We All Have bad Moments in Serving. We Do Not Need to Face Them Alone

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A short bit of news sn then a story or two from my service time.

It’s time the US military finally bans troops from joining extremist groups.

The Air Force may change its height standard to hire more enlisted aviators.
The Air Force may soon change its outdated height requirements to hire more career enlisted aviators, particularly women.
Marine Corps releases pregnant Marine physical training handbook.

DARPA is developing an air-launched drone missile that fires air-to-air missiles.

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I have hundreds of stories from my days in the military. What follows is just one of them that will be in my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of life.

While in basic training I was doing my firing range testing. This 18 year old kid have never held a rifle before. The loud noise of all those rifles going off were deafening.

It was my turn to shoot. The instructor showed me how to get down on the ground and wrap my arm around the sling. He then spread my feet behind me, and said, “Open fire!”

I started shooting, and the targets were falling down. I didn’t miss one of them. The instructor was amazed and said, “Didn’t you tell me you had never held a rifle before?”

“Yes sir,”I said.

He had me step back to let the next group of men to fire. This went on for a while, and finally everyone had had a chance to shoot.

The Head sergeant then read of the names of those who was able to shot in the second round, and he had the rest go to another range. I was one of those who stayed. I couldn’t believe it. I was able to be in the second round of shooting?

They moved the targets back another 50 yards, and we commenced to shot again. I hit every target. I was getting used to my rifle. At the end of the second round, they called out the group for the third round. I was chosen again!!

The third round was much harder, they put the target at 100 yards.

My instructor then told me about “kentucky windage.” That is where you aim a little high to allow the wind to bring down your bullet.

I missed one target there, but I had enough to make it to the final round.

The final round was 150 yards. That is one and a half football fields.

Again my instructor showed me how to allow for a little more windage. there were on six of us shooting now.

I only missed two shots the whole round. They gathered us together to let us know how the last group did.

They named one guy that won the whole thing. He had only missed one the whole day.

To my shock they named me second. I had only missed three all day.

They told me I was an expert shooter, and this was from a kid that had never held a rifle before.

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Time to check in….

How are you doing? Do you remember your basic training days. Was it a good experience?

Did you get some troubled times during basic? How about the rest of your time in the service? Not so good?

Not to worry my friend. There are over 11,500 fellow veterans here who have your back.

If you are overwhelmed with nightmares and painful memories, GET HELP!!

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

It has highly qualified counselors there to help you. They will not hang up until they know you are OK.

Do not try to take on 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!

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Met Some New Veterans by accident. We were Instant Buddies.

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Latest military news

The Marine Corps is eyeing a long-range robot boat that can nail targets with kamikaze drones.

9 Fort Bliss soldiers released from the hospital after ingesting antifreeze.

Russian fighter jet buzzes USS Donald Cook in the Black Sea.

The Army just got its hands on its most advanced Apache helicopter yet
The Army’s first contingent of AH-64E version 6 (V6) Apaches has joined 1-229th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion.
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VA has capacity to administer 600,000 vaccine doses a week

VA is delivering vaccines at more than 215 sites across the country, with plans to expand to additional sites as vaccine supplies increase.

RallyPoint members pay tribute to Veterans during the pandemic

More than 370 RallyPoint members visited gravesites for fellow Veterans and their families and posted photos on the military network site, allowing a virtual visit for those unable to travel in person. 

The Army is evaluating a brand new anti-tank missile for its arsenal.

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Many interesting bits of news today. Now I am going to be talking directly to you.

I was able to get my second COVID-19 shot today. It was smooth and quick. I saw many veterans inside getting their shots. To top that, the National Guard is running it.

I am feeling OK so far. They say the second day is the real test.

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Yesterday, I got my haircut in Waldport, Oregon.

It is a nice getaway for my wife and I at the Oregon Coast.

I was waiting my turn when my hair lady let me know that the guy she just finished with was the guy I called for an interview several months ago.

I was in shock. I had never met him in person. I went up to him and explained who I was, and he was excited to meet me.

He has a great story and it will be in my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

He is a vietnam veteran, and has a very funny story as part of his interview. I will give you a clue. It deals with a monkey.

Also, while I was there, my hair lady told me there was another veteran in the place. She pointed him out and I went to him to greet him.

He is a Coast Guard veteran. We do not give them the credit they are due.

I told him when I was in, and he said he was in 61-65. I was in from 59-62, so we over lapped. He got a little excited and said he was on alert for the Bay of Pigs endeavor. I told came him I was too. We became instant buddies.

He has agreed to do an interview with me and he will be in the book as well.

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My next post will talk about the fear and hardships of troops on the front lines. I will sharing about WWII veterans and Afghanistan soldiers. I hope their stories will get your interest. They all will be in the book as well.

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Time to do bed check. How are you making it in this not so friendly world? Getting too overwhelming?

Not to worry my friend, there are over 11,300 fellow veterans here who have your back.

However, if it is pulling you down like a huge magnate, GET HELP!

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

DO NOT FACE 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!

__________________________________

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The load of this World is Hard to Overcome. Time to Fight Back

+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 the site, please let them know about it.

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This old soldier is getting very tired. Very tired of all the crap that is going on around me. I struggle with shaky hands, bad back, and getting tired very easily.

So now that I whined at you, let me cover what I am doing about my problems:

  1. I am a member of RallyPoint.com. It is a social network just for veterans. There are over 1.8 million veterans there to talk to. I get about 40 emails every day from veterans I have become friends with there. They give me virtual hugs, and give me hope through their advice. The site is http://www.rallypoint.com.
  2. I reach out to help others who are hurting. I help them smile, and they help me smile. A win. win!
  3. I get involved with military non profits to help my brothers and sisters. My favorite military nonprofit is www.victoryforveterans.org. Please check it out and see all the good they do.
  4. My son is a retired Colonel in the Army. We spend a lot of time talking about our times in the service. There is some laughing and some sadness.

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I am going to share another excerpt with you today. It is gut wrenching one to say the least:

Sgt. Michael Thorin was a SGT who was in charge of a “shot gun,” company that was accompanying a caravan that was heading to a new area.

The day was going fine when all of a sudden the rig right in front of him caught on fire. There were huge flames quickly. There were four soldiers in it.

SGT. Thorin ran to the rig but it was too late. The flames had ingulfed it. Four min died in a matter of minutes.

I asked him, “How did you handle that? He said, “I haven’t yet. I have PTSD because of it.”

SGT Thorin is a Christian man, and he feels that it is the only thing that is keeping him alive, since he had a pistol pointing at his own head twice.

There is so much more to his story.

Be sure to get the book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life, to read his story and many more. Most of the stories had their dark moments, but most also come out good. The book will come out in early January.

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So wat’s happening in your world?

Are you struggling PTSD, TBI, depression, or war wounds?

You are not alone.

There are over 10,150 fellow veterans here to talk to and find hope.

If it is just too overwhelming right now, GET HELP!!

Here is a toll free number to call 24/7 and it is free,

There are highly qualified counselors there 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 from the site, please let them know about it.