The Military Doesn’t Have to be Serious All of the Time.

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Military news…

Injured Marine recalls deadly Kabul suicide blast as House Republicans scrutinize Afghanistan withdrawal
Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews said his unit had warned commanders that they saw two suspects in the chaotic crowd outside Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport on Aug. 26, 2021, that fit a description flagged by U.S. intelligence, but the Marines were denied permission to shoot.

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Troops up for 5.2% pay hike under White House’s $886B defense budget request
The White House’s $6.8 trillion funding request for fiscal 2024, which begins Oct. 1, includes $842 billion specifically for the Defense Department, representing a $26 billion increase to the amount appropriated by Congress last year.

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North Korea fires short-range missile ahead of US joint military drills with South

North Korea fired its fifth ballistic missile of the year after U.S. intelligence officials assessed that the communist regime had “no intention of abandoning” its weapons program.

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The Russian military is so low on ammo that troops are reduced to fighting with e-tools
“One of the reservists described being ‘neither physically nor psychologically’ prepared for the action.”
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Ukrainian Pilots in Arizona Working With US Military Pilots

According to defense officials, while Ukrainians aren’t flying planes, U.S. military pilots are assessing their skills and familiarizing them with new aircraft equipment like the F-16. This comes as President Zelenskyy repeatedly asked the U.S. for F-16s, but the Biden administration has resisted.

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Not all moments in the military have to be serious. During my basic training I had an incident that I love to tell others about.

We were just finished with our firing range training, and our sergeant that was suppose to march us back to our barracks had to leave. He asked a Warrant officer to march us back.

Before he came over to us we decided to follow the rules of orders when he took over. That meant he had to say things exactly like a sergeant would say to get us moving.

He came before us and said, “Ok guys let’s get into formation.” No one moved. He tried two more times, and then he went to another sergeant to asked what he should say. The sergeant told him, and we go into formation when he said the right thing.

The he tried to get us to start marching he said, “Start marching,” No movement. He tried to do this several times,and had to ask that same sergeant what he should say. He then told us, “Forward march.”

We started marching. Eventually we came to a spot that we had to turn, or we would walk into the bay. He said, “Let’s turn here to avoid the water. We kept marching. We got to the edge of the water and he yelled, “Stop!” We kept going and the first part of the platoon was in the water. he was panicked, and called for help for another sergeant. The sergeant yelled “Halt.”

We stopped, but by that time we were all in the water, laughing our heads off.

We finally got back to the barracks and the company commander had us get into formation. He chewed us out for what we had done, and then you could see he was smiling as he walked back to his office.

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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.

______________________________________________________________

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.

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Vietnam Veterans Still Feel the Sting of Duty There. Most Have lost Many Friends.

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Military news…

Top US general says the fight in Syria is “important” for security after surprise visit
Milley believes an “enduring defeat” of ISIS is possible, but didn’t say how far away that is.

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What chance do military movies like ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ and ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ have at the Oscars?
Actually a pretty solid one, given how many other war films have come out on top.

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Zelenskyy vows not to retreat from Ukrainian city of Bakhmut

Ukraine military leaders are determined to hold onto Bakhmut, Kyiv officials said Monday, even as Russian forces continued to encroach on the devastated eastern Ukrainian city that they have sought to capture for six months at the cost of thousands of lives.

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North Korean missiles continue to cause tension

South Korean and American officials are expecting North Korea to continue missile launches — and potentially a seventh nuclear test — amid a tense regional standoff.

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US, South Korea to kick off Freedom Shield exercise amid warnings from North

The U.S. and South Korean militaries have set the date for large-scaled joint exercises with the U.N. and Combined Forces commands that North Korea last month likened to a declaration of war.

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I have a good friend who is a Vietnam veteran. I have coffee with him twice a week, and we are going to lunch today.

I have tried to talk to him about his time there, and he just doesn’t want to talk. I asked him why.

He was wounded by shrapnel. I said he should get a Purple Heart for that. He thoughts are, “I lost too many friends. They deserve the Purple Heart, not me. I am still alive.”

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There are many Vietnam veterans that have that attitude. They have lost too many buddies, and don’t feel they deserve any medals since they are still alive. I can understand that, but they are still heroes in my book.

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The military seems to be losing good soldiers. The recruitment is going slowly. Not many young men feel they need to serve their country. I hope they are able to come up with ideas to overcome that.

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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.

_______________________________________________________________

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.

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

+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…

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.

___________________________________________________________

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.