Tag: Pandemic

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One of The hardest Things to do in the Military is to Keep Marriages Working Smoothly

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Military news…

US special operations presses on in Ukraine amid threat of Russian invasion
U.S. special operators are continuing with a mission to build up an elite fighting force in Ukraine, military officials said, even as Russia threatens invasion.

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US forces in Germany contend with soaring COVID numbers as country reaches new pandemic record

In the Kaiserslautern area, 68 new infections among U.S. forces were confirmed last week, which is believed to be the highest on record, according to a report.

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Celebrated Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee dies at 102

Charles McGee, a Tuskegee Airman who flew 409 fighter combat missions over three wars and later helped to bring attention to the Black pilots who had battled racism at home to fight for freedom abroad, died Sunday.

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France gives its highest honor to 100-year-old WWII paratrooper from Florida who fought on D-Day

France officially thanked Earl Mills at his farm in Live Oak, Fla., almost 78 years after he parachuted from a U.S. Army plane over Normandy, part of a wave of Allied soldiers determined to liberate the country and the rest of Europe from the threat of the Nazi regime.

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Amid Labor Shortage, Army Offers Largest Enlistment Bonus Ever

The Army offered $50,000 enlistments bonuses to incentivize recruits to join amid the labor shortage aggravated by the pandemic.

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U.S. Considers Backing an Insurgency if Russia Invades Ukraine

Senior Biden administration officials warned that the United States could throw assets, including offensive weapons, intelligence, and cyber behind a Ukrainian insurgency if Russia invades Ukraine.

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Milley, Berger, Test Positive For COVID-19

Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. David Berger, tested positive for COVID-19 and were experiencing mild symptoms.

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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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Marriage is not a Four Letter Word

Sometimes the military life has its low moments and one of them is how a marriage is in danger whenever a soldier is deployed. It seems that the spouse that has been left behind seeks companionship, or feels alone too much. Even the soldier deployed seems distant and has their minds on other things instead of connections with family.

This is not the fault of either party. In the military people are separated many times. It takes a strong commitment on the part of both people involved to make the marriage last.

This certainly isn’t a perfect marriage. There is the saying, “A ‘perfect marriage,’ is just two imperfect people who refuse to give up on each other.”

It takes a lot of sacrifice from both people to keep the, “home fires burning.”

If you are in the same boat as many soldiers or veterans are, try to check out your priorities. Is your marriage important to you? Do you feel that your spouse is worth the effort to learn how to compromise?

Most of you say a quick yes, because your spouse is the father/mother of your children, if you have any. Think of the children. They need both parents. The rate of divorces in this world is alarming.

When I retired from teaching I had classes where over 50% of the children in my classes where from broken homes.

Yes, it is hard when you are separated from your family. I have a son who was a career soldier, and he was separated from his wife for two tours of Iraq, and many other missions while he was in the army. He is still very happily married to his wife, and they are closer now then they have ever been.

It isn’t easy to go through separations, but if you really want your marriage to remain solid, it has to start with you. You have to go the extra mile to reach out to your loved one. They will try as well if you show real commitment to them each and every day.

Don’t give up on your marriage. Work hard at keeping it going. Seek counseling, or take steps to show your spouse that they are the most important person in your world. They will believe you and return the love.

IWILL

There are times when we feel that it just may not be worth it to try something. We feel that it is too much work, and may be better to just move on. Marriage is not one of those things. It should be a lifelong commitment. You made the vows, “Until death do us part.” Those aren’t said for a joke. They mean your marriage is forever. You need to find ways to make it work. You will be much happier if you do.

Think about this

Isn’t it sad how so many people just seem to throw away their marriage over a simple argument, or event?

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Checking in on you…How are you doing? Are you struggling?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 13,660 fellow veterans here who have your back.

If you are battling mentally, because of your love for others, but it isn’t working, 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.

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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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Drafted Soldiers Were Very Different in the Military

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Military news…

Military conscripts in Norway are being asked to return all issued clothing items, including socks, bras and underwear, so that they can be re-issued to the next generation of recruits

(WHAT?)

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Delta Force’s Dirty Secret

Army veteran Erin Scanlon accused a Delta Force member of raping her in September 2016. He was quietly acquitted in a military court martial, she says, partly because of the military justice system’s preferential treatment of elite soldiers.

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Thousands of Afghans Remain Housed on U.S. Bases Months After the Fall of Kabul

Military bases are housing about 19,500 Afghan refugees as they seek resettlement in the U.S., five months after the historic airlift from Afghanistan.

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Army Alaska CSM Asks For Help After Another Soldier Dies at Home

The top enlisted soldier for Army Alaska took to Instagram to ask his troops “how we can help” following the sixth death of an off-duty soldier assigned to Alaska since October.

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North Korea fires ‘more advanced’ missile less than a week after ‘hypersonic’ launch

North Korea launched what appeared to be a ballistic missile off its eastern coast, South Korean military officials announced Tuesday morning.

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U.S. Forces Japan and the Japanese government agreed to keep American service members, Defense Department civilians and their families close to their installations to curb further spread of the disease.

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US breaks record with more than 145,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations

Tuesday’s total of 145,982 people in U.S. hospitals with COVID-19, which includes 4,462 children, passed the record of 142,273 set on Jan. 14, 2021, during the previous peak of the pandemic in this country.

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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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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.

IWILL

If you enlisted, be thankful for your time in the service. Use it to better yourself in the private sector. Use it to grow and mature more than you could most anywhere else.  Enjoy the new friendships you acquired. They will be part of your life forever.

Think about this

Isn’t it funny how much easier it is to go through a day when you have friends to be there for you?

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Checking in on you…How are you doing? Are you struggling now that you are a civilian?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 13,630 fellow veterans here who have your back.

If you are battling mentally, because of your love for others, but it isn’t working, 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.

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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.

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What A Horrible Year We Have Been Through in 2020

Thank you for the connection.

Doug

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Whew!! What a horrible year we have had. 2020 will be one we will try to forger but probably will not. Just too many negatives in one year:

The pandemic is still raising its ugly head.. We still don’t know for sure who our next president will be. We faced wild fires like we have never seen before. The rioting took its toll as well. Other than that 2020 was fine. 🙁

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I got a great Christmas present! My wife gave me a subscription to Netflix. . It was so needed. I had run out of “free,” movies,” to watch that were mediocre at best.

Now I have my subscription all set up for only the kind of movies I like. What kind? Military movies of course. I have watched three or four of them already.

Three of them were true stories. Two of them broke my heart. I will be sharing the titles with you as I go through the list of movies.

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I just can’t forget my brothers and sisters who are deployed and in harms way. Talk about loneliness!

One of the movies I watched was about a British company that was sent to Africa to protect to people from the rebels who were trying to overcome the people.

There were 150 British soldiers, and they were attacked by 1,500 rebel warriors. The British held them off for three days, and then had to surrender, because of the overwhelming numbers against them.

The real story here, was that not one man was killed of British troops, but hundreds of the enemy were. The soldiers never gave up. They were going to fight until the last man, but their commander decided he didn’t want any of his men slaughtered.

A interesting side story is that the commander went to the city, and went into a bar to have a drink. He met a man who invited him to drink Cognac with him. The commander did and they got along fine. Then the commander found out the the leader of the enemy was this same man.

The two of them actually met in the middle of the battlefield to discuss surrender. The enemy soldier ask the commander to surrender, because he has so many men on his side that wanted to kill them all. The commander said, “Actually I was going to ask you to surrender.”

The enemy leader was impressed, and reached out his hand and they shook hands, and each went back to their lines.

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I will leave you up in the air as to the final outcome. Here is the title of the movie. Watch it if you can:

The Siege at Jadotville

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Well…I have done my movie review for the day. It is time to check up on you.

How are you doing.? The Christmas rush is over. However, are you still feeling the jet lag?

Does is seem like each hour is like a month?

You are not lone, my friend. There are over 10,610 fellow veterans here that have your back.

I know there are times you feel you can’t handle things. If so GET HELP!!

Here is a toll free number that is free 24/7. Their advice is even free. 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 Option # 1

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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 about it.