Tag: Japanese

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No Evidence of Ukraine aid Falling Into Wrong Hands, Pentagon Officials Say

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Military news…

No evidence of Ukraine aid falling into wrong hands, Pentagon officials say
The Pentagon has found no evidence that U.S. military aid earmarked for Ukraine has been diverted for unauthorized uses, defense officials told House lawmakers Tuesday to allay congressional fears that weapons could be falling into the wrong hands.

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Army secretary says goal with China, Taiwan is to ‘avoid land war in Asia’

Two of the Army’s top leaders said Monday that 2023 is an important year for the United States to show China that any attempt to “unify” with Taiwan would meet with a strong U.S.-led coalition of resistance like what Russia is seeing in Ukraine.

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Putin orders Ukraine border tightening as drones hit Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the border with Ukraine tightened Tuesday after several drones attacked inside Russian territory, including one that crashed just 60 miles from Moscow.

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Iranian missiles seized on vessel in Gulf of Oman, British and US navies say

A British navy frigate aided by a U.S. Navy surveillance plane seized anti-tank missiles and other weapons aboard a vessel in the Gulf of Oman, officials said.

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Trio of NATO aircraft carriers drill in Mediterranean Sea in message to Russia
 “The security environment is uncertain; NATO’s capability and will is not.”

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While I was stationed in South Korea, I was awarded a week of R&R. (Rest and recuperation.)

I was sent to Tokyo, Japan. I went with a buddy.

It was quite a trip. We visited Japenese gardens, saw many Pagodas, and ate at some great restaurants.

One night while we was just walking, we saw a bar that claimed it had disco music. We decided to check it out. We went in, and the place was packed. They indeed were playing disco music. They had an American DJ playing records.

We sat down and started drinking beers. Later in the evening the DJ stopped playing and made an announcement. He said, “For your pleasure we have a belly dancer to entertain. She will be dancing close to the tables around the dance floor. She will stop at each table and challenge someone to try to hold her hips while she shimmed.

Well, my buddy and I had been drinking for a while so I wasn’t feeling any pain!

The dancer went from table to table and no one could hold her hips very long.

Then she came to our table. I was blurry eyed, but I still hesitated at first. My buddy “egged,” me on, so a took ahold of her hips. She began to shimmy. I didn’t let go. She shimmed harder. I still didn’t let go. She finally got tired, and the event was over.

The DJ said, “We have a winner. The prize is free drinks for the rest of the night?”

Just what I didn’t need, but I was a young buck and got several free beers.

I do not remember walking back to our hotel.

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I had the privilege to meet a Vietnam veteran while shopping for groceries. I seem to have the knack to find them. This guy is a true hero. His name is Milt Hoch. He had three tours in Vietnam. He didn’t have to. He chose to.

He was in intense fighting, even face to face fighting. He was once stabbed through both legs at once with a bayonet. He was still able to kill the enemy and survive.

I have an interview with him in my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life. It is riveting.

Keep coming back to hear about other heroes. 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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Checking in on you. How are you doing? Is everything going OK, or are you fighting back memories?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 15,219 Veterans on this site who have your back.

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 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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My Three Uncles Were War Heroes During WWII.

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Military news…

North Korea fires 8 ballistic missiles off eastern coast, South’s military says
The launches mark the 17th round of missile tests so far this year by North Korea and its first in June.

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NATO begins US-led Baltic Sea naval exercises with Finland, Sweden

NATO kicked off a nearly two-week U.S.-led naval exercise on the Baltic Sea on Sunday with more than 7,000 sailors, airmen and marines from 16 nations.

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Russia hits Kyiv with missiles; Putin warns West on arms

Russian strikes appeared aimed at thwarting the resupplying of Ukrainian fighters, a rising concern in Moscow.

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As war drags on, weary Russians yearn for a return to normal life

The deadening gloom of a long war worries the Kremlin because of the challenge of dragging the population along as sanctions bite, businesses retrench, prices continue to surge and it dawns on people that life may never go back to the way it was.

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Australia says China threatened plane over South China Sea

An incident in international airspace saw a Chinese Air Force J-16 intercept a P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft, Australia said.

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Veterans remember Battle of Midway, one of Navy’s greatest victories, 80 years later

Eighty years ago this weekend, a military miracle unfolded. The U.S. Navy ambushed the Japanese fleet at the Battle of Midway and altered the course of World War II.

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D-Day through the eyes of a combat medic in the first wave at Omaha Beach

“I had to push what I was experiencing out of my mind, so I could function the way I was trained to function.”

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I had three uncles who fought in WWII. They were my heroes. It is the main reason I joined the military. I wanted to continue the tradition of my family in the military. My son followed me into the military and retired as a Colonel.

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Each uncle had an important part of the war. My uncle Claude was a Seabee. They put in brides, and roads vital to the advancement of the troops.

My uncle Dwight, was a tanker. He was the lead man in his tank and was the driver. There were three or four guys in his tank. One day he stopped the tank and opened the hatch to get some fresh air into the tank. It turned out to be a huge mistake. A Japanese soldier came along and tossed a grenade into the tank. It instantly killed my uncle’s best friend, and the rest were wounded. My uncle received a Purple Heart for that. He never recovered in his mind from that incident. He took to his grave the feeling of failure by having his best friend killed.

My third uncle Norton was in the infantry. He was fighting in France when his platoon was overrun by the Germans They came through the troops, and if they found anyone alive, they killed them. My uncle played dead, and survived. He was also wounded and received a Purple Heart.

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These three stories are just a few of the stories I share in my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

Keep coming back to see more stores, and interviews with WWII veterans. 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? Is everything going OK, or are you fighting back memories?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 15,0030 Veterans on this site who have your back.

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

______________________________________________________________

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 not 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.

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The Heroes From D-Day 1944 Had Fearful Moments When They parachuted in.

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Military news…

NATO fighter jets intercept Russian planes over Black and Baltic seas
NATO fighter jets positioned around the Baltic and Black seas scrambled multiple times over four days to track and intercept Russian aircraft flying near allied airspace, NATO said Friday.

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National Guard soldiers work again with Ukrainian troops they trained before Russian invasion

Florida National Guard soldiers who trained troops in Ukraine before Russia’s invasion are now training Ukrainian forces again outside the war-torn country, chief Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Friday.

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Confronting Russia will deter China, says Japanese defense minister

A strong international response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine is critical to deterring China from embarking on territorial conquests in Taiwan or the South China Sea, said Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi.

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North Korea fires suspected submarine-launched ballistic missile, South’s military says
North Korea fired what is suspected to be a short-range ballistic missile off its eastern coast, according to a message sent to reporters from South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff on Saturday.

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Dozens feared dead in bombing of Ukrainian school

Scores of Ukrainians were feared dead Sunday after a Russian bomb flattened a school where about 90 people were taking shelter in the basement, while Ukrainian fighters held out inside Mariupol’s steel plant as Moscow’s forces apparently raced to capture the city ahead of Russia’s Victory Day holiday.

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Ukraine is rebuilding cities as fast as Russia destroyed them

The rebuilding effort is imbued with a sense of optimism that Ukraine will outlast Russia’s assault. Volunteers are mostly carrying it out, allowing government funds to remain focused on the war.

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Last Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol vow to fight ‘as long as we are alive’

Civilians in Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant have been evacuated, but fighters who remain there say there is no way out.

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What follows is some information about some Band of Brothers who lived right in my home town. These soldiers fought in WWII and parachuted behind enemy lines on D-Day June of 1944. They were called Easy company. They are part of my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

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Band of Brothers in my home town.

One of the honors I shared was right in my home town of Salem, Oregon. Three members of the Band of Brothers live close to me. Two of the three died before I started this book.

One name was Leo Boyle and high school teacher and then the special education director. He was the least known. He died in 1997. That was four years before the Emmy winning television series aired.

Only Bill Wingett was still living when I started this book. He was in a military assisted facility in Lebanon, Oregon. I was ready to go interview him and the pandemic hit. He died before I could get to him.

He is part of the ever shrinking Easy Company of the 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne, which most Americans know as the Band of Brothers.

I also personally met another Band of Brothers in Minneapolis, Wisconsin.  I bought his book that shares many of the actual happenings in WWII that was done by this group.

A list shows that there are only 14 Brothers left, but it is outdated.

Easy company was involved of some of the most brutal on D-Day over 75 years ago. They also fought during Market Garden-the battle of Bastogne, and the Battle of the Bulge.

But the whole story about them got started on June 6th, 1944. They were assigned a night jump behind enemy lines several hours before the invasion.

Wingett said that one day was a “red-letter day.”

As important as that day was some details faded for him who just turned 97 during this interview for the Statesman Journal, Salem, Oregon. The interviewer was Capi Lynn.

“I may not be able to dig up some of the stories, but I lived them,” Wingett said. He really didn’t want to tell his own stories.

Years ago he described D-Day like this, “We got in an airplane in England and we jumped out of the Damn thing in France, and the fight began. There’s not much more to say about that.”

His group jumped into darkness in the early morning hours.

The target was Utah Beach. The allies divided the 60-mile coastal stretch into five code-named sectors for the invasion. Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sward were the others.

Wingett landed where the Germans flooded the area as a defensive tactic. Many paratroopers were killed by gun-fire before they hit the ground. And many more drowned.

Wingett struggled in the water That day. He only survived because he was slowly able to shed much of the 150 pounds of gear he was carrying, including a main and reserve chutes, weapons, ammunition, and rations, between breaths of air above water.

Malarkey from Salem, jumped roughly in the same area and landed in a tree. He dangled in his chute until he got his bearings, then cut himself loose and fell to the ground.

He went on to serve more time on the front lines than any Easy Company soldiers. He received the Bronze Star for his bravery in the Battle of Brecourt Manor.

Boyle also parachuted into Normandy, where he was wounded and evacuated to England. Boyle was later promoted to Staff Sergeant, and served as commanding officer Richard Winters’ right hand man before being severely wounded during Operation Market Garden. He was discharged after nine months in various hospitals.

Wingett said he never had a close call even though he was wounded three times.

I wasn’t able to see all of his medals because of the Pandemic. He had a purple heart with two oak leaf clusters. This was along with the many medals, ribbons, badges, and patches displayed in a frame on the wall in the apartment where he lived at the Oregon Veteran’s Home in Lebanon, Oregon.

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There are more parts of the book dedicated to these heroes from WWII. Come back of ten to check them out. Better yet…go to the top of this page and click on Subscribe. When you all future posts will come directly to your inbox.

____________________________________________________________

Checking in on you. How are you doing? Is everything going OK, or are you struggling?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 14,640 veterans on this site who have your back.

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

______________________________________________________________

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 not 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.