The 79th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor Bombing is this weekend. Dec 7th, 1941

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Time to come out of our bunkers.

This coming weekend is the 79th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl harbor December 7th, 1941. I was only 2 years old at that time so I had no idea what really was going on.

Here is a story by a man who was there that day, and is still alive:

Sterling R. Cale realized something wasn’t right on that fateful morning. He was just 20 years old that day. He was a Navy hospital pharmacists mate stationed there at Pearl Harbor.

He had just finished breakfast when he noticed something happening at Battleship Row. He thought, How come they are bombing the battle wagons? “We don’t train on Sunday!”

While he was watching a plane came by with the Rising Sun on the fuselage. He said, “My God, those are Japanese planes!”

He ran and walked into the shallow harbor waters, to retrieve wounded and dead bodies over the next two hours. He said, “I only picked up 49 people.” He went on to say, “Some of those people were gone already. Some others were so badly burnt the skin would come off of their hands when I tried to help them.

There were others that were tired because they had been blown off a ship, or had jumped and had to get to shore.”

Cale, who is 98, is the last surviving military person from the attack on the Hawaiian Islands. His home is just a few miles from where the attack occurred.

He said, ” It is always on my mind. I know what happened, how it happened, but not whay it happened.”

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I had three uncles who fought in WWII.

One was a Sea Bee. Another was an infantry soldier, and the third was a tanker.

All three had vital things they contributed to the war during their enlistment.

The uncle who was in the See Bees, put in very important bridges and roadways to help our men and women fight the war.

The second uncle was wounded in France. His company was overwhelmed by German forces. He had to play dead, while the Germans came through to check for survivors. If they were still alive they shot them. He was a very lucky hero.

The last uncle was the driver of a tank fighting against the Japanese. He had two other crew members in the tank with him.

One day he had stopped to rest and get some fresh air in his tank. That turned out to be dangerous. A Japanese soldier was near, and dropped a grenade into their tank. The blast instantly killed his best friend next to him, and everyone else was wounded.

He never wanted to talk about it, because he felt he caused the problem by opening his tank up.

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Are you being strong?

Have you had some bad times? Does everything seem to be closing in on you?

You are not alone, my friend. There are over 10,180 veterans in this site who have your back. They care for you and want the best for you.

However, if you are overwhelmed, and frustrated, GET HELP!!

Here is a toll free number for you to call 24/7. When they talk to you it is all free.

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

1-800-273-8255 Option # 1

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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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Three Fascinating Stores About WWII Veterans

+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.

Update on the disaster in Portland, Oregon.

Governor Brown asked the Sheriff’s Department to come help with the rioting. They have said no, because the arrested people are turned loose and not prosecuted.

She asked the State Police to do the same. They have to because she is the boss, but they had the Feds deputize them so when they made an arrest they will have Federal charges.

She doesn’t have much control over anything.

The Mayor of Portland had to move out of his home because rioters found where he lived, and started fires. He thought they loved him. Wrong!!!

I am getting tired of having to report about Portland. But it is from my home state and I am extremely upset with the lack of force there is to clear this mess up.

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I see that the military has backed off of promoting black people to Generals. What’s up with that!??You should promote because of being merited, not the color of your skin. Got to stop.

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I have been sharing interviews of veterans for my up coming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the trenches of Life.

Today I am going to share three short stories about members of my own family:

I had three Uncles who fought in WWII. One was a Seabee; another was an infantry man, and the third was a tanker.

I tried to interview two of them, but they were so shell shocked, (PTSD) they didn’t want to share much.

So I was share what I know about each of them:

My Uncle Claude, was a Seabee. They were critical people in WWII. They went in before the troops and built brides, and roads. They made the traveling much better for the troops. They were very much in harms way, and I am proud to be related to him..

My Uncle Norton, was in the infantry. One day he was on the battle field in France. His unit was over run by the Germans. Many men were killed. My uncle was wounded, but he “played dead,” while the Germans came through to finish killing anyone who was still alive. He made it even through one German was very close. He received the Purple Heart.

My Uncle Dwight was a tanker. He was the head man in a three man crew. They decided to stop and rest one day on the battle field. He opened the hatch to let some fresh air in. That was a big mistake. A Japanese soldier, climbed up on that tank and threw a grenade in to the tank. My uncle’s best friend was killed instantly, and my uncle and the other soldier were injured. Uncle Dwight, did not want to talk about it, because he had his buddy killed because of his decision. He received the Purple Heart.

Those three men are my personal heroes. They gave me the thoughts of joining the Army. I wanted to honor them.

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How are you doing? Did you get wounded while deployed? Did you lose a buddy during your time in the military?

You are certainly not alone!! There are over 9,200 fellow veterans on this site. Many of them have been through what you have been through. They have your six.

If it has become too overwhelming for you, please get help! There is a toll free number to call for help. The counselors there are excellent. Here is that number:

1-800-273-8255

Call now if you need it.

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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 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.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never fosaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all….never, ever, give up!

Don’t Ever Give up !

Thanks to all of you who have been joining us here. The response has been wonderful .  We just past 3,255 new subscribers. That is a huge increase in 2015. We only had 1,000 a year ago. Help us to make it to 4,000.  Could you be the one that puts us over the top? Our goal for the end of this year is 6,000.

Help us continue to grow by subscribing today if you haven’t already. Just click on the icon right after the title of this post to do that.

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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 will be reaching 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. Doug sent off his mini proposal to an agent who is very interested in his concept. We will update you when we hear more. 

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It has been a while since I last posted here. Many different illnesses, and interference’s.
I am going to Cardio rehab on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I found that there were three veterans that were also in rehab. I found out their names, and got to know them.
Two of them were in Korea like I was. Another was a Vietnam veteran. It is very interesting that there are so many veterans who are having heart problems, but I haven’t pursued that thought yet.
As I got to know the men, we found that we each had different experiences that should be shared with other veterans. I took it on myself to set-up official interviews with each of the men.
I will share so of the conversations with you on later posts.

The book “Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life,” Is nearing the finish line. Just a few new added chapters, and finishing up with the large amount of interviews I have lined up, and the book will be ready for publication.
I will give you a quick sneak preview of some of the interviews I have had so far. No names; no places. Just quotes from some of the veterans. I will be disclosing names and places in the book. (This is called a hook, in the writing industry!)
One WWII soldier told me the story of him being a tanker in the war and having a Japanese soldier tossing a grenade into their tank. He said his close buddy next to him was killed instantly. He was wounded. He received the Purple Heart, and another medal for bravery.
Another WWII soldier said he was wounded and lying on the battle field pretending he was dead, as the German soldiers checked to see if anyone was alive. He survived that horrible ordeal, and received the Purple Heart.
A Vietnam era Medic told me about holding soldiers in his arms while they died. He also told me one soldier asked him if he was scared, and he said, “Yes I am.”
Another Vietnam Navy veteran told me he watched in horror as his best friend’s helicopter, he was the pilot of, lifted off of the ship and then crashed into the ocean. It sank with all the soldiers trapped inside. The water was too deep to rescue them, so they all perished.
The first Iraq war left many soldiers with PTSD. I have interviewed some of them and their stories are heartbreaking.
All these interviews and many more will be in the book.
I was in the military. I was deployed just like many other soldiers. I was extremely lucky not to be in a war zone. Many other soldiers were not.
The book will cover deployments, spouses left behind; domestic violence in the military; loneliness; some humor; individual interviews from many of the soldiers who were in the trenches, and many personal stories.
If you are a veteran, and current person in the military, or even a family member/friend of someone in the military, I feel this book will be very beneficial to you.
I am not plugging this book for fame or money. I am plugging this book to reachout to all of those veterans and military who maybe hurting.
Here is a statistic that I want to change some how:

•There are 22 suicides a day among the veterans and military. It has never gone below that figure for several years.

Please, if you are military, or a veteran, stand strong. Know that many people are praying for you. Don’t give into the negative thoughts in your head. That is Satan talking to you, and he would love to add you to his trophy wall of people who gave up.

You are a person of much worth. God made you in His image. He loves you. Cling to His promises, which are:
•You are never alone.
•You are never forsaken.
•You are never unloved.

And I must add…. above all…never, ever, give up!