Finding Out That You are being Deployed to a War Zone, Can be Overwhelming

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Tons of news this weekend. Enjoy!

Biden gets his first Middle East airstrikes out of the way.

Got a lot of backlash for doing this.

Air Force contractor steals 2,500 pages of secret documents.

REALLY???

The Air Force is using virtual reality to fight its suicide epidemic.

There are 22 veterans who take their own lives every day!!!

How letters from home carried this Medal of Honor recipient through his deployments.

I think this is extremely important. I remember how few letters I got, and how it hurt.

52 years ago, this airman threw himself on a burning flare to save his crew.

Such devotion to his fellow warriors.

Air Force considers allowing airmen to attend funerals without charging leave.

Good move.

Rural Veterans Not Receiving Vaccine is a Concern.

Marines are getting their hands on a brand new rifle optic.

The Pentagon delayed promoting female generals over fears of Trump’s reaction.

Bad move

Female airmen at Kirtland Air Force Base finally get body armor that fits.

Got to keep those ladies happy.

The US is deploying nearly 5,000 active-duty troops to vaccinate America for COVID-19.

So proud of them.

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This is another excerpt from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In an Out of the Trenches of Life.

After I came back to the states from South Korea, I only had a few months left in the military. I was stationed at FT. Bragg, NC. I kept marking my calendar daily for the countdown.

With just one month left, we all had a rude awakening. We were all ordered out to formation. A Colonel came out to talk to us. he said, “This is not a drill. We are being sent to the Bay of Pigs for military action.”

There was shocked looks on many of the soldiers eyes.

He went on to say, “You have one half hour to pack your gear and report back here to be deported to the airport.”

I only had 30 days left and this is happening to me?

I ran home and packed. Got back to the formation, and we were driven to the airport in buses. It was incredibly quiet on the bus. The men were too stunned to talk.

We got to the airport and they loaded us on the plane. Once we were all in, the engine started up and began to taxi.

The plane got to the take off area, and revved up its engines. It was taking off. I was petrified! I was a 20 year old kid and heading to war.

Suddenly the plane stopped, and the pilot said, “We just now got a message that President Kennedy has aborted the maneuver. We are heading back to the terminal.”

There was an eruption inside the plane as the guys all started screaming and crying in happiness.

I was that close to go to war, and I am so glad it all worked out.

(Actual excerpt from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: IN an Out of the trenches of Life.)

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Were you deployed and put in harm’s way? Do you still have problems from doing that?

Be strong, because there are over 11, 570 fellow veterans here who have you back. Many were deployed just like you.

However, if the burdens are too heavy, 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.

Never take on this, not so friendly, world alone!

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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Losing a Buddy in the Military is hard, at best, to Accept

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A day late again. Sorry about that. I am still struggling with pain after my surgery. I see the doctor tomorrow.

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I see some interesting things developing in our country. This weekend Donald Trump will be speaking at a huge gathering. This is his first public speech since he left office. Should be extremely insightive.

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Today I am going to share an excerpt of my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

I am leaping ahead here to my time deployed to South Korea. I have many stories about there in my book.

One of the pluses of joining the military was that I was able to sign up under the buddy plan. There were two other guys I enlisted with. We all went to high school together.

We had basic training together. We had Signal Corp training, and we were sent to Korea together. When we got there we were scattered to three different locations. Our training was needed at several spots.

Did I face the loss of a friend while deployed? Yes I did. One of the other friends never made it back to the states alive. He contracted some ugly virus, and died in Korea.

I took it very hard, but not to the point of PTSD. Back then they never heard of PTSD. They labeled mental stress as “Shell Shock.”

I did lose another buddy while in Korea. He got extremely drunk one night. As he came back to Camp Red Cloud from the village, he was wavering and struggling to stay on his feet. He accidently feel into a “Honey Bucket,” and suffocated. (A honey bucket in Korea is the name of a waste ditch that human waste is dropped into to fertilize their crops.)

It was a horrible death. I that was also very hard on me.

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I will be sharing excerpts from, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life, from time to time, to let you get the feel of the book.

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Checking in on you now my friend. Did you lose a buddy in the military? Was it extremely hard to accept it. Did it cause you to have PTSD?

You are not alone!! There are over 11,570 fellow veterans here on this site, that have you back.

Many have been where you have been.

If there is no way you are able to handle things right now, GET HELP!!

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

DO NOT take in this not so friendly world alone.

1-800-273-8255 Option # 1

__________________________________

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 about it.

So Many Unsung Heroes in the MIlitary That we Need to Honor

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I wasn’t able to post on Friday. I had surgery on that day. It was to replace a battery in my defibrillator. Still slowly recovering today.

I can see you weren’t too excited about my post last Wednesday. It was a report about sexual harassment and rape. Sorry if it offended you, but we have to face it and follow through in helping those afflicted.

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Times are not exactly fun right now. Our country is in turmoil. Lots of verbal fighting. Seems there a division right down the middle of our country as to beliefs.

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There are many reports of heroic feats by the military. That tells me that people in the military are special people. Here is a story about another hero:

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Marine awarded for saving drowning couple from rough waters in California.

When Cpl. Jordan Perez heard a couple calling for help, he ripped off his boots and sprang into action. The Marine saw two civilian kayakers, their vessel capsized in the waters of 21 Area Boat Basin, a training section for amphibious vehicles at Camp Pendleton, California that opens up onto the Pacific Ocean.

It was around 1 p.m. on Feb. 15, and large, sharp boulders in the basin had caused strong waves that flipped the kayak, leaving the kayakers struggling in the water.

“That’s when I took action,” said Perez in a recent press release. A combat engineer with 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, Perez was working at a nearby construction project when another Marine noticed the drowning couple. “I took my boots off and just started swimming.”

The Marine swam 250 meters through the choppy waves to reach the kayakers. He grabbed the woman’s hand, pulled her back on the kayak and started pushing the boat back to the rocks. The woman’s husband could swim, but he started panicking halfway to the shore. Perez swam back to the man, put a life jacket on him, and continued pushing the woman to safety.

Perez was in the right spot at the right time: while other Marines also noticed the drowning couple, he happened to be training with a retired reconnaissance Marine to prepare for assessment and selection with the Marine Raiders. Part of that training includes swimming two hours every day.

“That [training] takes away any hesitation that comes with putting your own life at risk,” Perez said. “Since I had been training, I was confident that I could get myself out there and get those people back.”

Perez was awarded a challenge coin from Brig. Gen. Dan Conley, the commanding general of Marine Corps Installations West, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, on Feb. 19th. Though Perez technically does not fall under Conley’s command, the general wanted to personally thank him for what he did. A challenge coin is presented to Marines who go above and beyond, and any further awards will be processed by his chain of command, the press release explained.

“I’d like to believe a lot of people would do what you did, but I know they wouldn’t,” Conley told him. “So, to hear it actually happen is just amazing. That was really gutsy of you.”

But it’s just par for the Corps, as far as Perez is concerned.

“It’s what Marines are expected to do,” he said.

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His instinct saved lives, and left yet another reminder how special our military is.

Do you have a story about a hero? Share it in the comments below. I would love to post it.

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Time to talk about you. How are you doing? Is everything going in the right direction, or has your path been altered?

You are not alone. There are over 11,550 fellow veterans here who have your back.

Of course if your struggling is too hard for you right now, GET HELP!

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

Never take on this crazy world alone!

1-800-273-8255 Option # 1

___________________________________

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 about it.