Tag: Basic Training

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Making Beds Can be an Adventure in Basic Training for the Military

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Military news…

An Army soldier who helped secure the Kabul airport during the withdrawal from Afghanistan by training other soldiers how to use a Toyota technical’s anti-aircraft gun — after they’d traded two cans of dipping tobacco for it — was recently promoted.

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​The sailors aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard had no idea what to do when a fire broke out aboard their vessel last year.

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Tinker Air Force Base is trying something new: setting aside reserved parking spaces for junior enlisted airmen.

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U.S. troops based in Syria came under a “deliberate and coordinated attack” from an unspecified enemy on Wednesday. No Americans were reported injured, save for the myth that the Forever War ended with the close of the U.S. war in Afghanistan.

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“As someone who’s been issuing the damn things for over a decade, they can’t go soon enough.” That’s from an anonymous Army employee who’s had his fill of issuing Common Access Cards, the identification card used across the military.

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If complaining is an art form — and it most certainly is — then the U.S. military is the Juilliard School of Bitching.

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Here is another excerpt from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and out of the Trenches of Life.

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Sometimes the Answers Are Right Under Your Nose

There was one aspect of basic training that made the times hard for a soldier. That was when it came to making your bed for inspection.

We had regular inspections by our drill sergeant. When he came through the barracks, he carried a quarter in his hand. When he passed your bunk he would drop the quarter on the bed. If the quarter didn’t bounce, he tore the bed up and told you to try again. 

I had some real stressful times of making beds at first. I usually failed. But then I learned some tricks about tucking in the sheets, and even the blanket. There was a double tuck you could do that made the bed tight and quarters bounced on it easily.

There were some guys who never caught on to the tricks that were right in front of them. They were too proud to ask others for help.

I have seen that in life after the military. People struggling to keep up with the world, because they are too proud to seek help.

Are you one of those who could benefit from outside help, but have never taken advantage of it?

I have compiled a very extensive military appendix for your use. It is in the back of this book. Feel free to search through it for help in almost every possible way a veteran or current soldier may need.

It is not “giving in,” to seek help. It is finally agreeing that what you are doing may not be working for you, and you want to find other ways to cope in this unfriendly world.

Many of the sources have proven to reach out to those who suffer with anxiety, fear, depression, and hopelessness.

Don’t hide in your own self-pity. Take that first most important step and seek help today. Go to the back of this book and find the right sources for your needs.

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This is not all of the chapter. You will have to get the book to see the rest. 🙂

Come back to see more excerpts. 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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Speaking about beds…here is a bed check on how you are doing. How is you days been going? Too many days where dark clouds come? Too many days of not wanting to go to sleep?

FEAR NOT!!

There are over 13,260 fellow veterans subscribe to this site who have your back.

However, if it is just too much for you now, GET HELP!

Here is a toll free mber to 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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+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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Finally, The Outline of the Upcoming Book, Signs of Hope for the Military

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Military news…

A soldier with the Florida Army Reserve has a religious exemption to not only grow a beard, but also wear his hair long while in uniform.. Sgt. Jacob DePietro observes the Nazarite vow from the the Old Testament in the Bible, which states that “no razor may be used on their head.”

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+Report from Jeff Schogol on his trouble trying to get an Afghan interpreter way from his country. They are threatening these people ahead of the final withdraw.

“On Thursday, I received a series of frantic texts from Sher Ahmad Ahmadzai, an Afghan man who worked for coalition forces, after someone threw a Molotov cocktail at his home.” That’s from Jeff Schogol, who wrote this piece about his inability to help Ahmadzai and other Afghans who risked their lives to help the United States and are now in danger of being killed by the Taliban.

“This story is difficult to write because journalists are rightly expected to not get involved in the stories we cover, and the modicum of help that I have tried to provide to Ahmadzai clouds my objectivity,” Jeff writes. “In a way, I’ve already failed at my job.”
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When U.S. Marine Security Guards at American embassies around the world need backup, they call on the Marine Security Augmentation Unit. This may be your first hearing about the MSAU, but the unit’s been putting in a lot of flight time recently: in the past 30 days, the quick reaction force has responded to the call twice to protect embassies in Africa and the Caribbean.

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 A soldier with the 82nd Airborne Division is heading to a court-martial in connection with a murky incident in Syria last summer in which U.S. troops and pro-regime forces exchanged gunfire.

“We are all suffering in silence,” is how one soldier described the unseen problem of eating disorders in the U.S. military. The Army and other branches use outdated body fat measurements to judge soldiers’ fitness, which, when combined with PTSD, sexual trauma and other common military mental health issues, create a rampant eating disorder problem that has gone largely underreported until now.

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The U.S. may be leaving Afghanistan, but the ‘Forever Wars’ aren’t really ending, writes defense expert Bonnie Kristian in this guest op-ed. Despite his statements about leaving Afghanistan, ending support for the Saudi war in Yemen, and leaving Iraq, President Joe Biden’s plans for doing so remain vague, and you can stuff a lot of violence into an absence of details, Kristian argues.

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No excerpt today from my book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

What I am going to to is give you an outline of the book to give you a taste of what is coming:

  1. The first section will basic training. I have many stories there. Some funny some not so funny. Many things to talk about.
  2. The second section will be being deployed to Korea. Some very sad stories there, and few humorous.
  3. The third section will be my states side time at FT. Bragg. One very scary time there, but good vibes most of the section.

Then I will have two appendixes:

  1. Interviews from the trenches. I have interviews from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq. Many are heartbreaking. I also have an interview with a Gold Star mother I am working on right now. Pretty exciting.
  2. The second Appendix will be eight pages of resources for veterans. It will have every conceivable information you may be looking for.

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How are you doing? Do you fear sleeping? Have you seen enough of the turmoil we are facing in this world today?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 12, 550 fellow veterans here who have your back.

If the road is getting to rough for you, GET HELP!

Here is a toll free number for you 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 this not so friendly world 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!

___________________________

+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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Soldiers Need to be Accurate With Their Rifles During Basic Training

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An Army chaplain faces court-martial after being charged with over a dozen counts of rape and child sexual assault. Capt. Jeremy Dunn, of the 3rd Chemical Brigade at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, is expected to plead guilty at his court martial hearing on July 14. (Today)

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With just two months to go until U.S. troops are scheduled to leave Afghanistan, the Biden administration is still figuring out how to get Afghan interpreters out of the country. Despite those interpreters taking on unimaginable risks during America’s long stay in Afghanistan, U.S. officials still don’t know the answers to basic questions such as how many people they can move or what countries they can move them to.

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A few good Marines will start training with the Army in Colorado soon to learn all about space operations. While they won’t be dropping into hell like the Colonial Marines in ‘Aliens,’ these space marines will get schooled in satellite intelligence, jamming enemy communications and other aspects of Final Frontier fighting.

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President Joe Biden’s promise to rescue Afghan interpreters and their families before the Taliban kills them has rung hollow, because no evacuation plan has been finalized and most U.S. troops have already left the country, reports. Now an estimated 70,000 Afghans who worked for the U.S. are in grave danger as the Taliban sweep across the country.

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A battalion of Black women who served overseas in World War II could soon receive Congress’ highest award for distinguished achievements. Hundreds of women served in the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, where they were instrumental in getting millions of pieces of mail to service members in Europe. In doing so, they reversed a huge backlog that was hurting morale, and now they could soon receive the Congressional Gold Medal for it.

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Here is another excerpt from my upcoming book, Signs of hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

Taking Aim On Perfection

One part of basic training was done on the firing range. We all had to learn how to properly line up the sights on our rifles, and shoot at the targets with some accuracy.

I had never shot a weapon before in my life. It was a little intimating at first. The loud noise each time you shot was one thing, but the kick from the weapon on your shoulder was another. You had to how to “hug” the rifle and keep it tight against your shoulder to keep it from kicking.

The first day was mostly learning how to lie down in the right position, and how to wrap the strap properly around your arm and keep the rifle steady. This got boring pretty quickly, but the leaders were determined to having all of us doing it perfectly.

The second day was more exciting. They had us actually shooting at targets. They targets were pop-up type targets. You waited until one popped up and then shot. It tested awareness and your quick judgment. The targets didn’t stay up very long.

I did my shooting and the soldier assigned to me said I was the fastest of hitting all the targets of anyone in my platoon.

Then they moved targets further away These were about 75 yards away. I again was done faster than anyone else and hit all of my targets.

Then we saw some of the men weren’t shooting any more. I was told they missed too many targets. The targets were moved to 100 yards. (The length of a football field.) You really had to concentrate because the targets went up and down pretty fast. I hit all my targets again.

There were only five of us left. They told us the targets will now be 150 yards way. At this time they taught us about “Kentucky windage. ” This is were you aim a little higher on the target and let the wind bring the bullet down to the target.

I had some miss hits, but the first round was just a practice to get us accustom to shooting at the distance. By the end that round I was hitting most of the targets.

The final round came and I was ready. The targets popped up and I shot them. I hit four our of five targets. The rest of the men didn’t do as well. I was named the champion of the shooting range for that day. From all of that I received an expert medal that I still have today.

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This is a shortened version of this chapter of my book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life. So come back often to see what the rest is. 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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Checking your pulse. Are you doing Ok? Have the dreams from your military time been driving you crazy?

FEAR NOT!

There is toll free number to help you if you need extra help. There are highly qualified counselors there to help you. There is no shame to GETTING HELP when you need it.

Never face this world alone!

1-800-273-8255 Option # 1 For texting…838255.

+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.