Pagodas Archives - Doug Bolton

March 3, 2023March 3, 2023

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

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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.

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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.

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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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March 21, 2022March 21, 2022

In the Military the Best Ships Are Friendships

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Military news….

4 US Marines killed in Osprey crash in Norway

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Legion of the damned: Inside Ukraine’s army of misfits, veterans, and war tourists in the fight against Russia

Every war has its own dynamics which can be equally lethal to veterans and beginners if not properly understood.

Video appears to show Russian troops caught in ambush and doing everything wrong

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Marine Corps to curtail usage of Amtracs in wake of deadly accident

The Marine Corps will no longer send its amphibious assault vehicles on regular deployments or training in water except in crisis response, the service said Wednesday.

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The 13 U.S. service members killed in a bombing at Kabul’s airport as they worked to evacuate thousands of Americans, Afghans and allies ahead of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan will receive the highest honor from Congress, the White House said Thursday.

Service members killed in Afghanistan evacuation attack will receive Congressional Gold Medals

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Norwegian vessel teams up with US carrier strike group, maintaining trend toward cooperation

The Fridtjof Nansen and the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group sailed through the Strait of Gibraltar to enter the Mediterranean Sea on Tuesday, U.S 6th Fleet said Tuesday in a statement.

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UK restores presence in Germany with hub for army vehicles

The United Kingdom is taking a page from the US Army playbook, sending hundreds of tanks and fighting vehicles back to Germany so its forces can maneuver more freely around Europe.

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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.

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The Best Ships are Friendships

After the rough ride on the ship on the way over to Korea, I kept some good friendships going. I had two weeks stuck in the hull of a ship full of sick people. I was lucky and didn’t get sick so I was constantly looking after the guys that slept around me in the bunks. They really appreciated me being there for them. There is nothing more terrifying than to be somewhere that no one knows you or seems to care, and be sickly besides all of that.

Once we landed some of the guys thanked me, even though some of them were going to other parts of Korea. We remained friends at a distance.

I just happened to hook up with a couple of them when we had our R and R (Rest and recuperation,) time in Tokyo since we had the same length of time together.

It was a fun time going to see the Pagodas, the gardens, and seeing the nightlife while I was with them.

We came back to our companies refreshed and ready to work hard again.

Have you had a time when you wish you could find friends to be with you during an ordeal that you were having hard time facing?

Did you have to meet with a doctor to see the results of a very serious test they had done. I have. Did you feel left alone when you had a divorce, and people frowned on it? I have. Have you lost loved ones and mourned the loss? I have. Have you been accused of something that wasn’t true? I have.

Through all of these trials and storms I had a core of friends and family around me to console me and hold my hand. Without all those friendships and a circle of love ones, I may not have been here today.

I have battled depression, and self-doubt, but through the consistency of family and friends around me, I was able to realize I wasn’t walking the path alone.

IWILL

Never take on a tough moment alone. Always lean on your family and friends. There is nothing shameful about seeking support for you when you are going through some horrific times. God is also there for you. He is never farther away than a prayer.

You will be surprised how well you can withstand the storms with an army of people, and God, fighting with you.

Think About This

Isn’t it interesting that if you have God on your side you can take on anything?

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There may be more excerpts coming up in future posts, so keep coming back. Better yet…go to the top of this page and click on subscribe. When you do all future posts will directly to your inbox.

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Checking in on you. How are you doing? Did you battle some loneliness while in the military?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 14,150 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 no 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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March 1, 2021March 5, 2021

Basic Training in The Military Can be Interesting and Quite a Rude Awakening

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I have had a drastic drop in subscribers recently. From 2-24-21 to 3-1-21 I have only had 7 new subscribers, when I averaged over 20 a day.

Am I doing something wrong? Are you not happy with something I am writing? Please let me know. The whole purpose of this site is to reach out to my fellow veterans and give them hope.

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I am going to share some more excerpts from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of life. with you today. They are from different parts of my military career.

In Basic Training, back in my day, we still had draftees. we had two in my platoon. They were not happy campers. The rest of us who enlisted finally told them to shut up and serve.

One of the draftees wouldn’t stop. He was a Native American. He was a good sized drink of water. Looked kind of like a linebacker.

The drill sergeant finally had enough of his whining and told him to straighten up and serve his country proudly. The Native American told him where to go.

The drill sergeant then told him to come into his room at the end of the barracks. It was pretty quiet for a while, and then all hell broke loose from that room. You could hear crashing of things, grunts of pain; cursing, and screaming.

Then it got very quiet again. We all figured that our drill sergeant had been beaten up, because he was 5’9′ and couldn’t have weighed more than 150 pounds. The Native American was 6 foot tall and around 200 pounds.

The door slowly came open and out staggered our drill sergeant. He looked like he had hit by a truck, but he was still standing. We all rushed to look in his room and there was the Native American out cold on the floor.

We had nothing but respect for our drill sergeant after that. Even the native american respected him.

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While I was deployed to South Korea, they gave us a thing called R&R. (Rest and recuperation.)

It was a week of going to Tokyo, Japan. All paid with free room and board. My very first vacation.

A buddy and I got there and settled down. The next day we went touring the area. We saw Japanese flower gardens. Pagodas, and lots of shopping areas. We were awestruck. Nothing like this back in the states!

Later in the week, we decided to venture into a bar that could be considered a disco bar later on in the states. We sat down and had a couple of beers.

Then an announcer who spoke English came on and announced that there was a belly dancer coming out to dance for us.

He went on to say that they were having a contest. The contest was to see who could hold onto the belly dancer’s hips the longest while she shimmied.

The dancer came out. She was beautiful and a caucasian girl. She started dancing around the circle of tables. At each table she would stop and invite a soldier to try to hold on to her. There were many who tried, but none that could hold on very long.

Then she came to my table. I had way too much the drink by that time and accepted the challenge. I put my hands on her hips and she began to shimmy. I kept a hold of her until she had to stop to rest.

I had won the contest. Then the announcer said what the prize was. YOU GET FREE DRINKS FOR THE REST OF THE EVENING!

Just what I didn’t need!! I also looked at my hands and they were full of blisters. The pain was setting in. What did I do about it? Had several more beers. I do not recall the rest of the evening. My buddy must have gotten me back to our hotel.

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