Tag: Pandemic

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Not All Heroes are on the Front Lines. A Marine Saved a Life in California

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My last post a shared some sad stories about heroes who gave their all in WWII. Today I am wanting to share a more uplifting story about a hero that wasn’t on the front lines.

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A Marine’s quick thinking meant the difference between life and death for a motorist on an isolated desert road in California last year.

Capt. Stephen Alexander, the executive officer for the Marines’ recruiting station in Dallas, was driving through Elora, California on his way to the Marine Corps ball to celebrate the service’s 245th birthday when a vehicle going the other way lost control and flipped onto its side.

“Once the vehicle came to a final stop, I pulled over immediately,” Alexander said in a press release. The Marine was awarded a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal in a ceremony in Texas on Dec. 11.

“There was a vehicle in front of me that also pulled over with [3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment] Marines,” said Alexander, who at the time of the incident was a first lieutenant with 3/4 stationed in California. “I’d never met them before; they were from a different company. We all ran over to the vehicle; at this point the vehicle was on its side and the driver was at the bottom and not coherent.”

The driver was unconscious and critically injured, and the Marines could not open any of the car doors due to the vehicle damage from the crash. Undeterred, one Marine broke through the back window while Alexander smashed through the windshield so that he could start applying trauma care.

“Once they smashed in the window I hopped in and started treating as many injuries as I could find,” Alexander said. “Every once and a while the driver would come back to consciousness and say he couldn’t breathe.”

There was no cell service in that part of the desert, and the nearest ranger station was about an hour away. The Marines would have to make do until help arrived. Alexander found that the driver’s leg was partially severed, so he used belts as tourniquets to stop the bleeding before another Marine provided an actual tourniquet.

“We came to Vegas with our dress blues, not tourniquets or our emergency field kits,” Alexander said. “Had the other Marines not been there, there’s no way I could have acquired the things needed to treat him. I would have tried my best, but there’s not a whole lot I could have done once I got in the vehicle had they not continued to provide whatever resources they could find.”

After about an hour, park rangers arrived, followed by a nurse who took over treatment for the driver. The nurse found that the driver also had a punctured lung which was causing his shortness in breath. After about two hours, a helicopter arrived to take the driver, but it couldn’t find a place to land. Luckily, an ambulance came by, at about the same time and Alexander moved the driver into it so he could get to a hospital.

A former infantry officer, Alexander had been trained for this sort of situation. But in the end, he said no amount of training can fully prepare you for the real thing.

“I think reacting to something like that, you either do or you don’t,” said Alexander. “There’s no Marines Hymn playing in the background as you run across the road; you just do something.”

Alexander himself suffered a traumatic brain injury which could have killed him just four months prior to the car accident. He never expected he would wind up treating a driver suffering the same injuries, he said in the release. Though he never found out what happened to the driver, the quick actions of Alexander and the other Marines deserve praise.

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There are many of these kind of stories I will be sharing in the future. But, my next post will be all about my new book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In an Out of the Trenches of Life.”

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How are you doing my friend? The rush of Christmas and the pandemic that doesn’t allows us to see family, and it can pull us down like a huge magnate.

Hope everything is going great for you, but if it isn’t, remember over 10,370 fellow veterans follow this site, and they all have your back.

However, if it is getting too overwhelming, GET HELP!

Here is a toll free number to call 24/7. They have highly qualified counselors there to help you. They will not hang up until they know you are OK.

Don’t take on anything alone in this not so friendly world.

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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Much Needed New Equipment For Our Troops, Will Help us Win the battles

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I have been reading about some great upgrading the military is doing, thanks to the support of President Trump. The following examples will give you some idea what is ahead for our military.

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The Army is searching for defense contractors to build an reconnaissance vehicle to compliment its growing fleet of next generation of combat vehicles.

It will have enhanced mobility, load capacity, and on board power. Six soldiers can ride in it. It will electric powered.

A Supacat Light Role Vehicle (LRV), an example of a light reconnaissance vehicle

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New M17 pistols, the new handguns of the U.S. Army, made by Sig Sauer, lay on a table as Soldiers assigned to Allied Forces North Battalion familiarize themselves with the weapon replacing the M9 pistol, in Chièvres, Belgium, Feb. 11, 2020.

Every US military branch is about to get its hands on the Army’s new sidearm of choice.

Gunmaker Sig Sauer has finally delivered its MHS to every service branch in the U.S. military, the company announced on Tuesday.

The announcement came amid Sig Sauer’s delivery of its 200,000th M17/M18 pistol to the military under the Defense Department’s MHS program despite the obstacles posed by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Based on Sig Sauer’s P320 platform, the MHS is a 9mm, striker-fired pistol that features coyote-tan PVD coated stainless steel slides with black controls and takes both 17-round and 21-round magazines.

As Military.com previously reported the Army plans on purchasing a total of 195,000 MHS pistols, the majority of which will be M17s, over the next several years.

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The job outlook for technology careers is booming, according to the Bureau of Statistics with a projected 11% growth rate between 2019 and 2029. That’s more than half a million jobs with a median income of $88,240, compared to all other occupations, which have a median income of just $39,810. 

Before you tell yourself you aren’t qualified for a technology career, know this — most technology jobs don’t require more than a bachelor’s degree, if that, and with less than five years of career field experience, you could potentially find yourself earning a six figure salary with the right skills and certifications.

Technology careers have evolved significantly over the last two decades right along with the technology itself — so if you’re picturing the IT Guy helping an office minion restart their computer over the phone, rest assured that the tech career field goes way beyond that. Careers can range from website development, ethical hacking and cyber security, to database administration and software development. 

If launching into the world of technology post-military service sounds enticing, read on. We’ve compiled resources and tips for you to be able to position yourself at the front of the pack for a new career.

Get the right certificates. 

If you don’t have a degree in a technology-related area of study, don’t sweat it. Most jobs within the field don’t even require you to have an undergraduate degree at all — but obtaining the right certificates is key to building your skillset. Here are the most basic and helpful certificates you’ll want to start with. Computing Technology Industry Association

CompTIA A+). This is your boot camp of certificates and where you’ll want to begin. It will help you learn how to do basics like data recovery, networking, hardware configuration, and troubleshooting.

Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL). ITIL is a standardized technology management set of practices used worldwide by small and large organizations from Microsoft to NASA. Think of this as your IT SOP. This five-tiered program, ranging from basic skills to mastery, will help you build your skills in technology management.

Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA). MTA is not just one certificate, but rather a set of entry-level certificates you can obtain based on your chosen career path, much like MOS-specific training in the military. The self-learning courses are free online through Microsoft, or you have the option of paying for an instructor-led course.

I hope this post helps you understanding the upgrading in the military, plus an article for a good job transition.

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So how are you doing?

The world today is not much fun to be in. Things aren’t very rosy.

But fear not. There are over 10,150 fellow veterans here and they all have your back.

If it is just to overwhelming right now, GET HELP!

Here is a toll free number to call, and the help you receive is free. There are highly trained counselors there to help you. 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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The Battle for Okinawa was Fierce and very Dangerous

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There seems to be no let up in the turmoil we are facing right now.

The pandemic is having its way. The rioting is back, and people are on edge.

The pandemic is spreading very fast. In my home state of Oregon, we have over 1,000 virus cases each day. I am on complete lock down because of health issues, and that goes way back to last March. Nine long months of staring at the walls.

It alarms me that the people are rebelling against their governments, because they do not want to wear masks or go into shut down. They care only for themselves and no one else.

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President Trump is having more troops come home from deployment.

That is very good news for the families. What a great timing for the holidays.

President Trump is in a up hill battle for the presidency. The democrats are all over him to concede. Being President Trump, that is not an option. He is battling until the outcome is really known.

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I thought I would give you another excerpt from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

This is an excerpt about a WWII veteran that lives right in my hometown of Salem, Oregon. This young man (Age 100) has a story to remember. I will share part of it and you will have to read the rest in the book.(This is call a hook. )

I was doing some grocery shopping when I noticed a guy wearing a WWII hat. I said “Thank you for your service.” He acknowledged my greeting, and we went our separate ways. I continued shopping and I saw him again. I asked him were he was while in the service. He said Okinawa. That was one of the hottest fighting spots during the war. We did some more chit chat, and then we parted ways again.

As I left him I woke up and thought, “Why didn’t you ask him for an interview?? I was kicking myself all the way to the checkout. I came around a barrier at the check stand, and there he was!!! I felt then that this interview was meant to be.

I asked him if I could interview for my book. He said, “Of course,” and he gave me his card. His card said Bob’s Hamburgers. I knew exactly what that place was, because I ate at that restaurant every day when I walked home from school.

I asked him where he got that card. He said, “It is mine!” I looked at the card again, and it said Bob Corey. I was speechless! This guy sold me a hamburger every day, and I even remember talking to him a few times. That was over 60 years ago.

We set up an interview and we went on our ways. I met with him at his home, and sat down on the couch with him. He couldn’t hear very good, so I had to speak louder.

I asked him where in Okinawa he was stationed. He said at the ship yards. He went on to say that they unload all the ships when they came in. He was a Captain and was in charge of a group of men who help unload the ships.

I stated that there were lots of bombing going on in that area. He said, “Oh ya, we had to scurry many times, because some of the planes were Kamikaze pilots.”

I asked him. “What was you worst moment?” He said, “I fell off one of the ships between the ship I was on and a barge that was very close. They both were swaying back and forth. I had to swim fast so that I wasn’t crushed.”

I then asked him what was the worst thing about being there. He said, “The never ending bombing. “

He went to share much more, but you be able to read it in the book.

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How you are doing my brother/sister?

We are tumultuous times. It is hard, at best, to cope. ‘

Fear not.

There are over 10,100 veterans here who have your back.

However, if it just too overwhelming for you right now, GET HELP!!

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

_________________________________________

+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 the site, please let them know about it.