There Wasn’t Bad Days Every Day in the Military, Some Were Funny and Fun

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Military news..

An Air Force captain with top secret security clearance vanished. He resurfaced 35 years later
Former Air Force Capt. William Howard Hughes Jr. disappeared in 1983, and was found in 2018, but the exact details for why he deserted are still unknown.

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Here’s how the US military can win a war against China
To win against China, the United States must develop its ability to project power far from established bases using small, mobile teams.

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‘What did our service mean?’ Taliban rout still evokes raw emotions for US veterans and Afghan refugees
It’s been a year since the Taliban swept into Kabul. For many U.S. troops who tried to help Afghans flee their homeland, the last two weeks of August 2021 remain indelibly seared into their consciousness.

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House Republicans blast White House for Afghanistan withdrawal, calling it a ‘strategic failure’

The Biden administration was at fault for the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan last year, according to a GOP report.

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New study on tinnitus adds heft to findings on scourge of US vets

A meta-analysis published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association Neurology says that 14% of all adults have the condition, which causes ringing, buzzing or roaring noises inside their heads that only they can hear.

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New Iowa military memorial dedicated by former, active sailors from USS The Sullivans

On a weekend when sailors from both the decommissioned and active ships USS The Sullivan’s reunited at Iowa Irish Fest, a new memorial depicting the original Navy ship was unveiled in Waterloo.

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Not every day in the military was bad for me. I am sharing and excerpt from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the trenches of Life, of one day that funny and fun.

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I Hope I Can Swim!

There weren’t always serious times in the military.

One day after we were done with shooting at the range in basic training, the regular platoon leader had to go to headquarters, and he asked a Warrant Officer to march us back to the buses.

The Warrant Officer had never led a march before and it was very clear that he was not in control. The men whispered to each other that we needed to follow his commands completely, but only if they were Army regulated.

Well, the Warrant Officer had no idea what the Army regulations were for marching troops, so he just told us to start marching. We didn’t move. He shouted, “Let’s go!” We still didn’t move. Then a passer-by soldier told him the wording was “Forward march!” 

He said “Forward march!” We started marching. He wanted us to do a turn at a street corner, and said “Turn right!” We kept going straight. He was heading us toward a boat ramp leading down to the ocean. He saw what was happening, and yelled, “Stop!” We didn’t stop! He shouted “You’re going into the water, stop!”

By this time the front of the platoon was in the edge of the ramp and had water over their boots. He was again getting desperate. He ran over to some other soldier watching “the show,” and begged them to tell him what he is supposed to say. He said yell, “Platoon halt!” He did, but by that time there were some men swimming, and laughing I might add.

The platoon leader didn’t get mad when he heard what happened. He even chuckled to himself, and then he called the Warrant Officer to apologize.

Have you ever gotten confused with some orders you have received in the military? Were they in such a way that you had to question them? Let me tell you that it is OK to question a command or orders if you stay with the guidelines of the Army manual.

If an officer asks you to do something you aren’t comfortable with you could say, “No disrespect sir, but could you explain that order to me?” You could also say, “I would like to say “Respectively sir that I will do what you say, but I am not comfortable doing it.”

Any good officer will not chew you out for statements like that. My son, who was a colonel, had times when he had to give soldiers commands, and I am sure if they questioned him, he didn’t punish them or he didn’t become angry. I met many of his soldiers when I visited him on base, and every soldier I met said that my son was a soldier’s soldier. Meaning, they knew he was in charge, but they also knew that he would listen to them if they had a disagreement.

In your life it is wise to be open to others who may disagree with you. It may make you uncomfortable, but in the long run, the other person will respect you for listening to them even if you stick to what you first advocated.

IWILL

It is so easy to demand things for yourself, but that approach may only lead to the loss of friends and family. The “my way or the highway,” philosophy doesn’t seem to fit well with most people.

Think about this

Isn’t it sad that when someone tries to “bully,” someone into agreeing with them, it only hurts them?


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.

+Now there is an easier way to get help. Just dial 988, and you will have help ready for you.

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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.

Drone explosion hits Russia’s Black Sea Fleet headquarters

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Military news…

Air Force PJs saved dozens of lives across the country last week
Airmen who responded to catastrophic flooding in Kentucky included helicopter pilots, pararescuemen, and one responder who was not even human.

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Ukraine needs more than just weapons to beat Russia. It needs a strategy
Mortars and missiles alone won’t cut it, according to former JTAC.

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Biden: Killing of Al-Qaida Leader Is Long-Sought ‘Justice’

President Joe Biden announced Monday that al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Kabul, an operation he said delivered justice and, he hopes, “one more measure of closure” to families of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

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US Military-Run Slot Machines Earn $100 Million a Year From Service Members Overseas

The slot machines, operated by the U.S. Department of Defense, earn the DOD more than $100 million each year in the name of “morale, welfare, and recreation” for service members, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office that was written in response to demands from Congress.

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Hicks Taps Air Force to Oversee Cruise Missile Defense

Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks has selected the Air Force to oversee the development of a cruise missile defense to protect the United States. The move bypasses the Missile Defense Agency, which had been angling for the proposed multibillion-dollar mission.

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Navajo Code Talker Samuel Sandoval dies; 3 left from group

Hundreds of Navajos were recruited from the vast Navajo Nation to serve as Code Talkers with the U.S. Marine Corps. Only three are still alive today: Peter MacDonald, John Kinsel Sr. and Thomas H. Begay.

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Drone explosion hits Russia’s Black Sea Fleet headquarters

The blast took place in the port city of Sevastopol in Crimea, which was seized from Ukraine by Russia in 2014. Observances of Russia’s Navy Day holiday were canceled in Sevastopol.

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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.

_____________________________________________________________

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up.

+Now there is an easier way to get help. Just dial 988, and you will have help ready for 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.

“Red Dawn,” Hits Ukraine After Russian Armor Tagged With “Wolverines.”

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Military news…

‘Red Dawn’ hits Ukraine after destroyed Russian armor gets tagged with ‘Wolverines’

WOLVERINES!!!

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4 airmen awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for evacuating more than 150 civilians from Kabul

“The conditions that day were like none I had ever seen.”

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The Army’s suicide rate is the worst it’s been in nearly a century

That’s according to a new report from the Defense Suicide Prevention Office.

(Over 22 each day take their own lives in the military.)

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Signs of Massacre in Bucha Spark Calls For War-Crime Probes

Ukrainian officials said they have asked the International Criminal Court to visit the mass graves found in Bucha so investigators can gather evidence of possible Russian war crimes.

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Top US general says more bases in Europe could be needed amid ‘turning point’ in Continent’s history
Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers heightened American military “presence is always a good deterrent” against enemy aggression, telling them that he favored rotating more units in and out of Europe to a permanent boost of U.S. force strength on the Continent.
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Russia aims to create ‘land bridge’ to Crimea in new planned offensive, NATO chief says
Russian forces are regrouping for a new offensive in Ukraine aimed at gaining enough ground to connect the occupied Crimean Peninsula with separatist-controlled territory in the eastern Donbas region, NATO’s official said Tuesday.
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Pentagon: Russian troops have left Kyiv and Chernihiv but have not yet moved to eastern Ukraine
The roughly 40 Russian fast-response ground units — each made up of about 800-1,000 troops — that once surrounded the northern Ukrainian cities have returned to neighboring Belarus, a senior U.S. defense official said Wednesday.

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Jersey Shore town pulls together for 94-year-old veteran who lost home to fire

A World War II veteran lost everything in a sudden tragedy. A community came to his aid. An example of compassion in times of strife.

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Update…

My upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life, will be ready for the publisher by the end of this month. Then I will share a countdown daily on this site, so keep coming back to check it out. 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 struggling?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 14,260 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.

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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 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.