HIMARS Rockets Have Been a Game Changer in Ukraine.

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Military news…

He Lost One of his Marines to Suicide. Maybe Being Honest About his Blind Spots Will Help.

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Pentagon Suspends F-35 Deliveries After Discovering Materials From China

The Pentagon has temporarily halted delivery of F-35 fighter jets to the military branches and international customers after Lockheed Martin discovered a metal component used in the jet’s engine had come from China, according to the Pentagon.

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Amid a US Teacher Shortage, Florida Turns to Military Veterans

So many Florida teachers have abandoned their profession in recent years that the state is inviting military veterans with no prior teaching experience to lead classrooms while they earn education credentials.

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HIMARS Rockets Have Been a ‘Game Changer’ in Ukraine, and the US Army Is Now Looking for Ways to Build Up to 500 More

The Army’s formal request for information comes as Ukraine uses its new US-supplied M142 High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems to conduct devastating strikes against Russian forces.

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WWII veteran and paratrooper Jim ‘Pee Wee’ Martin dies at 101

James “Pee Wee” Martin — a celebrated and much-loved World War II veteran who parachuted into France with Allied troops on D-Day — died Sunday, according to a post on his personal Facebook page. He was 101 years old.

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I am sharing another chapter from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life, that discusses getting hurt and what do you do?

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Do I Need to Be Tough in the Military?

I spent twelve hour days on hill 468 in Korea. (That’s the number I remember. Each hill was numbered.) You were up there alone to run the whole operation. I worked in a 2 ½ ton truck with a radio shack placed on top of it.  You were closed into a little area where you could reach both walls from where you sat. The shacks were only about eight to ten feet long.

If you had trouble with claustrophobia, this was not the job for you.

One night everything came to a stop. The generator had stopped. I went out to check and it was out of gas. I had to climb up on the generator to put more gas in. I was doing just fine until I slipped. I started to fall off the generator. I grabbed the first thing I could. Unfortunately it was the extremely hot manifold. It burnt the whole palm of my hand.

There was not one person to take my place, as the soldier who was my replacement was on leave. I had to operate the radio system with my hand wrapped in a cloth, and I was in severe pain.

I could have radioed down to the base, but you were supposed to be a soldier first and a cry baby later. I finished the night. Luckily I only had about three hours to go when I had my accident. I was off duty for over a week while my hand recovered.

Have you had a sudden incident change your path? Did you feel like crying out for help, but didn’t think you should because of how tough we as soldiers are supposed to be?

I am sure many of you have while you were in the service, or are still there.

What do we do about this?

I am convinced now that there is no shame in seeking help. There is no time when you should ever feel that your integrity will be hurting if you seek help for something.

It could a minor injury or it could be harassment. It could that you need to see a counselor for some issues you are going through.

The tough guy/gal theory has no place in the military. It is good to be tough when you are in a trench fighting for your country, but when you need some special help, get it.   

Don’t let the rigors of daily military life drag you down like a huge magnate. Seek help for whatever you think you need help with. 

IWILL

So many soldiers go on with their lives in pain, because they have too much pride or fear they will be looked down on for seeking help. Never allow this to happen. Get help and this will make your time in the military, or in the private sector, go much smoother.

Think About This

Isn’t it sad how those who pick on us, for what they perceive as a weakness, have many of their own weaknesses?

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Keep coming back to see other chapters. Better yet…got 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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There Were Some Stressful Times During Basic Training in the Military

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Military news…

Troops knew ‘an attack was coming’ at Kabul airport but their hands were tied, investigation reveals

‘”If you had been there, you would have seen that an attack was coming.

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Finding My Calling While Treating a Casualty Inside Friendly Lines

He saw gore and death, but he also saved lives. There are certain things a former Corpsman will never forget or take for granted.

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A Man of Destiny, Molded by Fate: Lloyd Austin Leads in Time of Tremendous Potential

His actions seem to say he has the morale of the troops as his primary consideration. Far too many in those positions haven’t.


Remembering the Service and Sacrifice of Muslim Veterans Among the Crescents and Stars of Arlington National Cemetery

During a trip to Arlington to honor Muslim veterans, an Air Force officer reflects on how her career of military service began as a Pakistani immigrant.

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At Least 1 Million Vets Could Get VA Health Care Under Scaled-Back Exposures Bill

As Congress hand-wrings over the $282 billion price tag of a bill to help veterans exposed to burn pits, two senators are proposing a compromise that would still get VA care to more than 1 million veterans.

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IS Leader Blows Up Self, Family as U.S. Attacks Syria Hideout

The Islamic State’s leader was killed during an overnight raid carried out by U.S. special forces in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, President Joe Biden said Thursday.

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Seaman Dies After ‘Hell Week’ of SEAL Training, Navy Says

A 24-year-old Navy SEAL candidate died and another was hospitalized after several days of intense training known as “Hell Week” in Coronado, Calif.

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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. Hope you enjoy it.

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Sometimes the Answers Are Right Under Your Nose

There was one aspect of basic training that made the times hard for a soldier. That was when it came to making your bed for inspection.

We had regular inspections by our drill sergeant. When he came through the barracks, he carried a quarter in his hand. When he passed your bunk he would drop the quarter on the bed. If the quarter didn’t bounce, he tore the bed up and told you to try again. 

I had some real stressful times of making beds at first. I usually failed. But then I learned some tricks about tucking in the sheets, and even the blanket. There was a double tuck you could do that made the bed tight and quarters bounced on it easily.

There were some guys who never caught on to the tricks that were right in front of them. They were too proud to ask others for help.

I have seen that in life after the military. People struggling to keep up with the world, because they are too proud to seek help.

Are you one of those who could benefit from outside help, but have never taken advantage of it?

I have compiled a very extensive military appendix for your use. It is in the back of this book. Feel free to search through it for help in almost every possible way a veteran or current soldier may need.

It is not “giving in,” to seek help. It is finally agreeing that what you are doing may not be working for you, and you want to find other ways to cope in this unfriendly world.

Many of the sources have proven to reach out to those who suffer with anxiety, fear, depression, and hopelessness.

Don’t hide in your own self-pity. Take that first most important step and seek help today. Go to the back of this book and find the right sources for your needs.

IWILL

The lists in the back can be overwhelming. There are hundreds of sources there. Think about your own special needs and concentrate on that section only. Then narrow down your choices while checking out each resource. Most of the sources are websites.  If you don’t have access to the net, go to your local library, or visit a friend who has access.

Think about this

Isn’t it sad how we know we need help, but hide our feelings?

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I am sure many of you had that experience. Come back often to see more excerpts. Better yet… go to the top of this page and click on “Subscribe.” When you do all future posts will come directly to your inbox.

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

FEAR NOT!

There are over 13,825 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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+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.

Prostitution Was Rampant Near the Deployed Bases

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Sorry, Iit is pretty quiet today for Military news…

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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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Iriwaba Means Come here

When I was in Korea for a while, I had time to go for walks in the Village of Uigongbo, Korea. It was a broken down village that didn’t seem to have any industry supporting itself.

I soon found out that the industry was prostitution. There were women of all ages waving at me and yelling “Iriwaba,”

Iriwaba means “Come here!” These women were all trying to entice you to come into their little parlor and have sex with them for a fee. I was such a naïve young man I didn’t respond for the first few trips there. Then one night when the guys decided I needed to get drunk and party, I ended up waking up from a stupor and saw an elderly lady on top of me buck naked, and I was too. She was having sex with me, and I didn’t even know it! As my eyes cleared, I saw that she was eating an apple like I was one of the people she would please while on a break!

I was told she was a “mommasonA mommason, is  a boss of the prostitutes, and I was delegated to have sex with the old pro who thought she needed an apple while she was performing her act on me.

I ask her the fee. She said one of the guys paid it and the going rate was a carton of cigarettes.  I said “What, a carton of cigarettes?” She said that one carton of cigarettes, which was worth $2.00, would get her family enough food for a week. The cartons were a hot commodity in the “Black Market.”  

So, for a $2.00 (over there in 1961) carton of cigarettes you could find pleasure.

I thought this could be fun to spend a couple of dollars and get laid. So, another time I went out into the village, and a mommason beckoned me to come into her shack. I thought she was the one providing the services, but she walked me into her bedroom and lying on the bed naked was a little girl that couldn’t have been more than twelve years old. She looked frightened, and didn’t want to look at me.

I knew then that this was probably her first time. I was ready to punch the mommason in the nose, and left quickly. 

Later I learned having so much sex in that village could be deadly. One of the soldiers, who bragged about being with a woman every night, caught some serious infection in his gentiles and eventually had to have them cut off to save his life. The vision cured me of any extra trips to the village for pleasure.

Now you are asking me, why on earth did you share this with me?

The experiences I had in Korea changed my life. Some of the experiences I am not proud of, but I learned so much on the thirteen months I was stationed there. This particular lesson I learned is that something may look enticing, and could give you pleasure, but it also could be something that is very serious and could lead to a “dead end.”

If you are now stationed in a foreign country, and have open access to pleasures you are having a hard time avoiding, think about this story. Think about the soldier who lost his chance to have any children, just because he thought what he was doing felt good.

We all want our pleasures in this world, but we need to carefully check to see if they can be harmful or even dangerous for us. We need to know if they are things that God will be OK with.

IWILL

This chapter would be a great time to talk about thinking drugs and alcohol are a pleasure we can’t seem to stop, but I have separate chapters for each of those. There are so many, so called pleasures, we need to take measures to identify them and see how they may or may not fit into our world.  We can find many pleasures that are not harmful, and actually enrich our lives.

Think about this

Isn’t it interesting that sometimes packages look great on the outside until we open them up? 

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Hope you have been enjoying all these excerpts. There will be a few more, but not many. Keep coming back to see the last of the excerpts. Better yet…go to the top of this page and click on “Subscribe.” When you do all future post will come directly to your inbox.

________________________________________

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

FEAR NOT!

There are over 13,700 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.

___________________________________________

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 this site, please let them know.