This Old Soldier Has Been Blessed With a Severe Visit From Covid

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Military news….

Air Force A-10s continue to prove that runways are for suckers

The Air Force landed A-10s on a Michigan highway to practice operating in austere environments without the large bases airmen are used to.

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The Air Force now has a golden F-16

The shiny Iowa Air National Guard F-16 is a throwback to the original 1996 gold F-16 and the ‘bulldog’ commander who created it.

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Navy to stop punishing sexual assault victims for underage drinking, other minor infractions

Under new guidance issued this week, commanders will no longer punish sailors and Marines who report sexual assaults for misconduct related to the incident.

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The Navy is paying $100,000 for tips on smuggling drugs and guns in the Persian Gulf

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These 4 soldiers just received the Medal of Honor for standing between their men and enemy fire

“It’s been a long journey to this day for these heroes and their families.”

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A Marine’s Bronze Star offers insight into US troops’ heroism during the Kabul evacuation

“He disregarded his own grievous wounds, the tear gas engulfing him, and reports of gunfire and began dragging this Marine to safety.”

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A rocket mysteriously crashed on the Moon. The military intel world has no idea who sent it

The truth hopefully is out there.

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This will be a very short post tonight. I have found that this old solider has come down with COVID. It has knocked me down and I have been bed ridden for four days. It saps any strength you have and keeps you very weak.

I will finish up with my usual words of support and encouragement.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Violence in Military Marriages is far Too common, and Needs to Stop.

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Military news….

The last living WWII Medal of Honor recipient has died

Hershel “Woody” Williams was 98.

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Air Force selects new helmet to replace the one pilots have loved to hate since the 1980s

The Air Force picked a new helmet that could keep fixed-wing aircrew members more comfortable and injury-free.

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The US military is the only thing stopping China from swallowing Taiwan whole

As China steps up its rhetoric against Taiwan, lessons must be learned from the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

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Social media can be a weapon, and it’s time US troops get trained on it

Leaders need to be taught the risks and rewards of social media in a new era of information warfare.

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Russian boat reportedly sunk while bringing supplies to Black Sea island made famous by Ukrainian guards

A Russian military tugboat carrying a surface-to-air missile launcher to Snake Island in the Black Sea sank after two Ukrainian missiles struck it, Kyiv announced Friday.

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Endless shelling and dead soldiers: A vicious artillery war spreads in Ukraine

It’s a pitiless artillery war, perhaps not seen since WWI, involving less strategy than slugfest, both sides lob barrage and counter-barrage over a see-sawing front line and hope to still be standing when they pulverize the other side into submission or withdrawal.

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US and NATO seen in more favorable light abroad as world sours on Putin, survey finds

A median of 65% of those polled across 11 alliance member countries held favorable views of NATO, compared with 26% having negative views, Pew said.

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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. This is one aspect of the military people take for granted. However, they can’t forget it because it impacts their whole family.

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Violence in Military Marriages

In the military it is all too common that domestic violence raises its ugly head. The spouse that is left behind usually gets the brunt of it. Some signs that you may be one of those victims are:

  • Are you slowly, helplessly letting the continuous grip of despair come over you?
  • Are you pounded by guilt others have placed on you like the waves hitting the shores on the Oregon coast?
  • Does your marriage feel dead or burnt out?
  • Have you cried so much that the reservoirs for your eyes have dried up?
  • Do you fear the times when your spouse is coming home?
  • Do you feel it is better to remain silent than to say anything at all?
  • When you do speak, are you chastised or even beaten?

If you face any of these situations, you are in a domestic violence trap. Domestic violence sucks the joy out of anyone. You shouldn’t be like a bobble-head doll and let someone slap you around until you nod the way they want you to.

Angry people want to see how powerful they are.

Loving people want you to see how powerful you are.

Chief Red Eagle

His statement is so true. Angry people want to crash the hopes of those around them. They want to crush their dreams. They have to be in control. They seek power and seek submission from others.

Let’s look at what we can do to try to even the playing field in a marriage, military or otherwise.

Things that hurt a marriage can be:

  1. Making your spouse look bad in public. This can happen a lot in the military because there are a lot of functions that require their personnel to come with a spouse, and this seems to be a prime place to show others who is the boss.
  2. Putting coal in those angry snowballs you throw. Stick and stones may break my bones, but words can destroy me. So many times violence starts from a shouting match where one spouse is calling the other horrible names.
  3. Using threatening statements like, “I am leaving for good,” is so hurting that the other spouse will give in and allow the horrible dream to continue.
  4. Using absolute words like “always” and “never” when you describe something your spouse does or doesn’t do can crush their heart. Saying, “You always cook the wrong food,” or “You never keep the house clean enough,” is very degrading and harmful to the marriage.

One thing I’ve noticed when someone says they have a perfect marriage is that it is easy to see that one of them is in complete control. Feelings are not allowed. The outward appearance can be deceiving. If one spouse is always quiet and you seldom hear a word from them, it is often a bad sign. Silence is a deal breaker in most marriages.

If you are a victim, or even the aggressor, you need to change the path that you’re going down. You need to do a U-turn and go back to when you both were madly in love.

Have you ever noticed in the western movies when a cowboy has ridden his horse for a while he then stops, turns around, and then looks back? Why do they do that?

They do it because the trail looks different looking back than when they rode over it. It is a way to know your way back if you need to go that way again.

If you’re in the middle of a domestic violence situation, you need to look back and find your way back to where you both where truly in love.

One thing to remember is that when you first married you thought your spouse was nearly 100 percent awesome, and you knew the other amount was under construction.

Here is a big secret. (Now don’t tell anyone.) If we spent more time acting like we were still courting our spouses long after the marriage takes place, there would be less divorces and domestic violence in this world.

We need to keep forging ahead to find new ways to make things work for us. It’s like a river that reaches places the beginning of the river never knew. There will be new paths that we have never been on, and there will be walls we have never faced. But like that same river that meanders around obstacles, we have to find ways to go through, around, or under those walls to keep the home fires burning.

We need to quit looking for the bad in our spouse. It is like looking for weeds instead of enjoying all the flowers around them.

We must allow our spouse to become. By that I mean like when a caterpillar goes completely into a cocoon and is stripped of all form; yet it is changed into a beautiful butterfly. People are like that.

We also need to God in our lives. We need to have Him heal the open wounds of the heart and exchange the horrible looks on our faces with a smile. He can do that if we allow Him to.

If both spouses let go of their own desires and allow God to guide their lives, love will automatically overflow from each them. Of course, we know that love conquers everything.

If you are a victim, get help from the proper sources in the appendix. If you are the aggressor, do the same. There are anger management sources in the back. 

IWILL

Domestic violence is very much in the minds of all people these days because of the tremendous exposure it is getting in professional athletics. Way too many sports figures have made headlines because of domestic violence. The subject is now out in the open for all to think about in their own lives.

I agree that as military, you are living a regimented and strict life you have to obey every day. But there are no excuses to bring it home and use it on your spouse.

Use any resources you can to end the terror and humiliation of domestic violence.

Think about this

Isn’t it sad how we allow others to dictate our lives to us when we are capable of much more?

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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.

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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.

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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.

A Very Important Book For Veterans, About PTSD is Available at Amazon

+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…

Army Gen. Cavoli tells senators that NATO expansion could force Russia to move troops in the Baltic region
Gen. Christopher Cavoli, the nominee to be the next commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Europe, said adding Finland and Sweden would give NATO a footprint over almost the entire Baltic Sea coastline.

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Air Force squadron throws itself birthday bash in German skies

It was a sight rarely seen over Ramstein: Nine C-130J Super Hercules airplanes flying in formation and dropping 90 paratroopers onto a grassy landing zone between two runways.

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Marine Corps now has 2 fully operational F-35B stealth fighter squadrons in Japan

A second squadron of F-35B Lightning IIs is fully operational at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, bringing the total number of stealth fighters there to 32.

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Alabama Army base may be renamed to decorated veteran Michael Novosel Sr

An Alabama military base, one of many in the South named for Confederate leaders, is slated to be renamed for a Medal of Honor winner from Etna who served as a fearless combat pilot in three wars spanning 30 years.

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Russia test-fires its latest hypersonic Zircon missile

The Russian navy on Saturday conducted another test of a prospective hypersonic missile, a demonstration of the military’s long-range strike capability amid the fighting in Ukraine.

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Korean War vets group dwindling but still active and proud of service in the ‘forgotten war’

On Memorial Day 31 years ago, Korean War veteran Ed Stevens of Kennedy saw a Washington politician on TV giving a speech and invoking World War I, World War II and Vietnam. “But he never said a word about Korea,” Mr. Stevens recalled.

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Russia claims capture of key transport hub, as Zelensky remains defiant

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Saturday its forces now control Lyman, a key transport hub providing access to bridges over the Siversky Donets river, and the British Defense Ministry said most of the town has probably fallen into Russian hands. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sounded a defiant note on Friday, saying: “If the occupiers think that Lyman or Severodonetsk will be theirs, they are wrong.”


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I know a good friend who has written a book just for those who have veterans who are fighting PTSD. It is a wonderful book and I highly recommend you check it out. Here is her closing poem in the book. Get your hankys out:

I Loved Someone With PTSD BY Welby O’brien

I loved someone with PTSD…

Had no clue how hard it would be.

Was I the only one who knew

What PTSD could put you through?

If only just what to say,

or just tried harder to make his day.

Was it me or was it him/

What was the darkness that stole him away?

I cry alone. It hurts so much.

He cannot seem to feel my touch.

Where does he go behind that wall,

or in that cave so dark and small?

His pain is abysmal, locked deep inside.

All he knows is how to hide.

The horrors of war forever torment

This man I love, and won’t relent.

i’m all alone, afraid and torn,

Feel so tired, weary worn.

Please, God, show me what to do

To help us both make it through!

I’m NOT alone, it came to me.

Faith and love can set me free.

Prayers of help, and people who know,

My lifelines of hope to help me grow.

It isn’t him. It isn’t me

It’s only the cruel PTSD.

Though always there, we don’t have to numb,

It just take one day at a time.

I love someone with PTSD,

And I am sure that he loves me.

The pain and struggles we’ll fight each day,

My love for him is here to stay.

I love someone with PTSD,

And I’m so glad he is here with me.

Although it is not always fun

It’s the best thing I have ever done.

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Her book is called, Love Our Vets: Restoring Hope for Families of Veterans with PTSD. You should be able to find it on Amazon. I did.

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Keep coming back to see more excerpts from my own upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the 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 you inbox.

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Reminder that today is Memorial Day. Honor all those who gave their all for our country, and the millions of veterans who could be your neighbors.

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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 14,941 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.

_______________________________________________________________

+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.