Tag: Ft. Bragg

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Stories From the Trenches of Life that will Shock you

+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 for the site, please let them know about it. Your comments will not be seen by other people, just me, and I will connect with you to see if you are OK to share it.

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I am in the mold of seeing doctors a lot. Saw one today, and later today I have a CT scan done. Then it off to another doctor’s appointment on Monday and yet another one next Friday.

They all know me by my first name down at the clinic. LOL

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Today I am going to go back to telling you more about my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

I will remind you that the book is in five sections:

  1. Basic Training.
  2. Deployment to Korea.
  3. Ft Bragg.
  4. Interviews.
  5. Complete index

Each section will have some humor; some sadness, and deep some thoughts. Some of what I wrote was extremely difficult. Brought tears to my eyes as I typed sometimes.

________________________________________

Here is one of many endorsements. This one is from a CEO from a Nonprofit that I love called, Victory for Veterans:

Although ‘Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life’ wasn’t written for men only, it brings honesty and openness to veterans, military personnel and men in general about feeling ok to express fears and emotional challenges in a difficult world.  US Army Retired Veteran, Mr. Douglas Bolton brings his personal stories to life in a way we all can relate to and gives a big “you’re ok” for revealing our shortcoming and encourages us to open up and talk.  A must read for those seeking healing and forgiveness from ourselves and those wanting a fresh look on life. 

Steve Durgin, Founder & CEO with Victory For Veterans Foundation. 

Here is another one from a retired woman Colonel. She was a head flight nurse while enlisted. She is now the director of the NYC nurses.

Signs of Hope for the Military: in and Out of the Trenches of Life, is a must read book for any military, which are hurting from PTD, TBI, anxiety, depression, etc. It has extensive valuable and doable suggestions for successful cope mechanisms. I have also enjoyed Doug Bolton sharing his own stories about his time in the military. He shows that he has been there and done that. This makes him very qualified to offer his advice, guidance and support.  

I applaud Doug for his insight and wiliness to share. I know you will too.

Colonel Dona Marie Iversen

United States Air Force

NYC, New York

________________________________________

Now I will share a story from the actual book.:

I lost two great friends while deployed to South Korea. When I enlisted, I did it on the buddy plan. Two close friends and myself signed up the same day. We went to the same high school.

We went through basic training together. Many funny stories there. Then we went to Signal school at Ft. Gordon, Georgia. There we learned how to do Morse Code. We were placed in the Army Security Agency because of our good scores. All three of us. The ASA looks for security branches, like the CIA in public areas. Not as secret as the CIA, but we monitored the air waves for breaches in security. (I have another story where I had a Colonel busted for doing a breach.)

We we shipped out to Korea on the USS Mitchel. It was some rough times because of storms. One of my buddies lost 20 pounds just while we crossed the ocean.

Now for the sadness. Three of us we stationed at different places in Korea. Only two of came back home. One of my buddies caught some serious virus and died quickly. I was stunned for months after that happened.

Then I was stationed at Camp Red Cloud, near Uijeongbu. When we were stationed there in 1960 it was just a tiny village. Now is is a large city.

One night a close friend of mine got severely drunk coming home from the village. He was walking very erratically. He came by a rice field, and right by the road was a “Honey Bucket.” A honey bucket is a big hole in the ground that the farmers put human waste in of fertilizer for their rice. My friend fell into it and suffocated. Devastating news when he wasn’t there for our morning formation. The Captain had to tell us why.

__________________________________________

I have lost friends like many of you have. I know your pain.

After those two very sad stories, I need to see how you are doing. Have you lost a friend while in the Military? Has it stuck with you like it has for me? You are not alone! There are over 6.700 fellow veterans on this site that have you back.

It was pretty unbearable for me for a while. I battled big time depression, and had thoughts of ending my life. I was strong enough to overcome that, I am here writing to you to let you know I am here for you.

________________________________________

If it is just too overwhelming, GET HELP! Here is a toll free number to call 24/7. There are highly qualified counselors there to help you. They will never hang up until they know you are OK.

________________________________________

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 for the site, please let them know about it. Your comments will not be seen by other people, just me, and I will connect with you to see if you are OK to share it.

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They all know me by my first name down at the clinic. LOL

________________________________________

Today I am going to go back to telling you more about my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

I will remind you that the book is in five sections:

  1. Basic Training.
  2. Deployment to Korea.
  3. Ft Bragg.
  4. Interviews.
  5. Complete index

Each section will have some humor; some sadness, and deep some thoughts. Some of what I wrote was extremely difficult. Brought tears to my eyes as I typed sometimes.

________________________________________

Here is one of many endorsements. This one is from a CEO from a Nonprofit that I love called, Victory for Veterans:

Although ‘Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life’ wasn’t written for men only, it brings honesty and openness to veterans, military personnel and men in general about feeling ok to express fears and emotional challenges in a difficult world.  US Army Retired Veteran, Mr. Douglas Bolton brings his personal stories to life in a way we all can relate to and gives a big “you’re ok” for revealing our shortcoming and encourages us to open up and talk.  A must read for those seeking healing and forgiveness from ourselves and those wanting a fresh look on life. 

Steve Durgin, Founder & CEO with Victory For Veterans Foundation. 

Here is another one from a retired woman Colonel. She was a head flight nurse while enlisted. She is now the director of the NYC nurses.

Signs of Hope for the Military: in and Out of the Trenches of Life, is a must read book for any military, which are hurting from PTD, TBI, anxiety, depression, etc. It has extensive valuable and doable suggestions for successful cope mechanisms. I have also enjoyed Doug Bolton sharing his own stories about his time in the military. He shows that he has been there and done that. This makes him very qualified to offer his advice, guidance and support.  

I applaud Doug for his insight and wiliness to share. I know you will too.

Colonel Dona Marie Iversen

United States Air Force

NYC, New York

________________________________________

Now I will share a story from the actual book.:

I lost two great friends while deployed to South Korea. When I enlisted, I did it on the buddy plan. Two close friends and myself signed up the same day. We went to the same high school.

We went through basic training together. Many funny stories there. Then we went to Signal school at Ft. Gordon, Georgia. There we learned how to do Morse Code. We were playced in the Army Security Agency because of our good scores. All three of us. The ASA us a security branch, like the CIA in public areas. Not as secret as the Cia, but we monitored the air waves for breaches in security. (I have another story where I had a Colonel busted for doing a breach.)

We we shipped out to Korea on the USS Mitchel. It was some rough times because of storms. One of my buddies lost 20 pounds just while we crossed the ocean.

Now for the sadness. Three of us we stationed at different places in Korea. Only two of came back home. One of my buddies caught some serious virus and died quickly. I was stunned for months after that happened.

Then I was stationed at Camp Red Cloud, near Uijeongbu. When we were stationed there in 1960 it was just a tiny village. Now is is a large city.

One night a close friend of mine got severely drunk coming home from the village. He was walking very erratically. He came by a rice field, and right by the road was a “Honey Bucket.” A honey bucket is a big hole in the ground that the farmers put human waste in of fertilizer for their rice. My friend fell into it and suffocated. Devastating news when he wasn’t there for our morning formation. The Captain had to tell us why.

__________________________________________

I have lost friends like many of you have. I know your pain.

After those two very sad stories, I need to see how you are doing. Have you lost a friend while in the Military? Has it stuck with you like it has for me? You are not alone! There are over 6.700 fellow veterans on this site that have you back.

It was pretty unbearable for me for a while. I battled big time depression, and had thoughts of ending my life. I was strong enough to overcome that, I am here writing to you to let you know I am here for you.

________________________________________

If it is just too overwhelming, GET HELP! Here is a toll free number to call 24/7. There are highly qualified counselors there to help you. They will never hang up until they know you are OK.

________________________________________

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 for the site, please let them know about it. Your comments will not be seen by other people, just me, and I will connect with you to see if you are OK to share it.

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Scary Interview With WWII Veteran

+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 for the site, please let them know about it. You may be saving a life. Your comments will not be seen by other people, just me, and I will connect with you to see if you are OK to share it.

Found some more interesting facts. These are from the 9-11 attacks:

(We should never forget!)

  1. 19 highjackers.
  2. 2,977 people killed in New York City, Washington D.C., and outside Shanksville, PA.
  3. 2,753 people killed at the World Trade Center.
  4. 343 firefighters who died in the initial attacks and during the collapse of the towers.
  5. 23 police officers who died.
  6. 37 Port Authority officers during the attacks and the collapse.
  7. 184 people when flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon.
  8. 40 people died when flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, PA.

A total of 6,320 people lost their lives on that horrible day.

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I am switching my thoughts to my up coming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In an Out of the Trenches of Life.

I am going to give you the outline again. It has been awhile since I last did that:

  1. The first section will stories from my basic training. This will have humor, some tense moments, and proud moments. At the end of each chapter I will be sharing thoughts on how you and I can survive in the not so firendly world as civilians.
  2. The second section will have stories from my deployment to Korea. It also will have some humor, tense moments, and unfortantly some very sad moments.
  3. The third section will sotries from my time at FT. Bragg. again, a little humor, but a few very scary moments.
  4. The last section is my favorite part. It is full of interviews from veterans who have been there and done that. Some of these stories are very scary, sad, humorous, and fansicnating. I have WWII, Korean, Iraq, Vietnam, and Afghanstan, interviews from soldiers.

I am going to share you an interview today. It is about a WWII veteran who had a near death experience.

I will name him in the book, but not now.

He was in France and he and four of his buddies were pinned down. I mean really pinned down by enemy fire. You can think about trenches to hide in, but these poor guys could only lay flat in furrows. Those are what is left after a plow comes through. If they stuck up any part of thier body they were dead.

My friend heard something coming up behind him. It was the tank Corp. They pulled over the top of him; opened the hatch, and pulled him in. They did that with the other four buddies as well. They didn’t know heroes had their backs.

________________________________________________________

I hoe you are getting excited about this upcoming book. It is perfect for all veterans, and even current military. It will give you hope and answers. Some of the chapters talk directly about issues:

  1. PTSD
  2. TBI
  3. War wounds
  4. depression, Suicidial thoughts
  5. People left behind after deployment
  6. Much more

_______________________________________________________

There will be a great index as well. It will be full of places to get help for any of your issues.

_______________________________________________________

Now let’s talk about you. How are you doing my friend? Is the world spinning too fast? Are you having a hard time coping? You are not alone. There are over 9,485fellow veterans here who have your back.

If it is just too overwhelming, GET HELP!

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

1-800-273-8255 Option # 1

________________________________________________

+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 for the site, please let them know about it. You may be saving a life. Your comments will not be seen by other people, just me, and I will connect with you to see if you are OK to share it.

_______________________________________________

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all….never, ever, give up!

Posted on

Excerpts from New Military Book

Friday I gave you an outline of what my book, Signs of Hope in the Military: in and Out of the Trenches of Life.

Today I am going to actually share excerpts from two sections of my book.

+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 for the site, please let them know about it. You may be saving a life. Your comments will not be seen by other people, just me, and I will connect with you to see if you are OK to share it.

The first chapter is about my Basic Training:

Taking Aim On Perfection

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

I had never shot a weapon before in my life. It was a little intimidating 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 learn 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 to help keep the rifle steady. This got boring pretty quickly, but the leaders were determined to have us all doing it perfectly.

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

I took my shots and waited as others did their shooting as well. I wasn’t sure why I was done so much earlier than the others, but the soldier assigned to me told me I was the fastest at hitting all the targets of anybody in the platoon.

Then they had the targets further away. The first ones were about 50 yards. The second ones were 75 yards. I did the same thing. I was done much faster than the other men. I was beginning to like my rifle and what I was accomplishing.

When we started seeing that some of the men weren’t firing anymore. I was told that they were missing too many targets and would have to come back for more training. The targets were now 100 yards way (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 about five of us left after the 100 yard distance. Then they told us we were to be shooting at targets about 150 yards away. At this time they taught us about “Kentucky windage.” This is where you aim a little higher on the target and let the wind bring the bullet down to the target, or just less velocity causes the bullet to start falling lower.

This was much harder. You had to aim above the target to hit the target. This was a very hard concept to learn. I had some miss hits, but the first round was just practice to let us get accustom to shooting at that distance. By the end of the first round I was hitting most of the targets. They were so small from that distance, and you didn’t have more than a couple of seconds to react when they popped up.

The final round came and I was ready. The targets popped up and I shot them down. I hit four out of five targets. The rest of the men didn’t do as well. I was named the champion of the shooting range, and from all that I received an Expert medal that I still have to this day.

Have you done something you are very proud of in the military? Even if it was many years ago like my experience was you still should be very proud. If you are now in the service cling to your good experiences to help you through your time there.

You are or have served your country, and anything that was a positive experience should be kept in your memories forever. Be proud!

IWILL

I know that it is hard to “brag,” about anything good you did during your service to your country, but you have had good and bad experiences just like everyone else. We all tend to not talk about our bad experiences because they just reopen the wounds, but please share the good experiences with your friends and love ones. They will enjoy the stories, and you will feel proud of your accomplishments. You are not bragging!!

Think about his

Isn’t it funny that the more we share with others the happier we are?

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+Every chapter in the book will have an ending like this. IWILL stands for Important Words in Life’s Learning.

Think about this: This is just a moment to ponder something usually pertaining to the chapter.

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From South Korea:

It’s Tough Being the New Kid on the Block

After basic training I was accepted into the Army Security Agency, which is a unit of soldiers who, in my case, monitored radio/teletype transactions to make sure there were no breaches of security.

I was sent to Fort Gordon, Georgia, for my training for that. I was separated from my two buddies there. I began to feel the loneliness again. Yes, there were hundreds of other soldiers just like me, but they weren’t from my home area. They were from all over the United States. They all had their own ways to approach people. Some didn’t want to have anything to do with the people around them.

I didn’t see why it was happening, and went out of my way to “cross the center line,” to the other side to get acquainted with them. I made some good friends on both sides, and didn’t get in trouble for doing it from either side.

Do you have family members, or fellow soldiers that you feel are isolating themselves from you? Are there those who want to be alone, and not mix with others?

I have felt that while I was stationed in Korea. There was a breakdown of short timers, (those with a month to go or less,) new guys who were “outcasts,” until they proved themselves, and the regular group who were in between.

I went through all three stages while I was there. However, I couldn’t let myself treat the new soldiers as outcasts. I learned that my first week there myself.

I was just settling in when two guys came walking up to me in my Quonset hut, (metal shelter.) They were both big and strong looking guys. One was African American, who looked like a linebacker, and the other was “tall drink of water,” from Texas.

I was every worried as they came towards me. Why would they fool around with a “newsikky,” (new guy) like me? They both had smiles on their faces and shook my hand. They greeted me like I was somebody important.

I figured they were the welcoming committee, but they weren’t. They were just two soldiers who had gone through the gauntlet like all new soldiers had to do, and they had decided that they would make sure no one else had to.

That was the one main factor that helped me cope while I was in Korea. I became very good buddies with those two guys. (Besides they were big and tough and they protected me!) They set the pattern that I used the whole time I was there. I felt it was my duty, because of these two men, to make the new soldiers feel welcome.

If you have been through some feelings of rejection in your world, reach out to someone who is in the same boat as you are and help them cope. Be like my two “angels” who came to make me feel welcome, and make others around you feel important and special.

You will not only feel good about what you are doing, but you will help someone who is struggling a great deal.

IWILL

There are times when you have “down time,” in the military. Use that time to get to know some of the soldiers that don’t seem to have any friends. It may seem uncomfortable at first, and they may reject you, but they will never be the same. They will know that someone cares, and they will walk a little taller.

Think about this

Isn’t it great that when we smile at someone they smile back?

_______________________________________________________

My next post will be excerpts from my time at FT. Bragg, and some interviews with veterans.

______________________________________________________

So how’s it going my friend? is the world treating you right? Are there days you just want to scream.?

I hear you!

There are many of us here on this site who have been through the same things. If you are hurting, don’t let the darkness overcome you! Get help!

There is a toll free number to call for help that is 24/7. The people there are highly qualified. There are 22 veterans who take their own lives every day. YES, I said every day. Most of them are veterans who never looked for help.

Here is the number:

1-800-273-8255

__________________________________________________________

+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 for the site, please let them know about it. You may be saving a life. Your comments will not be seen by other people, just me, and I will connect with you to see if you are OK to share it.

___________________________________________________________

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all….never, ever, give up!