Tag: Korea

Posted on

Drafted soldiers in the MIlitary Were Totally Different

+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.

_____________________________________________

I had a great time yesterday, which was Veternas Day. My wife and I went to Applebees for dinner. The meal was free for me since I am a veteran, but it didn’t stop there. They brought me a picture that was colored, and said thank you on it. It was signed by Emily a second grader. Warmed my heart big time. Also added into to the awarding my service they gave me a gift card for the next time I came in. Doesn’t get much better than that.

_____________________________________________

Military news…

A Montana Army National Guard soldier is the first woman ever to graduate from the Army’s intense, seven-week sniper course,

_____________________________

Eddie Rickenbacker: American hero and candidate for most interesting man in the world
Many people believe that opportunity is a combination of luck and preparation. No one embodies that sentiment more than Eddie Rickenbacker, as the next few decades of his life would show.

______________________________

“The fact that I made a friend and then literally hours later, you find out they just got killed. It’s pretty horrible.” That’s from 24-year-old Spc. Robert Rolando, one of three soldiers who tol  what it was like to be in Afghanistan last August, ending a war nearly as old as they are.

______________________________

“The mobility, range of motion and the modular system are huge improvements over the suit we have right now.” That’s from Army Staff Sgt. Dione Brown, one of several soldiers who are testing out the Army’s next generation bomb suit for explosive ordnance disposal technicians.

______________________________

“She not only protected the well being of the children but also their dignity as human beings.” That’s what the command sergeant major of the 82nd Airborne Division had to say about Army Sgt. Breanna Jessop, a chaplain’s assistant who found herself running a makeshift orphanage and taking care of more than 400 displaced Afghan children in Kabul during the U.S. withdrawal in August,

____________________________________________

I am so good to you! Here is yet another excerpt from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the MIlitray: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

____________________________________________

Drafted Soldiers Are Totally Different

One of the interesting things while I was in the military was the drafted soldiers. They were selected in the draft by lottery, or by age. If you were over a certain age you were safe. If you were in college they seemed to leave you alone, but if you were not you were prime bait.

There was a lot of bitterness coming from these soldiers. They didn’t want to be there and they let you know about it. Those of us who enlisted got very tired of their whining, and several “blanket parties,” came up because of it. A blanket party is when a group of soldiers cover up another soldier with a blanket and rough him up. A blanket party could also be when a soldier hasn’t showered in a long time even after all the rigorous training we had.

I didn’t partake in the “parties,” but I too wasn’t very happy with the whining. They were serving their country, and should be proud of it. I felt they should have gotten over it and learned as much as they could with free training. I enlisted knowing what was ahead of me, and yet I felt obligated to service.

The draftees only had to serve two years. By the time you were through basic training and your MOS, (your job) training you only had about one year left. You could almost do that standing on your head.

Blanket parties were common in my day, but I thought people should at least warn the person that a blanket party might happen. I would think the person may take a shower real fast or change their attitude.

As for the draftees, I felt like I was doing something good for my country and for me as well. The military changed my life completely. I needed the structure, and discipline. I needed the special training. I needed to be away from my safe haven at home, and learn more about the world. I got all of that in the three years I served. I felt the draftees should have thought of about these themselves.

If you are wondering why you enlisted; if you are second guessing your decision, never feel that it was a waste of time. I got so much out of my time in the service. I met new friends. I got some valuable training, and I got to travel, even though it was to Korea, and other Asian countries.

I learned so much about their culture, and how they survive in a not so friendly world.

The military has many good benefits. In in the first place it is a job that you can make enough of an earning to take care of your family and yourself. There are free benefits that you don’t get in the private sector. 

All this and the comfort of knowing you are doing something that is meaningful.

__________________________________________

How are you doing these days? Hard to face this crazy world?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 13,355 fellow veterans here who have your back.

If the crazy world is just to much for you, GET HELP!

Here is a toll free number to 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 ar enever 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

You’re as Important as First Responders When it Comes to Saving Your Buddies Life From Suicide

+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…

An anonymous person wrote a letter threatening to charge the U.S. Army with war crimes for administering COVID-19 vaccines, mask mandates and COVID testing. Best of all, after accusing the service of “crimes against humanity and genocide,” the writer ends with a polite “Have a blessed day!” 

_____________________

A 21-year-old recruit died earlier this month on his first training day at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina. However, the circumstances surrounding the death of Pvt. Anthony Munoz is still unclear, as the Marine Corps is keeping those details close to the chest.

_____________________

An Army lieutenant colonel supposedly wrote a widely-read resignation letter alleging a “Marxist takeover of the military,” but the Army has decided not to say anything about it. The reason Lt. Col. Paul Hague thinks Marxists are taking over is because of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

—————————-

Willingly or not, Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has been pulled into partisan politics. How did this Green Beret, who started his tenure as one of President Trump’s “tough guys” become the fall guy for both Democrats and Republicans?

_____________________

An American drone strike in Kabul on Aug. 29 that killed 10 innocent civilians was based on faulty intelligence. Specifically, the intel asserted that a “key element” of an impending attack was a white Toyota Corolla, which happens to be the most ubiquitous vehicle in Afghanistan and has been described as “the car of Afghanistan.”

_____________________

It doesn’t matter that you’re not a medic, or a therapist, or a first responder. The fact is, you are now the one connection to life that they have. And that’s just part of the first step of Duane K.L. France’s brief but intense guide to helping veterans who are contemplating suicide. It’s a tough position to be in, but one where you may save a life, if you know what you’re doing.

_________________________________

Of Interest…..

Veterans get free entrance to national parks, refuges and other public lands

Veterans, Gold Star Families, current Military and their dependents have free access to approximately 2,000 public locations spread out across more than 400 million acres of public lands, which host activities to fit any lifestyle, from serene to high octane, including hiking, fishing, paddling, biking, hunting, stargazing, camping and much more.

__________________________________

For the last few posts I have been sharing the Table of Contents from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of life.

Here are some Chapters…

El-li-wa means come here in Korean

My first sexual experience

Skosh the Dog in our Quonset Barracks

Skosh loses all of her babies

Just One More Drink

Woke the next morning by a truck with the dry heaves

R & R in Tokyo, Japan

Hung onto a belly dancers hips

Do I Need to be Tough in the Military?

I severely burned my hand while on duty and stayed at my post

There’s a Tear in my Beer Since You Left me My dear

A lot of Dear john letters came in the Military

Really?

I knocked an old man down just for the fun of it.

_________________________________

Be sure to come back and see more Chapter titles. Better yet…

Go to the top of this page and click on “Subscribe.” When you do all future posts come directly to your inbox.

_________________________________

Checking on you to see how you are doing. Are your days OK, but the nights are fearful?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 13,010 fellow veterans on this site who have your back.

However, if the nights are too long and dark, GET HELP!

Here is a toll free number to call 24/7. There are highly qualified counselors there to help you. 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 .

Posted on

Finally, The Outline of the Upcoming Book, Signs of Hope for the Military

+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…

A soldier with the Florida Army Reserve has a religious exemption to not only grow a beard, but also wear his hair long while in uniform.. Sgt. Jacob DePietro observes the Nazarite vow from the the Old Testament in the Bible, which states that “no razor may be used on their head.”

________________________________

+Report from Jeff Schogol on his trouble trying to get an Afghan interpreter way from his country. They are threatening these people ahead of the final withdraw.

“On Thursday, I received a series of frantic texts from Sher Ahmad Ahmadzai, an Afghan man who worked for coalition forces, after someone threw a Molotov cocktail at his home.” That’s from Jeff Schogol, who wrote this piece about his inability to help Ahmadzai and other Afghans who risked their lives to help the United States and are now in danger of being killed by the Taliban.

“This story is difficult to write because journalists are rightly expected to not get involved in the stories we cover, and the modicum of help that I have tried to provide to Ahmadzai clouds my objectivity,” Jeff writes. “In a way, I’ve already failed at my job.”
_____________________________________________________

When U.S. Marine Security Guards at American embassies around the world need backup, they call on the Marine Security Augmentation Unit. This may be your first hearing about the MSAU, but the unit’s been putting in a lot of flight time recently: in the past 30 days, the quick reaction force has responded to the call twice to protect embassies in Africa and the Caribbean.

_____________________

 A soldier with the 82nd Airborne Division is heading to a court-martial in connection with a murky incident in Syria last summer in which U.S. troops and pro-regime forces exchanged gunfire.

“We are all suffering in silence,” is how one soldier described the unseen problem of eating disorders in the U.S. military. The Army and other branches use outdated body fat measurements to judge soldiers’ fitness, which, when combined with PTSD, sexual trauma and other common military mental health issues, create a rampant eating disorder problem that has gone largely underreported until now.

________________________

The U.S. may be leaving Afghanistan, but the ‘Forever Wars’ aren’t really ending, writes defense expert Bonnie Kristian in this guest op-ed. Despite his statements about leaving Afghanistan, ending support for the Saudi war in Yemen, and leaving Iraq, President Joe Biden’s plans for doing so remain vague, and you can stuff a lot of violence into an absence of details, Kristian argues.

__________________________

No excerpt today from my book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

What I am going to to is give you an outline of the book to give you a taste of what is coming:

  1. The first section will basic training. I have many stories there. Some funny some not so funny. Many things to talk about.
  2. The second section will be being deployed to Korea. Some very sad stories there, and few humorous.
  3. The third section will be my states side time at FT. Bragg. One very scary time there, but good vibes most of the section.

Then I will have two appendixes:

  1. Interviews from the trenches. I have interviews from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq. Many are heartbreaking. I also have an interview with a Gold Star mother I am working on right now. Pretty exciting.
  2. The second Appendix will be eight pages of resources for veterans. It will have every conceivable information you may be looking for.

__________________________

How are you doing? Do you fear sleeping? Have you seen enough of the turmoil we are facing in this world today?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 12, 550 fellow veterans here who have your back.

If the road is getting to rough for you, GET HELP!

Here is a toll free number for you to call 24/7.

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

Never face this not so friendly world alone!

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.