Tag: vietnam

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Drill Sergeants in the Military Can be Very Tough When Needed

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Military news…

The Pentagon wants to get rid of 24 ships and more than 150 aircraft

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The Air Force wants to spend big bucks replacing its decades-old surveillance plane

“It just really takes miracle workers … to keep these airplanes in the air.”

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‘Top Gun: Maverick’ is finally coming to theaters — and Russia may be the villain


Maverick is still, presumably, in the danger zone

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Russian Forces Halt Kyiv Advance as Kremlin Says Donbass Was Only Goal All Along

A month into its invasion of Ukraine, Russia appears to be reducing its war plans from annexing the entire country to holding the region called the Donbass. A top Russian military officer said this has always been the intended mission.

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Marines Barred From Traveling to Ukraine as Americans Try to Join Fight

The Marine Corps has barred its personnel from traveling to Ukraine and the neighboring countries of Belarus and Moldova amid reports of U.S. military veterans going to assist Ukrainians.

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National Medal of Honor Museum Breaks Ground in Texas

The National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation broke ground on its future campus in Arlington, Texas, in a ceremony attended by 15 veterans who received the Medal of Honor for actions in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

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Russian Troops’ Tendency to Talk on Unsecured Lines is Proving Costly

The Russian military possesses modern equipment capable of secure transmission, but troops in Ukraine have picked up simpler-to-use but less-secure lines because of sketchy discipline and an apparent lack of planning for long-term combat operations.

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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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You Never Know Who Your Friends May Be In the Military

I had my basic training at Fort Ord California, which is now closed. I enlisted with two buddies, and we all were in the same company. It was kind of fun, because we all did things together. I could write another book on just the happenings at basic training. Many of the stories are humorous, others not so humorous. 

A few of the soldiers were people that were drafted, which were still going on in the early sixties. Those people didn’t like being there and even marked their calendars until the day they got out. They only had two years, and their first year was nearly over by the time they got to MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) training.

The soldiers seemed to separate each other into enlisted, and draftees. Not in the form of gangs liked you see on the streets, but there were a definite divided feeling in the two groups.

I remember one incident that made me admire my drill sergeant a great deal. One of the draftees was complaining about being in the military, and my drill sergeant told him to straighten up and quit being a baby. The draftee challenged the drill sergeant to a fight. The drill sergeant was a short and thin guy, and the draftee was a linebacker sized guy. We all thought it would be over quick, with the draftee winning easily.

The sergeant told the draftee they would fight in the platoon leader’s bedroom. (I wasn’t sure why that was the choice, because those rooms are pretty small.)

Then we heard a lot of crashing and groans coming out of that room. The door opened, and we were sure it would be the draftee coming out, but it was that tiny drill sergeant. He was bloodied up, but the draftee was unconscious and lying face down on the floor.

We realized that our drill sergeant was the toughest man on the planet and we were to do what he said or pay the price. Surprisingly, all of us loved and respected him after that. Even the draftee was very respectful to the sergeant.

What do we need to do to gain respect? It probably isn’t a good idea to fight someone to gain respect like my drill sergeant did. What things would gain respect of others?

How about putting others first? Maybe it is being a friend to someone who really needs support. It could be going that extra mile for someone. It says in the Bible, “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6: 31 NIV) Keep that in mind each day you are interactive with others.

There is a, “I am tough,” type mentality in the military. However, we aren’t always out in the trenches. We aren’t always threatened by the enemy. You have times when you can think about things and maybe reach out to someone around you who you know is hurting. Many of your buddies never want to tell you that they are depressed. That is a “sissy,” approach in their mind.

However, you can tell they are hurting, because you may have felt hurt yourself. When two people are on the same wave link, they can help each other through the storms of life.

Try this approach and see if your friendships develop into best friends forever (BFF) type situation.

IWILL

God knows what loneliness and depression is. He sent His only Son down to this earth to face the whole world on His own. He knew His Son would feel alone. He knew that his Son would be rejected. Yet, God did all of this for you and me so that we can know that we have eternal life if we believe in Him. He will help you with your own depression and loneliness if you let Him. 

Think about this

Isn’t it sad how we allow bad things to rise up in our heads, and cause us to feel depressed?

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There may be more excerpts in the future, so keep coming back to check this site out. 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? Did you lose some friends while in the military?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 14,200 veterans on this site who have your back.

Here is what I am asking you to do…please share this site with as many other veterans as you can. It has helped so many.

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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!

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It Is a Disheartening Time in Afghanistan. Many People Killed and Many still Stranded

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Military news…

It is still very disheartening in Afghanistan. Americans stranded. Afghan people being killed by the thousands. No signs of many getting out safe.

Afghans were clinging to the sides of U.S. military aircraft to escape the Taliban’s sweep of Kabul. Worst of all, some of them lost their lives falling from the aircraft as they left the runway. It’s only the latest in a terrible situation happening at Hamid Karzai International Airport.

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“Like many, I struggle to make sense of it all,” wrote Air Force Special Operations Command chief Lt. Gen. James Slife in a heartfelt Facebook post he penned about the fall of Afghanistan this weekend. Like many other veterans and service members, Slife spent a lot of time in Afghanistan, so it’s difficult to watch it all unravel before his eyes.

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M4 rifles, M24 sniper rifles, M2 .50 caliber machine guns and MRAPS make up only some of the vast quantity of U.S. military equipment captured by the Taliban in recent weeks.

“Now is the time where you bend the rules to save people’s lives.” That’s from Marine veteran Ryan Schalles, who’s prepared to bend a few rules of his own to get Omar, the man who served as an interpreter for his Marine Corps platoon during his 2012 tour in Afghanistan, safely out of the country.

You too can help Afghan interpreters and refugee. There are nonprofit groups trying to help Afghan refugees navigate the special immigrant visa process and find housing for new arrivals; and there are lawmakers with resources to get them moving sooner.
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American citizens and Afghans who worked with Americans are on their own if they want to get past the Taliban’s many checkpoints outside of Kabul’s airport. That’s because the U.S. military, the most powerful armed force in the world, isn’t prepared to send any of the 4,500 troops at the airport into the city to do it.

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It has been a tough week for me. I am so saddened by what is happening in Afghanistan. I feel helpless, and I am sure the people stuck there do to.

I see visions of Vietnam in my head constantly, only this is much worse. Our president struck out on his leadership. Not much of support from him.

We need a leader who won’t take what is happening there lightly, and go there NOW to help more.

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A reminder that I have slowed down my sharing of excerpts from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

A whole section of the book will be interviews with veterans who have been in the trenches. Some share about losing friends. Many had near death experiences. One WWII veteran had not one, but three near death experiences. Amazing story.

The book will come out soon.

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How is your life going? Do you remember lost friends from the military?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 12,820 fellow veterans here who have your back.

If it’s just too much for you, 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 live the death of your friends alone.

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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A Soldier in Kabul, Afghanistan, is in Big Trouble. The City is Under Attack

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Military news…

First one is a little funny to me.

An 84-year-old man in Germany has been ordered to pay a fine of 250,000 euros after he was discovered to have an arsenal of World War II-era weapons in his cellar. The arsenal included a 40-ton Panther tank, one of the best tanks of the war.

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U.S. Air Force B-52 bombers and AC-130 gunships are back dropping airstrikes on Afghanistan in an attempt to stop the Taliban’s blitzkrieg throughout the country. But so far, it does not appear to be working: at least five more of Afghanistan’s 17 provincial capitals have fallen to the Taliban over the past week.

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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will ask for President Joe Biden’s approval by mid-September to make the COVID-19 vaccines mandatory. But it might be a lot easier said than done.

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U.S. service members could face a range of punishments, including administrative separation and court-martial, for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine once it becomes mandatory. Commanders have a “range of tools to try to help individuals make the right decisions,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday.

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Starting in October, the Air Force will break with decades of tradition by allowing its members to put their hands in their pockets while in uniform. The change is one of many grooming and uniform updates that loosen up restrictions for airmen (several of which involve hair).

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I have been connected with a SFC in Kabul, Afghanistan. She is fearful that the city will be over run soon. She is very brave to be one of the last of the military still there. However, if the city is finally overrun, she is in a big harms way. The Taliban have no sense of mercy, and she will be killed.

I will keep you updated. We talk daily.

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I saw a report on the new Apache helicopter. It will be awesome is much more deadly. It has tracking devices where no one can hide from them at all.

I have a buddy who was in Vietnam and he was a helicopter pilot. Great stories from him.

I am reminding you that I stopped sharing excerpts from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of th Trenches of Life.

If you want to read some of them, you will have to go to the archives to find them.

I am sure you will enjoy the book when it does come out. It is full of stories of my time in the military, and I share hope for those suffering from anxiety, fear, PTSD, TBI, and war wounds.

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How are you doing? Have the nights become too long with nightmares?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 12, 760 fellow veterans here who have your back.

But please if you are too overwhelmed, GET HELP!

Here is a toll free number to call 24/7.

There are highly qualified counselors there to help you. They will never hang up until they know you are OK.

Never face another scary night!

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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+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.