Tag: struggling

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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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Five Reasons Why I Joined the Military

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Military news…

16 years after pulling his soldiers out of a burning Bradley Fighting Vehicle, Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe will be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

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The Air Force relieved an officer of command who served separation paperwork to an airman in a mental health clinic for treatment after a suicide attempt.

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The Navy SEAL who died on Tuesday after sustaining injuries during training over the weekend was also a father, a football coach, a 2001 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, and the commander of SEAL Team 8.

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In a heartbreaking moment on Monday, a lone military spouse stood before senior Navy leaders and demanded honesty regarding the water contamination at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.

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Former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, an Army Reserve lieutenant colonel, may have once again broken military rules on political activities by making a video in which she wore her military uniform while accusing “self-serving politicians” and others of wanting to start World War III.

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‘Dec. 7, 1941, changed our lives’: Scores of WWII vets venture to Pearl Harbor on attack’s 80th anniversary

More than 2,300 people died in the surprise attack, during which Japanese planes struck all military bases on Oahu, prompting America’s entrance into World War II.

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‘The water was on fire’: 100-year-old Illinois native survived Pearl Harbor, one of few left alive.

Sterling Cale, who turned 100 recently, is one few remaining survivors of attack. At the 80th anniversary of the bombing, it’s worth recalling his story and honor his urging to keep alive the legacy of Pearl Harbor.

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Some thoughts on why I enlisted into the Army.

  1. I had been struggling in college, because I wanted to have a good time and not study. I met with two buddies and we decided to enlist under the buddy program.
  2. We were together during basic training, but separated during MOS training.
  3. I had my basic training at FT. Ord, Cal. My next stop was Ft. Devens Mass, and then it was off to Ft. Gordon, GA. There I got my radio/teletype operator training.
  4. Then I was deployed to South Korea. After that I was sent to FT. Bragg NC.
  5. The experiences was amazing for me. I had never left my home state before joining, and then I was sent all over the United States, and to foreign countries. I grew up a lot, and gained much confidence.

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I have done a little more on my book. It is close to being finished. When it is, a publishing company is ready to print my book. Come back often to see the progress. 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.

Checking in on you my friend. How are you doing? Do you have dreams about your service time? Are they nightmares?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 13,445 fellow veterans subscribed to this site who have your back.

If the dreams just too much for you right now, GET HELP!

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

1-800-272-8255..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.

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Making Beds Can be an Adventure in Basic Training for the Military

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Military news…

An Army soldier who helped secure the Kabul airport during the withdrawal from Afghanistan by training other soldiers how to use a Toyota technical’s anti-aircraft gun — after they’d traded two cans of dipping tobacco for it — was recently promoted.

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​The sailors aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard had no idea what to do when a fire broke out aboard their vessel last year.

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Tinker Air Force Base is trying something new: setting aside reserved parking spaces for junior enlisted airmen.

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U.S. troops based in Syria came under a “deliberate and coordinated attack” from an unspecified enemy on Wednesday. No Americans were reported injured, save for the myth that the Forever War ended with the close of the U.S. war in Afghanistan.

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“As someone who’s been issuing the damn things for over a decade, they can’t go soon enough.” That’s from an anonymous Army employee who’s had his fill of issuing Common Access Cards, the identification card used across the military.

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If complaining is an art form — and it most certainly is — then the U.S. military is the Juilliard School of Bitching.

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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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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.

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This is not all of the chapter. You will have to get the book to see the rest. 🙂

Come back to see more excerpts. 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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Speaking about beds…here is a bed check on how you are doing. How is you days been going? Too many days where dark clouds come? Too many days of not wanting to go to sleep?

FEAR NOT!!

There are over 13,260 fellow veterans subscribe to this site who have your back.

However, if it is just too much for you now, GET HELP!

Here is a toll free mber to 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!

_____________________________________________

+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.