Stories From Our veterans Who Have Been there

I am back with some more interviews with veterans for my book, “Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.”

I would like to share some current military news first. I will call this Facing the Tasks of Life. It will have stories from all over the world where our veterans are, and some stories from those who are now transitioned into civilian life. Hope it is interesting to you.

  1. A Iraq Veteran is now an astronaut for NASA. Lt. Colonel Anne McClain, blasted off from Kazakhstan December 3rd for a six month stay at a space station. She is only 39. She was a helicopter pilot in Iraq.
  2. Thank a Vietnam veteran on March 29th. It is Vietnam Veteran’s Day.
  3. A new law signed by Congress will “create jobs,” for veteran owned businesses. It will allow veteran owners to have access to military equipment that the military has no more use for.
  4. Senators question the VA on unused suicide prevention funds. Congress OKed 6.2 billion dollars to the military and yet only $57,000 of it has been used for suicide prevention. (What’s wrong with this picture!!)

Now I will share one interview I have done recently for the book, “Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.” This is only excerpts from the interview. You will have to buy the book to get “the rest of the story.”

I was able to talk to a vietnam veteran a while back. It was very hard to get him to answer anything about his actual combat. I did find out he has a purple heart, because of a serious injury. He is battling PTSD, and battled alcohol addiction for several years after he got out. He however said he would like to tell a uplifting story about his time there.

His group of men had settled down in the jungle to make camp. It turned out they stayed there for a long time. One day my soldier was sitting with a buddy and he looked up into the trees. There were monkeys everywhere. He told his buddy that he wanted one of those monkeys as a pet. His buddy said “No sweat!” He got a coconut and cut a hole in it. He cleaned it out and put a quarter in it. He tied a rope to it and put it out in a clearing.

Soon several monkeys came up to it because of curiosity. One reach in to get the quarter he tried to pull he hand out and couldn’t The buddy slowly pulled the monkey over to the soldier and said, “Here ya go!”

My soldier loved that monkey. He took very good care of him. He even built a cage to let him sleep in. Made a bed out of ferns etc. The monkey got very attached to the soldier. They were real buddies.

However, some of the other soldiers didn’t like the monkey because he was coming to their tents and stealing food. One soldier got so angry he made a parachute for the monkey and threw him over a cliff.

This made my soldier very angry. He was depressed and missed his monkey. Then one day coming through the tents came that same monkey with the parachute still attached to him. He didn’t give up , and found his way back to his master.

This is just one interview of many I have done for the book , Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.” The rest of the book are stories from my time in the military, and how I survived. Each chapter will talk about survival, especially for those who struggle with PTSD, TMI, Depression, Anxiety, War wounds, etc.

Check back here often to read more stories from veterans like yourself.

You can get these posts delivered to your email box by subscribing to the blog. Just click on the “Subscribe” icon at the top and go from there.

Are you are a veteran and wonder why things are happening to you that you aren’t pleased with? You certainly are not alone. I was there. Millions of other veterans were there. The important thing is to realize you need help. Too many of our brothers and sisters hide their feelings and become part of the 22 veteran suicides EVERY day. Do not let that happen. Get help!! The 24/7 help line is 1-800-273-8255 Press 1.

You need to also remember.

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…Never, ever, give up!

Help is Here for Veterans

Thanks to all of you who have been joining us here. The response has been wonderful.  We just past 3,835 new subscribers. That was a huge increase in 2016. We only had 1,000 two years ago. In 2017 help us to make it to 4,000.

We are only 165 away of reaching our goal.  We will be giving a prize to the person who is our 4,000th person to subscribe. 

Help us make it to 4,000 by subscribing today if you haven’t already. This shows you care for veterans. Just click on the icon right after the title of this post to do that, and the posts will come straight to your inbox.                            ____________________________________________________________

Doug Bolton, the founder of the blog, Signs of Hope, which is at www.dailysignsofhope.com, has written a new book, “Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.” It reaches out the many military and veterans who may be battling anxiety, fear, depression, addictions, rejections, and the many other usual suspects. There are 22 military connected suicides every day. That is almost one every hour. Doug wants to help stop those statistics.  

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This is a new social network just for veterans. I joined it and made instant friendships with veterans who want to talk about what I want to talk about. Please check it out. You will be glad you did. 

www.rallypoint.com/join/spc-douglas-bolton

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It has been a whole month since I last posted. No need to worry, I am feeling fine. The reason is that I have been busier than a cat on a hot tin roof. Many new things are happening in my life.

This site, (for now) has become a site that reaches out to veterans all over the world. It doesn’t have to be just American soldiers. This is for all of you who sacrificed your time to serve your country.

So, let me tell you what is happening right now. I was honored to be asked to be a board member for a new nonprofit called, Victory for Veterans Foundation. (http://www.victoryforveterans.org) This Organization’s mission is to reach out to those veterans who may be suffering from PTSD, TBI, MST, wounds of war, being homeless, depressed, and the many other usual suspects.

I will be sharing thoughts on making you day seem better, and give insights on how to get help if you need it. So, let me show you what a post will look like from me.

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Have you had nightmares of war? Do you struggle with addictions? Were you injured so badly you still are battling the pain?

You have come to the right place. Let me tell you about myself, and let you see I have been there and done that, and know your feeling.

I was in the military from 1959-1962. (Yes they had an army then.)

I was deployed to Korea, and spent thirteen months there. I faced severe loneliness, depression, and anxiety. I even felt the loss of a buddy when three of us signed together on the buddy system, but only two came back.

I came back to the U.S.A. and was stationed at FT. Bragg, NC. It was pretty smooth there until my last three months. I was in a jeep accident in February of 1962. I was thrown from a jeep and landed back first on a boulder. My whole back was one solid bruise.

I also had a frightening experience when they loaded my whole battalion on to planes and told we were being sent to the Bay of Pigs. We were in full gear ready for combat when we landed. By the grace of God, the mission was aborted, and we went back to our homes.

I have faced fear, I have even faced death, because in 2001, I had lost control of my life. I couldn’t maintain sanity any longer. I had driven to a local high school parking lot, and was thinking of checking out of this hotel called earth. God stopped me there, and I am here able to write to you.

I could give more details of each of the things I spoke of above and I will in later posts. Now I want you to subscribe so you can get the post delivered right to your inbox, and you will not miss one.

If you need personal help with your own demons:

There is always help for you 24/7 at: 1-800-273-8255

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all….never, ever, give up!

It’s When we Try to Wing it on our Own, Satan is at His Best

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There are new things to look at on the site.

  1. The is a new trailer of the book, “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World.” It is on the right side under the Amazon icon. Click on it to see what the book is all about.
  2. There is now an Amazon widget for you to order my book. You can see some five star reviews there as well.
  3. In the bookstore there is a very special deal going on. First the book, “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World,” is on sale for $15.99 compared to $19.99 in the retail stores. We have very good news besides the sale. There is no shipping costs until the end of May. Yes, I said NO SHIPPING COST! That means the book is actually cheaper than if you bought it from amazon right now.
  4. There is a new page forming called, “All About Writing.” That page will talk about publishing; have guest authors share, and discuss writing trends. It is in a baby stage, so bear with me as I slowly develop it to my and your liking.
  5. I have posted two 5 star reviews of my book, “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World,” on the “All About Writing” page. I will be add others as the days go by. Click on the All About Writing tab to also see all my other places you can connect with me. _______________________________________________________

Another shocking announcement! ( That got your attention!) “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World, ” is now out in eBook form. It came out yesterday and my feet still haven’t hit the ground. You can acquire it at all the eBook outlets. It is only $4.99. Help it climb the www.amazon.com best selling list.

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Thoughts just for you…

How many times have you felt alone, depressed, lost, and forsaken? I have been through all of those feeling at one time or another. I was down drowning in the muck and mire, and wondering if I was going to make it.

How did I let myself get to that point? It is all the work of the prince of this world. You can call him Satan or devil, it is the same guy.

He knows when we are at our weakest moments. He is like a roaring lion waiting  to devour us. ( I Peter 5: 8) We have to be alert to all of his tricks.

When we try to wing it on our own is when Satan is at his best. To wing it is like jumping off a cliff without those wings. Your chances are slim or none that you are going to make it.

We need to keep God on speed dial and rely on Him to protect us from the evil one. If we stead fastly cling to God’s promises we will not falter. With God on our side, who can be against us?

Turn your fears, hurts, illnesses, defeats, etc, over to God. He has much bigger shoulders to lean on, and He will take you by the hand and pull you out of that muck and mire. I know he did for me.

Remember:

You are not alone.

You are not forsaken.

You are not unloved.

And above all….Never, ever, give up!