Daily News for Veterans/Excerpt From New Book

I want to start today with some military news that may be interesting for you.

2020 Census Wants Military Spouses

The 2020 census will be held this year, and it needs hundreds of temporary workers. The Census Bureau believe military spouses and veterans are prime candidates for those jobs.

Jobs include census taking, recruiting assistants, office staff, and supervisory staff.

To be eligible applicants must be 18 years old, have a valid Social Security number, be a U.S. citizen, have a valid email address, complete an application, and answer assessment questions.

To apply call 1-855-JOB-2020 select option 3, or go to http://2020census.gov/en/jobs/how-to-apply.html

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Medal of Honor Museum to be Built in Texas.

The directors of the National Medal of Honor has selected a permanent site in Arlington, Texas.

This museum will honor the 3,507 Medal of Honor recipients of whom 71 are still living.

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Post Office Issues The Purple Heart Stamp

The U.S. Postal Service began selling the Purple Heart Medal 2019 stamp. It honors the sacrifice of the men and women who served in the military.

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OK…

Earlier I promised you that I would share an interview I had with a veteran. This interview is actually funny even though the veteran I have interviewed was severely injured in Vietnam.

I talked to the Vietnam veteran over the phone. I had hear about him from a friend who lives in Yachats, Oregon. She shared with me that he was severely injured and may not want to talk much. She gave me his phone number.

I connected with him, and she was right. He did not want to talk about his wounds. He said he is trying to forget the past, but would tell me a story that happened while he was out in the jungle. I accepted that, and he proceeded to share.

He told me that he and a buddy were resting under a palm tree and he noticed all the monkeys in the trees above him. He told the buddy, “I sure would like to have one those monkeys for a pet.” His buddy said, “No problem!” He took a quarter out of his pocket. He got a coconut and cut a hole in it. He drained the “Milk,” out of and proceeded to put the quarter inside the coconut.

This really had my interviewee confused. His buddy just told him to wait. Sure enough. Several monkeys were very curious what the shiny thing in that coconut was. One of them got too curious and stuck his hand in the coconut. He tried to pull the quarter out and his hand was stuck. The buddy said, “There you go!”

My friend caught the monkey and made a home for him. It was a large area that had wiring around it. He even made a padding for the monley to sleep on. Eventually the monkey liked where he was, because he got fed every day.

Not known to my friend the monkey found a way to escape the home area and go out taking things from the other soldiers. He would then go back into his home and eat, or play with what he brought home.

One of the soldiers didn’t like this going on so he made a tiny parachute tied it to the monkey and threw him over a big cliff. The monkey was able to land safely. My friend was heart broken. He couldn’t figure out what happened to his monkey.

One day as they sat around the campfire, my friend looked at the edge of the jungle and saw his monkey walking towards him with the parachute dragging behind him.

All the soldiers laughed, even the one who threw him over the cliff.

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How are you Doing?

I have no idea who you are, but I worry about you every day. We are brothers. If you are having any distress, please call the following number for help. (877-247-4645. They will do all they can to help you.

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never unloved.

You are never forsaken.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

It’s the New Year, and I am changing MY Approach

Starting today, I will be posting three times a week. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Later on I may go five posts a week, depending how things go with my new book, “Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.”

I am really excited how the new book is causing a buzz. Many veterans can’t seem to wait until it comes out. Why is that?

This book will be reaching out to those veterans and families who may be suffering from PTSD, TBI, Anxiety, A lost loved one, or depression. There are many more problems a veterans face, and those will be discussed as well.

The part of the book I am most excited about, are the interviews with veterans who have been in the trenches. I will have a whole section dedicated to them. I have interviews with WWII, Korean, Afghanistan, and Iraq veterans

Some of the stories are very sad. Others are funny.

I will be sharing excerpts from time to time to get you hooked!

So starting tomorrow will be my first full post of the new year.

If you don’t want to miss any of the posts, just subscribe at the top of this page. Then whenever I post you will get the post sent directly to your inbox.

Just a side note to my brothers and sisters who may be hurting. I feel your pain. The upcoming posts should be giving you hope, and a meaning to your life. For personal help right now call:

(877-247-4645) 24/7. There are people there who will guide you to help and peace.

Happy New Year to each and every one of you.

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…Never, ever, give up!

Veterans Are 50% More Likely to Commit Suicide

A new record. Two days in a row!

I am afraid today’s topic is very serious. More than 22 veterans take their own lives every day. Yes, I said every day.

The glaring statistic is that those who seek help for the VA are much less likely to commit suicide, because of this I have some statistics and thoughts.

The Va reported that out of 20 veterans that committed suicide 6 had been to the VA for help, but 14 had not. Pretty clear that is vital that you seek help. You will have much more support, and because of that you will a much better chance of survival.

Things we need to ask:

  • Did those 14 veterans private sector care?
  • Were those veterans eligible to use the VA?
  • Were They among those discharged for untreated undiagnosed mental health disorders related to sexual trauma or combat?
  • Did they find the veteran discerned for personality disorder during the era of “Don’t ask, Don’t tell?”

The bottom line is that if you are struggling, get help now!! Below is the helpline to call and get help:

(877-247-4645) Then press 1.

I feel your pain. I have been there. Do not let the dark side overcome you. Seek the light, and tell the darkside he is outta here.

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never ever give up!