Mariupol teeters as Ukrainians defy surrender-or-die demand

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Russian ship sinks after battling a fire that Ukrainian forces claim was caused by their missile attack
A Russian cruiser that Ukrainian forces claim they hit with two missiles has sunk, the Russian Defense Ministry reported Thursday.

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DOD identifies remains of WWII pilot and Medal of Honor recipient Addison Baker

On April 8, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency identified the remains of Lt. Col. Addison Baker, a posthumous Medal of Honor recipient from World War II.

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North Korea tests ‘tactical guided’ weapons, condemns US-South Korean drills
The initial estimates peg the projectiles as more limited in range than a launch March 24 of an intercontinental ballistic missile that was theoretically capable of reaching the U.S. mainland.  North Korea has conducted at least 11 other rounds of missile tests so far this year.

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Mariupol teeters as Ukrainians defy surrender-or-die demand

If Mariupol is captured, Russian forces there are expected to join an all-out offensive in the coming days for control of the Donbas, the eastern industrial region that the Kremlin is bent on taking after failing in its bid to seize Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.

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In Lviv, displaced artists create anti-war, anti-Russian work

Ukrainians feel a need to tell the world — and especially Russians — what has happened here. The country’s contemporary artists find themselves at the forefront of that storytelling mission.

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US troops to train Ukrainian forces on howitzers in coming days
The training, which will occur outside Ukraine, will teach Ukrainian forces to operate the 155mm howitzers. They will then return to the fight and train other Ukrainians to use the American cannons, the official said.

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Zelenskky: Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine has begun

Russia launched its long-feared, full-scale offensive to take control of Ukraine’s east on Monday, attacking along a broad front over 300 miles long, Ukrainian officials said in what marked the opening of a new and potentially climactic phase of the war.

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Two short stories about my own Uncles who fought in WWII. They are my heroes.

My Uncles in WWII

My Uncle Dwight Wood was a WWII veteran. He had a hard time sharing his time in the military, so I wasn’t able to interview him directly, but I did get some idea of what he went through to help defend our country.

Uncle Dwight was the driver of a tank during the war. One day he was in the tank with two other soldiers. A Japanese soldier climbed onto the top of the tank and threw a grenade down into the tank where they were. The grenade instantly killed one of the men right next to my uncle, and my uncle and the other men were wounded with fragments from the grenade. My uncle was given the Purple Heart, and to his death he would not talk too much about his time in the military. The event of seeing his buddy killed right before his eyes was too overwhelming, and it had haunted him until his death. They didn’t even know what PTSD was back in WWII. It was called, “Shell Shock,” back then.  This is a classic case that shows that thousands of WWII veterans surely lived with PTSD all of their lives. 

Another person who was a WWII veteran was my Uncle Claude.  He was a Seabee. The Seabees were an extremely important part of the military. They built bridges, forged roads through the brush. They built sleeping quarters for the troops. It hard to say how many lives were affected by their heroics, but they were very much admired by the rest of the troops.  I never got to ask him any question about his time.

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I will be sharing some more endorsements in my next post. Be sure to come back and check them out. Better yet…go to the top of this page and click on subscribe. When you do all future posts will come directly to you 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 14,345 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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An Army General Intervened in a Sexual Harassment Case in the mIlitary

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Military news…

Army Maj. Amanda Feindt had been told by the Navy that the water at their Ford Island neighborhood was safe to drink. Then her 4-year-old daughter began throwing up.

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The Facebook page for the largest military hospital in the Pacific Rim was hijacked by an angry person demanding money.

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“The glowing dome of the Capitol stared at us, as I stood next to one of the soldiers in my company, staring back, both of us feeling strange within our body armor.” That’s from Maine National Guard Capt. Jonathan Bratten, who wrote about the surreal experience of responding to the Capitol Hill riots one year ago on Jan. 6.

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A truck driver and Marine Corps Reservist took the time to whip up an improvised breakfast for his fellow motorists stuck on Interstate 95 earlier this week.

(There are many kinds of heroes.)

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An Army general personally intervened on Saturday after a Marine was recently accused of sexually harassing several women online.

(Major General Johanna Clyborne was the General who intervened.)

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The mini F-16 owned and operated by the Civil Air Patrol Wisconsin Timmerman Composite Squadron.

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I have a wonderful endorsement that came in today from General Jim Jaeger, for my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and out of the trenches of life. I will share it with you on Monday.

I have many similar endorsements that have come in from WWII veterans; Iraq and Afghanistan veterans; Gold Star families, Plus prominent CEOs from some of the top non profit military organizations.

Keep coming back to see more of their input. 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? Have you lost faith in our world?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 13,620 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.

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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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Nurses Were a Vital Part of WWII in Many Ways

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Military news…

“Thus, my first impression of sexual assault in the military was shaped by sarcasm and derision.” That’s from Lt. Col. Dillon Fishman, a judge advocate in the Marine Corps Reserve,  about the Corps’ halfhearted response to sexual assault accusations early in his career.

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Poland calls on NATO to send more forces amid concerns about Russia
President Andrzej Duda said a beefed up military presence along NATO’s eastern flank is needed given concerns over Russian’s intentions in the region.
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Japan doubles its supplementary defense budget to meet growing security challenges

This marks Japan’s biggest supplementary defense budget ever, according to defense officials.

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VA secretary warns veterans care could suffer with continued stop-gap funding measures

Democrats are seeking a 10% funding increase for the VA in fiscal 2022, bringing its total budget to nearly $270 billion. Forcing a 10-month continuing resolution would keep the VA at last year’s budget of $243 billion — an amount last negotiated under Trump’s administration.

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Julia Kabance, nation’s oldest female WWII veteran, dies at 111

Julia Kabance, 111, the nation’s oldest living female World War II veteran and oldest living member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, died Tuesday, the tribe announced. She served from 1943 to 1945 in the Women’s Army Corps.

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Remains of NJ soldier killed in WWII identified 76 years after he went missing in Germany

Larry S. Wassil, of Bloomfield, was leading a three-man reconnaissance team scouting enemy positions near Bergstein in late 1944 when he disappeared, the U.S. Department of Defense said. Wassil and the two other soldiers scattered when Axis forces began firing on them.

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My wife and I went to my wife’s sisters home for Thanksgiving Day. My brother-in-law’s parents were both WWII veterans. He was able to fly with his mother to Washington D.C. for her to be honored by President Obama. She was a nurse and shared many stories with me about her service. Turns out she was a “tough,” nurse with a golden heart.

I wrote about her in my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military; in and out of the Trenches of Life.

I will share an excerpt about her in an upcoming post. Come back to check it 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. (Just do it!)

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Checking in on you my friend. How are you doing? Do you have dreams about your service time? Are they nightmares?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 13,440 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!

____________________________________________

+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.