Tag: drill sergeant

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Basic Training Has Some Fun Times, and Some Not so Fun Times.

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Military news…

Troops Get Biggest Raise in Ten years

Active duty troops received a 3.1 percent raise thanks to the passing of the National Defense Authorization Act. It was the largest raise in a decade.

For the military the new Act includes the funding to build:

  • Almost 100 new F-35’s
  • 24 new F/A-18’s
  • 155 new helicopters
  • 165 Abrams tanks
  • Nearly 50 Paladin howitzers
  • 10 new Navy war ships- including two amphibious ships, three submarines, three destroyers, and three aircraft carriers.

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As Congress squabbles over funding, National Guardsmen around the country are bracing for the loss of training time and the paychecks that come with it. The uncertainty comes as Guardsmen are still recovering from an extremely busy 2020 that saw them responding to the COVID-19 pandemic; hurricanes, wildfires, and eventually the U.S. Capitol riots in January.

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The first group of Afghan interpreters and their families arriving in the United States will be housed at Fort Lee, Virginia. It’s not clear when the 2,500 Afghans will arrive, but their numbers include about 700 Afghans still applying for Special Immigrant Visas that would allow them to stay in the U.S.

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The Air Force’s top general delivered a laser-guided kick that emphasizes the branch’s commitment to diversity in its ranks. Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown Jr. talks about how, when he’s in the cockpit of an F-16, nobody knows the color of his skin. He’s just “an American airman, kicking your butt.”

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Another excerpt for you from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

This is my rifle; this is my gun

When we were in inspection mode in basic, one of the things we had to do was strip down our rifles as fast as we could, clean them, and put them back together again. We were timed. That was in case you were on the battle field, and had to do repairs in a hurry. Our rifles meant a lot to us.

One time our drill sergeant had us in formation, and came in front of each soldier. He would ask us questions to try to trap us into saying the wrong things that pertained to military regulations.

He stepped in front of one of my buddies, and asked him what he had on his shoulder. My buddy said, “This is my gun sir!” That was the worst things he could have said. The sergeant grabbed the rifle and said , “This is your rifle!” The he grabbed my buddy in the groin, and said, “This is your gun!.”

My buddy bent over in pain, but the sergeant wasn’t through yet. He made my buddy step in front of the whole company and yell, “This is my rifle and this is my gun,” as he grabbed his groin. He had to say further, “One of for fighting and one is for fun!” The sergeant made him do this for several days. He also made my buddy sleep with his rifle, to make sure he know the difference.

We need to take our time and think about we are going to say. Often times what we say is something we regret.

When we say something that hurts someone else, all the apologies, or acts to to overcome what you have said will help, but the wounds are still there.

Think about this story when you are getting upset with someone. Is what you are about to say constructive, or are you just going to say something to hurt them?

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This is a shortened story from the book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

Come back and see other 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.

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Be check… How are you doing? Did you have some not so fun things happen to you during your basic?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 12,500 fellow veterans here on this site who have your back.

If it is just too overwhelming for you GET HELP!!

Here is a toll free number you can call 24/7.

There are highly qualified counselors there to help you. They will not hang up until the know you are OK.

Never let past dreams over come you!

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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President Biden May be Forcing the Military to Get Vaccinated.

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Some more shocking news from our government:

Joe Biden has one plan for the military that could cause a mutiny

A key Republican in Congress blew the whistle about a growing problem in the military.

It’s a direct result of Joe Biden’s policies.

And that’s because Joe Biden has one plan for the military that could cause a mutiny.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby hinted that Joe Biden could mandate the coronavirus vaccine for every member of the armed forces if the FDA gives one the vaccines full approval.

Currently the COVID vaccines are only approved under an emergency use authorization which also limits the ability of the government to mandate members of the military take the vaccines.

“Should the FDA approve it then I am certain Pentagon leadership will take a look at what our options are going forward, including the potential options of making it mandatory. But I’m not going to get too far ahead of process right now,” Kirby stated during a press briefing.

Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie announced on social media that he would introduce legislation preventing the government from mandating members of the military take the vaccines.

Massie introduced the legislation after the Congressman revealed that members of the military contacted him with their concerns about taking the COVID vaccines and that they would refuse and leave the service.

“I’ve been contacted by members of our voluntary military who say they will quit if the COVID vaccine is mandated. I introduced HR 3860 to prohibit any mandatory requirement that a member of the Armed Forces receive a vaccination against COVID-19,” Massie wrote.

In 1996 the government mandated all 2.5 million military members take an anthrax vaccine approved under an emergency use authorization.

This led to lawsuits as service members refused and were discharged.

The problem was so great that one government report found 25 percent of airmen leaving the military at the time did so over the vaccine mandate.

“A General Accounting Office report released in October found that as many as 25 percent of the pilots and aircrew members leaving the military or seeking transfers were leaving because of the vaccination program. Pentagon officials disputed the report, saying there is no exodus of personnel because of fears about the anthrax vaccine,” CNN reported back in May 2001.

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Seems to be a pattern coming from President Biden that shows he has no respect for our military. We will see what comes from all this mess.

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I will share another excerpt from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

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Honors Marching Soldiers

During my basic training there was an opportunity to be an honor guard. 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 load ahead of me. They not only had you doing constant, repetitive, drills, but your boots had to shine so much you could see you face in them.

I made the squad, and then we concentrated on things we would do while we were marching. We did cadence songs. There was the 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 then 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 basic training. We marched and sang our cadence. WE twirled our rifles in and tapped them on the ground. The crowd loved it, and we were very proud to be representing the Army.

Some people want to forget their time in the military. Many of them are Vietnam veterans. I was so ashamed of our country when I started hearing stories of grief and verbal attack our soldier had to endure when they came back from Vietnam.

I come from a military family. I had three uncles who fought in WWII. My brother and I served, and my son just retired recently as a Colonel.

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How are you doing? Were you one of Vietnam veterans? Did you receive uncalled for booing when you came home?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 12,410 fellow veterans who have subscribed to this site, who have your back.

If it has just become overwhelming for you, GET HELP!

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

Never let this not so friendly world overcome you.

1-800-273-8255 Option # 1… for 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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Drill Sergeants During Basic Training Can be Very Tough

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Military news…

Troops in Canada were going to fire artillery on July 21, 2018. But then they got high.

A Canadian soldier allegedly spiked cupcakes for a group of artillery students with weed, then handed them out before live-fire training. The training was cancelled, as the students “were allegedly unable to properly execute safe weapons and explosive handling drills,” according to court documents.

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A Coast Guardsman totally Hulked out when he helped flip over a burning car to save the people inside shortly after the car crashed in California last July, writes James Clark in this story about real-life superhero Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Gerrod Britton. Shortly after seeing a car lose control and crash on Highway 101, Britton quickly pulled over, worked with a bystander to flip the car off its roof and onto its side, then pull out the people inside “mere seconds before the car was fully engulfed in flames,” according to his award citation.

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“While we have many enemies of this country today who want to see us fall, there’s no greater enemy in my opinion than ourselves,” said America’s newest Medal of Honor recipient, retired Army Col. Ralph Puckett Jr., in a press call with reporters last week. As reported by yours truly in this story, Puckett called for unity in the face of tribalism and selfish Congressmen who put self-interest over their oaths, the Army Ranger said. Those are bold statements from a living Ranger legend whose Medal of Honor recognizes his efforts during a desperate battle against overwhelming enemy forces during the Korean War.

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26,000 troops and half a billion dollars later, the last National Guardsmen have finally left Washington D.C. The final curtain has ended on a mission that began five months ago in response to the Jan. 6 riots on the U.S. Capitol. Before the riot, only 340 unarmed National Guardsmen were deployed to D.C. to help local police with crowd and traffic control ahead of the inauguration of President Joe Biden. But that number grew to 26,000 by Jan. 20 after the riots and dwindled down to 1,600 by Monday, and zero by Wednesday.

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“90% boredom, 10% terror” is how one Air Force navigator describes the essential mission of hurricane hunting. We spoke with Lt. Col. Mark Withee about what it’s like to fly deep into a raging force of nature to collect data and help scientists better predict where a storm will make landfall. A lot of storms are like a long carwash, Withee said, but some make the airplane drop 200 feet in the blink of an eye and make newbies onboard start grabbing for the cargo net just to hang out.

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“It’s not going to change anything,” a soldier and sexual assault survivor Haley Britzky, talked about the Army’s latest efforts to investigate problems in its sexual assault and harassment prevention program. The problems result in mismanaged cases of assault, failure to follow Army regulations, and, in some instances, reports of retaliation again victims. But the leaders in charge of the units that fail to adhere to SHARP guidelines seem to receive only slaps on the wrist in terms of consequences.

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A Marine sergeant in the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion will go to court-martial this summer on charges he dumped several stolen grenades and more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition into a California ravine. The news of Sgt. Gunnar Naughton’s charges comes as at least five other recon Marines are being investigated for stealing explosives and ammunition from a base after one allegedly tried to sell ammo online.

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I had a drill sergeant in basic that was tough as nails. He expected obedience and perfection out of his troops.

I seemed to be one of his main targets. I never did anything wrong, but he got in my face many times in front of the other men. I just yelled, “Yes Sergeant!!”

This went on for most of the basic training. With a couple of weeks to go, he did one final “punishment” for me. He called me outside and had me dig a big hole. He handed me some already smoked cigarettes and said, “Bury them!” I buried them and then he said, “Dig them up again!” I did and he dismissed me.

That was the last thing he did to me. The first of the next week he had me come to his room in the barracks, and said, “I have been pouring on the screaming and yelling on you from day one, and you withstood it all. You obeyed everything I threw at you. Even the excessive KP appointments. You never wavered.”

I felt good about that and then he said, “I am putting your name in for soldier of the month. I also am inviting you to be an honor guard in the upcoming parade.”

I couldn’t help but ask him why he was doing this now. He said, “You turned out to be the most obedient soldier I have ever had. You deserved some pats on the back.”

+This story and many others are in my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the trenches of Life.

Keep checking back for more excerpts and how the book is coming along. Better yet, subscribe to this site by going up to the subscribe button and join more than 12,035 fellow veterans.

When you do that all future posts will go directly to your inbox.

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How did your basic training go? Good memories, or not so good?

FEAR NOT!!

There are thousands of fellow veterans on this site who have your back.

But! If the going is just to rough 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. They will not hang up and until the know you are OK.

Never face the dark side alone!

I 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 this site, please let them know about it.