Category: you served your country

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Do Not Forget Our Service Members Who Are Deployed During the Holidays

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Military news…

Cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point fumbled the annual tradition of stealing the Naval Academy’s mascot, a goat named Bill.

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A retired National Guardsman received the kidney of his good friend and fellow guardsman earlier this year, greatly improving his health and sparing him a long wait for a transplant.

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Hundreds of Marines are moving into a moldy barracks in North Carolina that have signs of poor maintenance, including cockroaches, rampant mold, and missing beds and furniture.

(Not right!)

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Speaking of Marines, the Corps may seek input from junior Marines to help determine whether officers or senior enlisted leaders are selected for promotion.

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The Navy is researching a new technology that could help sailors and Marines navigate in places where the Global Positioning System just doesn’t work.

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Veterans Military Sexual Trauma Disability Claims Still Not Being Handled Properly.

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Almost All Active-Duty Sailors Are at Least Partially Vaccinated Against the Coronavirus.

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Russia Preparing to Attack Ukraine by Late January: Ukraine Defense Intelligence Agency Chief.

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Thousands of Afghans Evacuated During U.S. Withdrawal Awaiting Resettlement

The federal government is still in the process of resettling roughly 45,000 Afghans housed in temporary camps on eight U.S. military bases.

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I have very exciting news. I have found a publisher. Their name is BookBaby. I am talking with them now, and will be sending my manuscript to them soon.

Keep coming back to read further details. 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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How are you doing my friend.? I know this is a hard time of the year for some of you. We have military that are not home for the holidays right now. Please do not forget them. If you are one of them,

FEAR NOT!!

There are over 13,400 fellow veterans here who have your back.

If the sadness is 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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There Are Times When We Are Proud of What We Did in the Military

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Military news…

Lt. Cmdr. Charles Cranston, a security officer with U.S. Fleet Forces Command’s Anti-Terrorism Force Protection unit in Norfolk, was arrested last week on sex trafficking charges in Virginia.

(sick!)

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The Air Force promoted a major who posted the personal information of an alleged sexual assault survivor to social media and her official newsletter, then denied posting that information before an ethics committee, and was recently censured by the Idaho House of Representatives.

(Also sick!)

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A cadet at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point got his forehead signed by the legendary actor Bill Murray, and took a video to prove it.

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The Marine Corps Commandant’s radical new talent management plan would allow civilians with critical skills to join the Corps without going through its infamous boot camp

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“To me, it does not make sense to be retiring the MQ-9 … There are lots of other platforms that I would retire before this.” That’s from aerospace expert Todd Harrison, who voiced his disapproval of the Air Force deciding to retire the MQ-9 Reaper drone by 2035.

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It’s a common trope that military service ends marriages, but have you ever heard of it saving a marriage? That’s what happened to Army Sgt. 1st Class Richard Sloan and his wife Denise when his team leader actually embodied the “People First” initiative the Army is trying hard to put into action.

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I am sharing another excerpt from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches o life.

Honors Marching Soldiers

During my basic training there was an opportunity to be an honor guard for our battalion. I didn’t seek the position, but my drill sergeant told me I was going to try out. When your drill sergeant speaks, you listen.

I went to the first “work-out,’ and quickly knew I had a rough road of stern practicing ahead of me. They not only had you doing constant, repetitive, drills, but your boots had to shine so much you could see your face in them. 

I made the squad, and then we really concentrated on things we would do while we were marching. We did cadence songs. There was twirling of the rifles in mid-air. Then we also did a halted maneuver of putting our rifles to the ground and tapping them twice and the flipping them up to our shoulders in one movement.  

We were in a local parade in Monterey, California. This was the town near Ft. Ord where I did my basic training. We marched and sang our cadence. We twirled our rifles and tapped them on the ground. The crowd loved it, and we felt very proud to be representing the Army.

Have you had moments that you were proud of while you were in the military? I would love to hear about them. Just send your stories to the email address at the back of this book, and I will have compiled them into a book for all to read.

It is important to feel proud. It is important to feel like you are doing something others really like you doing. It is important that you soak in these moments and keep them in your memory banks for later in life so you can look back to your military service with pride, and dignity.

We all have had our not so happy moments in the military, but there are also many times of joy, fun and excitement. Cling to those times, and let the others float away like a cloud.

IWILL

Some people want to forget about their time in the service. Many of them are Vietnam veterans. I was so ashamed of our country when I started hearing stories of the grief and verbal attack our soldiers had to endure when they came back from Vietnam.  I come from a military family. I had three uncles in WWII. My brother and I served, and now my son is a retired Colonel from the Army. He served two tours in Iraq, and has received many accommodation medals, including two Bronze Stars.  

I also have two brother-in-laws who served in Vietnam. Their stories may never be told, because of their reluctance to want to share much about their time there. I completely understand, but I am still very proud of their service to their country, and the fact that they put themselves in harm’s way for you and me.

Take time to let a veteran, or current military person know how much you appreciate their time in the service. I try to do that every time I see one. They may not say much, but “thank you,” but I know personally that it means a great deal to them.

Think about this

Isn’t it sad how some people say things, for no reason at all, that hurts others?

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What you see at the end of this chapter is what will be at the end of every chapter in the book. The IWILL section is for further thoughts, and it stands for, Important words in Life’s Learning.

The Think about this, will also be at the end of every chapter. It makes us think and ponder.

Come back and see more excerpts…better yet go to the top of this page and click on “Subscribe.” When you do all future posts will directly to your inbox.

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Bed check… How are you doing? Does the days seem dark and dreary? Do you dread sleeping at night?

FEAR NOT!!

There are over 13, 430 fellow veterans here who have you back.

However, if the dark and dreary days are just too much, 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.

I-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.

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Do You Need to be Tough to be in the Military?

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARINES!!

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Military news…

U.S. Bank is proud to honor military veterans. We’re committed to helping you reach your financial goals during and after your military career. That’s why we offer competitive rates on VA home loans so you can buy a home or refinance with little or no down payment.

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The Air Force has relieved a colonel at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma who berated his airmen for not flying a training mission in dangerous conditions.

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No, the Marine Corps is not offering backseat rides in F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets for Marines who re-enlist.

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While we’re fact-checking, the British press may have to correct its claims that British Royal Marines wiped the floor with their American counterparts during an exercise last month, writes retired U.S. Marine Col. Andrew Milburn, who was actually at the exercise.

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Housing veterans living on the streets in LA could spark momentum nationwide, VA secretary says
VA Secretary Denis McDonough, who spoke at the National Press Club, said the VA succeeded in its goal of getting all homeless veterans living in the area known as “veterans row” in Los Angeles into housing by Nov. 1.
Former Marine in Russian prison goes on hunger strike over rights violationsFormer U.S. Marine Trevor Reed, jailed in Russia for nine years after being convicted over a drunken 2019 incident he did not remember, declared a hunger strike to protest violations of his rights in prison, according to his family and lawyers.

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Law saves the day, Army defeats Air Force in OT

Jordyn Law recovered teammate Christian Anderson’s fumble at the goal line for an overtime touchdown and Army defeated Air Force 21-14 on Saturday.

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Yes I have another excerpt for you from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trecnches of Life. . Aren’t I nice? 🙂

Do I Need to Be Tough in the Military?

I spent twelve hour days on hill 468 in Korea. (That’s the number I remember. Each hill was numbered.) You were up there alone to run the whole operation. I worked in a 2 ½ ton truck with a radio shack placed on top of it.  You were closed into a little area where you could reach both walls from where you sat. The shacks were only about eight to ten feet long.

If you had trouble with claustrophobia, this was not the job for you.

One night everything came to a stop. The generator had stopped. I went out to check and it was out of gas. I had to climb up on the generator to put more gas in. I was doing just fine until I slipped. I started to fall off the generator. I grabbed the first thing I could. Unfortunately it was the extremely hot manifold. It burnt the whole palm of my hand.

There was not one person to take my place, as the soldier who was my replacement was on leave. I had to operate the radio system with my hand wrapped in a cloth, and I was in severe pain.

I could have radioed down to the base, but you were supposed to be a soldier first and a cry baby later. I finished the night. Luckily I only had about three hours to go when I had my accident. I was off duty for over a week while my hand recovered.

Have you had a sudden incident change your path? Did you feel like crying out for help, but didn’t think you should because of how tough we as soldiers are supposed to be?

I am sure many of you have while you were in the service, or are still there.

What do we do about this?

I am convinced now that there is no shame in seeking help. There is no time when you should ever feel that your integrity will be hurting if you seek help for something.

It could a minor injury or it could be harassment. It could that you need to see a counselor for some issues you are going through.

The tough guy/gal theory has no place in the military. It is good to be tough when you are in a trench fighting for your country, but when you need some special help, get it.   

Don’t let the rigors of daily military life drag you down like a huge magnate. Seek help for whatever you think you need help with. 

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Be sure to come back and see more excerpts. 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.

Bed check… How are you doing today?Does the world seem dark and dreary? Would you rather stay in bed all day to avoid thiss earth?

FEAR NOT!!!

There ar eover 13,350 fellow veterans subscribed to the site who have your back.

But…if it is just too dark and dreary, GET HELP!

Here is a toll free number to call 24/7. There are highy 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.

___________________________________________

+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.