Tag: God

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In the Military, Scars Show Where We Have Been, But Not Where We Are Going

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Military news…

A photo apparently showing Russian troops stranded in an elevator is going viral

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A second Russian general has reportedly been killed in Ukraine

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What we know about possible Russian war crimes in Ukraine


American and international organizations believe there are “credible reports” that war crimes have occurred in Ukraine.

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These ‘Saint Javelin’ stickers raised $470,000 for Ukraine aid in a week

“As soon as I posted the artwork … I just got a flood of people saying, ‘I want it, I want it, I want it.'”

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Ukraine’s Drone Strikes Reveal Russian Planning Failures, Expert Says

Ukraine’s handful of Bayraktar TB2 armed drones has played an outside role in defending the country from Russian invaders. The drones have destroyed surface-to-air missile launchers and logistics trains.

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Mom Adopts Military Service Dog of Marine Son Killed in Action

A Gold Star mom adopted the military working dog who lived with her son while he was deployed to Afghanistan in 2012. She said the new comedy-drama “Dog” hits close to home.

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US Paratroopers in Poland Largely Hidden From View Amid Mission Prompted by War in Ukraine

An airfield near the Ukrainian border has transformed into the main staging area for the 82nd Airborne’s new mission in Poland.

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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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Scars Can Show Where We’ve Been, But They Don’t Show Where We Are Going

One of the hardest things for us as veterans and current soldiers is dealing with the scars we have had from the past. It may be a physical scar, or it may be mental or emotional. We can’t keep living in the past. Much of it is too painful to relive again. Yes, the present isn’t exactly rosy sometimes either, but it is here, and we need to deal with it. The one-day-at-a-time thought works for me. I just do what I need to do to make it through each day, and I am thankful when I have made it.

The future is something we can’t always control, but we can help shape it by being eager to take it on and conquering it with our determination and guts.

I feel deeply of those of you who have physical scars. I also feel deeply for those of you who have mental and emotional scars. I have been to the mountain with these kinds of scars.

Strive to never give in to the dark side thought of doom and gloom. Look for the bright side, and share it with others around you who need it as well.

This reminds me of Kris Kyle the sniper who was famous for his accuracy, and how many lives he saved by eliminating the enemy who was about to kill our soldiers. He was a tough and no nonsense kind of guy, and yet he lost his live trying to help a fellow soldier who was battling his own demons. Kris was trying to help others even though he had his own dark times.

Never give up! There may be walls in your way, but you will overcome them with perseverance.

Let someone pile expectations on and then exceed them. Your biggest goals in life become your biggest achievements. If you have discipline and drive, you don’t lose. You cannot lose. New ideas are sometimes scary, but can end up something special. Walls: They separate, divide, and isolate. But walls can always fall.

What we have to remember is that we have to go through the pains of life to achieve the joys. Pains actually inspire growth. 

I saw those words recently and at first I thought, Easy for you to say! Most people don’t know what real pain is. My neighbor recently complained she had double abscessed teeth. Knowing how painful that is, since I have had abscessed teeth myself, I thought about those military servicemen and women have lost their legs, arms, or are going to be in a wheelchair the rest of their lives. The level of pain is relevant to only what you are really going through.

We must always remember: With God on Our Side, who can be against us? No one!

IWILL

It is hard enough to exist in this cruel world without adding pain and mental strain to our lives. We need to battle the elements that attack us with vigor and valor, just like we would on the front lines, in the trenches, as we face the enemy. Stand strong and be brave.

Think about this

Isn’t it interesting how it takes bravery to face this world, but it takes even more bravery to give it all up to God?

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I will have more excerpts in the future so keep coming back. 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 in on you. How are you doing? Did you have scars for you time in the military?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 14,120 veterans on this site who have you back.

Here is what I am asking you to do…please share this site with other veterans you may know. It has helped so many.

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If you are battling mentally, but you are losing, GET HELP!!

Here is a toll free number that you can call 24/7. There are highly qualified counselors there to help you, and they will no 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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While Deployed in the Military, Loneliness Sucks the Life Out of 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 from this site, please let them know.

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Military news…

‘Tanks and mud are not friends’ — Ukraine’s terrain is proving to be a problem for Russian armor

“Eastern Europe is either frozen or it’s muddy, that’s just how it is.”

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The Army is now letting soldiers pick their first duty station


Make sure to read the fine print, though.

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Congress takes step towards granting free health care to millions of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans

It’s one of many needed.

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Where is the Russian Air Force? Experts break down why they might be hiding


“It is clear to us that Russia is losing aircraft and helicopters at a damaging rate.”

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Putin likens sanctions to ‘declaration of war,’ says invasion pushback risks future of Ukrainian statehood

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday said that sanctions and pushback from leaders in Ukraine and around the world in response to the invasion are risking “the future of Ukrainian statehood.”

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Zelenskyy ‘desperate’ plea to US Congress: Send more planes

Fighting for his country’s survival, Ukraine’s leader made a “desperate” plea Saturday to American lawmakers for the United States to help get more warplanes to his military and cut off Russian oil imports as Kyiv tries to stave off the Russian invasion.

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My take….

Putin is directing his bombs on residential areas. Apartments etc. Very barbaric. He is desperate.

He is even losing support from his own military officers. The parliament is not happy either.

An interview of a young teenager in Russia, says he is not happy with his countries choices. He says the allies should help to end this war.

Up to fifty Russian planes have been shot down. 44 tanks have been destroyed. A whole convoy wiped out. Many helicopters destroyed. Seems to be that the Ukrainians are holding tough.

Over 11,000 Russians have been killed.

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Here is another chapter from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the trenches of Life. This one is about the loneliness you face when deployed.

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Loneliness Sucks the Life Out of You

I have written about loneliness already in this book, but I think one of the biggest battles a person in the military may battle is the loneliness that creeps up on them.

Many civilians do not understand how you can be lonely when you have so many other soldiers around you.

It may be hard to comprehend, but all those other soldiers are from all over the country, and do not relate to your needs of needing to connect with your home. They all have their own worlds of loneliness from not hearing from their own loved ones.

I think the worst time of my own loneliness was while I was stationed in Korea. We were stationed on a small base called Camp Red Cloud. There weren’t a lot of soldiers there. I was with the Army Security Agency, and we were there to help keep the peace plus monitor the radio waves to make sure there were no breaches of security.

Being there made me really feel isolated. I was in a foreign country that didn’t speak my language.

That was only part of it. We realized once we settled in to our duties that the people there didn’t want us to be there. We heard rumors about people throwing rocks at the military trucks as they drove from one place to the next. We were protecting them from North Korea, and they wanted us to leave. Didn’t make sense to me, and I am sure it didn’t make sense to any of you who have gone through the same thing.

My task was to be stationed on top of a high hill-they were all numbered- outside of the camp monitoring the radio waves for breaches of security. My hill was hill 468. Talk about being isolated. It was just one person, alone on top of that hill for twelve hour shifts. I was alone inside a deuce and a half ton truck that was full of radio equipment.

The silence was deafening! Just a slight scratch on the roof of the truck had you grabbing your rifle and aiming it at the door. We had antennas attached to the roof to help us get good reception, and the wind often caused the antennas to rub against the roof of the truck. It sounded like someone was on the roof.

You had to be tough. You couldn’t call down to the camp and ask someone to come up. The rest of them had to go through the same things and they knew exactly why you would be calling. No sissy people allowed!!

During the twelve hours shifts you had free time to think, and I mean deep thinking. It wasn’t good to have such long quite times. You thought about home. You thought about that girlfriend waiting for you. You thought about the fun times you were missing, such as fishing in the lake near the farm where I grew up.

So, I know what loneliness is all about. I know what you each have gone through. I feel your pain.

Loneliness is something we allow to happen. We let it creep into our system like the plague. We don’t fight it enough to make it go away.

After about a month of battling the loneliness in Korea I came up with some ideas to conquer loneliness, and survive. Hopefully it will help you as well, if you are deployed or even a veteran back in civilian life:

  • Write a journal. Don’t worry about what to write, just write. I wrote about some fun times I had in high school. I wrote about the biggest fish I ever caught as a youngster. I even wrote about being bullied in grade school. By putting down the good and the bad, I was able to release my feelings down on paper. It was like I was having a session with a counselor, only on paper.
  • I became an avid reader. Reading takes you into another world. A world you become a part of. You feel the pain; the happiness, and the fear the characters go through. They become family and you are guided through their lives in in a way you can learn about coping in your own life.
  • Send letters home. I know many of you now have SKYP and many other ways to communicate, but the written word seems so much more personal to me. Sending a letter to your family is a direct connection that I can almost guarantee you they will cherish, and keep forever.

Among the books I read was the Bible. I read it every day. I found comfort through many of the passages. I recommend Psalms, Isaiah, Jerimiah, Genesis, and Proverbs from the Old Testament and all of the New Testament.

Don’t let loneliness control your life. Take steps to rid the darkness that it can cause in your life. God is always there for you. He loves you. He even loves me warts and all.

IWILL

Loneliness is a direct cause of depression, and sadness. Try to fill your life with things you enjoy. Don’t sit and think of negative things. Don’t hide from the world where you are stationed overseas. Find things to fill your day that will change your attitude, and give you hope.  

Think about this

Isn’t it great that the more we communicate the happier we are?

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Come back and read more chapters from the book, Signs of Hope for he Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life. 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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Checking in on you. How are you doing? Did you face loneliness while deployed?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 14,104 veterans on this site who have you back. (BTW…on my last post there were 14,068. That is an increase of 36 in just two days. The subscriptions are skyrocketing right now, and I am very pleased.)

Here is what I am asking you to do…please share this site with other veterans you may know. It has helped so many.

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If you are battling mentally, because of your love for others, but it isn’t working, GET HELP!!

Here is a toll free number that you can call 24/7. There are highly qualified counselors there to help you, and they will no 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!

________________________________________________________________

+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.

Posted on

Putin is Showing Terrible Ways to Try to Win a War. He has lost 9,000 soldiers in Just the First Week.

+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.

________________________________________________________________

Military news…

Russia Presses Invasion to Outskirts of Ukrainian Capital

Russian forces reached Kyiv’s outskirts Friday after airstrikes hit cities and military bases, sending in troops and tanks from three sides in a momentous invasion.

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Taiwan Reports Nine Chinese Aircraft in Defense Zone

Taiwan’s defense ministry on Thursday reported nine Chinese aircraft had entered its air defense identification zone within hours of Russia launching an invasion into Ukraine.

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173rd Airborne Brigade Battalion Heads to Latvia as Ukraine Comes Under Russian Attack

Paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade are deploying to Latvia as part of the NATO response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

(My church has a missionary there.)

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​​Above Ukraine, a Cold War Spy Plane Is Finally Tracking a Russian Invasion

Three decades after its first mission, an American spy plane has monitored Russian forces as they invade eastern Europe.

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NATO Activates 5,000-Strong Task Force For First Time

NATO on Friday activated a spearhead force in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, marking the first time in the alliance’s history the unit has been deployed in Europe.

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‘Tired, Exhausted’: Ukrainians Fleeing Invasion Have Nowhere to Go

A train station in Pzemysl, Poland, has been turned into a welcome center and temporary home for Ukrainians, mostly women and children, fleeing the Russian invasion. Polish officials said 100,000 people have crossed their border with Ukraine over the last three days.

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My take…

The Russian forces seem to be struggling. Many soldiers giving up. There is no gas for their convoys. They have staled on the road leading to the capital city. The tanks are also stuck in the mud.

Over 9,000 Russian soldiers have been killed. The people in Russia are protesting. They didn’t want this war.

Rumor has it that the generals of Russia are getting restless, and are finding ways to get rid of Putin.

The Ukrainian people are fighting back. Civilians have taken up arms and helping in the fighting. People from other countries are coming to help fight as well.

This could be a huge mistake that Putin has made.

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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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F.E.A.R:

(1) Forget Everything and Run or

(2) Face Everything and Rise.

The choice is yours.

Fear is one of the inevitable things a soldier has to face. I faced it a few times. The worst time was when I was on a plane ready to head to the Bay of Pigs. I was ready to serve my country, but not knowing what was going to happen caused the fear.

In the dictionary fear is described as:

  1. A distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, or pain.
  2. Concern or anxiety.
  3. To be worried or afraid.
  4. Reverential awe, especially towards God.

All of us on that plane tried to hide our fear. We were supposed to be men and women. We were not supposed to think about what might happen to us. In reality we all thought about not returning home. We thought about loved ones. We thought about the unknown we were facing.

It is hard to face fear. John Wayne once said, “Courage is being scared to death, and saddling up anyway.” This is a man who played the parts of heroes all his life. Many of his films were military films.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “We have nothing to fear, but fear itself.” 

Fear isn’t something that is a cowardly act. It is an honest reaction to what is happening around us.

I have faced my own fears. I was within hours of my death when I was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance and had a quadruple by-pass surgery on my heart.

If you see a car coming at you head on while driving on a highway, you don’t act in a cowardly way, you react. You take action to save your own life.

If you feel you were fearful much too often while you served, don’t let that give you a feeling of failure on your part. It is an honest feeling that often brings out the best in people.

When you first decided to join the military, you knew there might be times of fear, and yet you still took the big step forward to serve. You should be very proud of your courage to do that, and realize that fear is just a part of living, not only in the military, but in everyday life.

IWILL

Start today to erase any guilt you may have had in your mind about any fear you may have faced in your service time in the military. Fear is a part of life, and it isn’t a shameful thing to try to hide. Just let it go, and be proud that you stepped up to serve your country. Many others didn’t do that. 

Think about this

Isn’t it great how brave we really are once we face fear?

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Come back often 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 you inbox.

(Just do it.)

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Checking in on you…How are you doing? Are you struggling with memories?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 14,070 fellow veterans here who have your back. (We increased by 56 since Monday. Pretty exciting. )

If you are battling mentally, because of your love for others, but it isn’t working, GET HELP!!

Here is a toll free number that you can call 24/7. There are highly qualified counselors there to help you, and they will no hang up until they know you are OK.

1-800-273-8255…texting 838255

_______________________________________________________________

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.