And after the last four years, civil-military relations at the Pentagon definitely need to be rebalanced. General Austin has had an incredible career — but I’ll need to understand what he and the Biden Administration plan to do to address these concerns before I can vote for his waiver.”

Biden added that he understands and respects the reason why officers are legally required to be out of uniform for a certain period of time before assuming the mantle of defense secretary.

“I would not be asking for this exception if I did not believe this moment in our history didn’t call for it – it does call for it – and if I didn’t have the faith I have in Lloyd Austin to ask for it,” Biden said.

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Sexual harassment, or even rape, has been going on for far too long in the military. I have a whole chapter in my new book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In an Out of the Trenches of Life, on rape, and an interview with a nurse who took care of two women who had been raped. Heart breaking stories.

The Supreme Court on Thursday delivered a big win for survivors of sexual assault in the military by closing a loophole that allowed three convicted rapists to walk free.

“I fought so hard to get the justice to have him put away for what he did,” Air Force veteran Harmony Allen told CNN about her rapist, Master Sgt. Richard Collins, in an article last year.

Collins raped Allen in August 2000, but he was not convicted until 2017. But a year later, a 2018 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (CAAF) instituted a five-year statute of limitations on military rape cases between 1986 and 2006, and Collins walked free.

“To have that ripped away after finally getting it is so hurtful and crushing and it just questions my belief in the justice system,” Allen said.

CAAF’s 2018 ruling reversed decades of precedent. Under Article 120(a) of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, rape is one of several crimes that is punishable by death in the military, and thus has no statute of limitations. But in 2018, CAAF pointed out the Supreme Court’s 1977 ruling in Coker v. Georgia that the Eighth Amendment forbids a death sentence for the rape of an adult women. 

So if rape cannot be punished by a death sentence under the Constitution, CAAF reasoned, then military rape is not a capital offense and thus is subject to statutes of limitations. But the Supreme Court disagreed.

“Respondents argue that the logic of the decision in Coker applies equally to civilian and military prosecutions, but the Government contends that the military context dictates a different outcome,” wrote Justice Samuel Alito in his opinion. “Among other things, the Government argues that a rape committed by a service member may cause special damage by critically undermining unit cohesion and discipline and that, in some circumstances, the crime may have serious international implications.”

Further, while Coker led to Congress changing the maximum penalty for rape in civilian cases from death to life imprisonment, Congress made no such change in the UCMJ, the justice wrote.

“On the contrary, in 2006 Congress noted that death would remain an available punishment for rape,” he added.

Alito pointed out that the “trauma inflicted by such crimes may impede the gather of the evidence needed to bring charges. Victims may be hesitant for some time after the offense about agreeing to testify. Thus, under current federal law, many such offenses are subject to no statute of limitations.”

A former Chief Prosecutor of the Air Force celebrated the decision.

“The unanimous nature of this opinion is a testament of just how wrong the lower court’s opinion was,” said Col. Don Christensen (ret.), president of the advocacy group Protect Our Defenders, in a press release. “Justice has been restored for three survivors and hope has been restored for countless others.”

Justice Amy Coney Barrett did not vote in the decision because the case was argued in October, before her confirmation.

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The Christmas rush is, hard at best, to handle. Then there is the ugly pandemic raising up even more.

How are you holding up, my friend? Is the rush and the world too fast for you?

You are not alone! There are over 10,350 other veterans on this site who have your back.

BUT! If it is just too overwhelming for you, 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.

Don’t live in this world alone!

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!

_______________________________________

+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.

Special Goodies for Our Veterans Who Deserve it

+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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My last post was so well received I am going to post another one like it. This one will have different type of events for you to check out. Go back to my previous post to see all the restaurant deals.

Special Guests
Nov. 4 – Q&A with Marine Veteran & WWSuperstar Stephen Kupryk
Nov. 5 – “Chief Chat” with Medal of Honor Recipient Jack Jacobs
Nov. 6 – ViT Veterans Day Gala Broadcast w/ Snoop Dogg, Kevin O’Leary
Nov. 12 – “Chief Chat” with Medal of Honor Recipient Florent Groberg
Nov. 24 – “Chief Chat” with Medal of Honor Recipients Gary Beikirch & Gary Littrell

Parades

Nov. 11 – Veterans Day Virtual Parade Edinburg, Texas
Nov. 11 – New York City Veterans Day Events & Parade
Nov. 11 – 101st Annual Veterans Day Parade Leavenworth, Kansas
Nov. 11 – Virtual Charleston Veterans Day Parade
Nov. 11 – Tarrant County Veterans Day Motorcade Fort Worth, Texas
Nov. 11 – Greater Dallas Veterans Day Parade
Nov. 11 – Douglas County, Oregon Veterans Day Parade
Nov. 11 – San Fernando Valley Virtual Veterans Day Parade
Nov. 11 – Elma, Washington Veterans Day Parade

Celebrations/Observances
Nov. 1 –  All Veterans Tribute! – Emporia, Kansas
Nov. 5 – Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Branson, Missouri
Nov. 5-10 – Veterans Village in Branson, Missouri
Nov. 5 – Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame
Nov. 5 – Virtual Flag Raising – Coatesville, PA
Nov. 5 – Vets for Vets Celebration Show in Branson, Missouri
Nov. 7 – 100th Veterans Day Celebration Warsaw, North Carolina
Nov. 7 – Cullman Veterans Day Celebration Vinemont, AL
Nov. 7 – Free Meal – VFW Post 6441 Wimberley, Texas
Nov. 7 – VETFEST Louisiana 2020
Nov. 7 – Carnegie, Pennsylvania Free Library American Legion Day
Nov. 7 – Orange, California Field of Valor 2020
Nov. 7 – Veterans Expo Celebration Henderson, Nevada
Nov. 7 – Veterans Vehicle Procession Auburn, Washington
Nov. 8 – Virtual Veterans Tribute Program Auburn, Washington
Nov. 10 – Hampton, Virginia Medical Center Virtual Veterans Day Ceremony
Nov. 10 – Bronx, New York Chamber of Commerce Veteran Heroes
Nov. 11 – ***National Observance Arlington National Cemetery***
Nov. 11 – Veterans Day 2020 Loveland, Colorado
Nov. 11 – Veterans Day Commission Events Mobile, Alabama
Nov. 11 – Virtual Veterans Day Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Nov. 11 – Minnesota Virtual Veterans Day
Nov. 11 – Veterans Day Ceremony New Jersey
Nov. 11 – Veterans Day Celebration Norwalk, Connecticut
Nov. 11 – Veterans Day Virtual Ceremony Green, Ohio
Nov. 11 – Virtual Indianapolis Veterans Day Service and Ceremony
Nov. 11 – Dayton, Ohio Veterans Day Ceremony
Nov. 11 – Veterans Day Ceremony St. Robert, Missouri
Nov. 11 – Veterans Day Virtual Ceremony New Jersey
Nov. 11 – Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Virtual Veterans Day Ceremony
Nov. 11 – Phoenix Virtual Veterans Day Celebration
Nov. 11 – Veterans Day Ceremony Brea, California
Nov. 11 – Veterans Day at the National Korean War Veterans Memorial
Nov. 11 – Virtual Veterans Day Truckee, California
Nov. 11 – Virtual Remembrance Ceremony Auburn, Washington
Nov. 11 – Veterans Day 2020 Irvine, California
Nov. 11 – Connecticut Veterans Day Ceremony
Nov. 11 – Virtual Veterans Day Tribute Orange, California
Nov. 11 – Scouting Salute to Service Members and their Families
Nov. 16 – The Roll Call Punta Gorda, Florida

Employment
Nov. 2 – Virtual Career Fair for Veterans and Spouses
Nov. 3 – Texas Hiring Red, White and You, Virtual Job Fair Prep
Nov. 4 – Government Contracting Certifications for Veterans
Nov. 4 – Arming Vets to WIN in the Federal Marketplace
Nov. 5 – Tips for Dealing with Job Rejection
Nov. 6 – Ohio Veterans Hiring Overview

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So how’s your day my friend? Are you facing the world we have to live in today? Do the days seem too long?

If you are struggling and are facing a heavy burden, you are not alone! There are close to 10,000 fellow veterans here that have your back.

However, if the the world is weighting you down too much and you need help, GET HELP!

Here is a tool free number to call that has highly trained counselors to help you. They will not hang up until they know you are OK.

1-800-273-8255 Option # 1

___________________________________________

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 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.