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Military news…
Guard, Reserve Would Get 20 More C-130J Transport Aircraft Under Budget Deal
The Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard are slated to get funding for 20 more C-130J Super Hercules aircraft to replace aging airframes, according to the proposed budget bill that would fund the U.S. government for the rest of the fiscal year.
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After More Than Two Weeks of War, The Russian Military Grinds Forward at a Heavy Cost
Two weeks after Russian forces moved into Ukraine, there’s growing evidence that the invasion has not gone to plan—and that Russia’s military may be struggling to deploy a force capable of quickly defeating a numerically and technologically inferior adversary.
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Why the skies over Ukraine have proven so deadly for Russian pilots
“The VKS is simply never meant to fight the way Western air forces do.”
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Here is another chapter from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the military: In and Out of the trenches of Life.
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Take This Job and Love It
I went out to get the mail today and the mailman was still there sorting out his mail for the next stop. I asked him, “How are you doing?”
“I’m doing fine, but all this work I have to do now is wearing me down.”
My immediate response was that he should be glad he had a job no matter how tiresome it is. He wasn’t too excited that I said that, so I exited left and went back into the house.
I’m sure there are many people today who would love to have a job of any kind. When I was growing up, I had to make money to help support my mother, my brother, and myself. All three of us had to do some kind of job to make ends meet since my mom was divorced and was a single parent.
That was in the 1940s by the way. Times were tough at best, and we each found work to help out. They weren’t glamorous jobs in the least, but with each of us contributing, we were able to survive through the tough years.
When you leave the military, times may be tough for a while as well. It is a shock to have a pretty good job for three years or more and then walk out into the private sector.
There are many resources in the back of this book to help you find work. It will also give you information on how to find babysitters and other practical help.
Don’t give up if there isn’t an instant job waiting for you when you separate from the military. Job hunting takes time. Job hunting is not on my list of fun things to do, and I am sure it isn’t for you either.
One thing you may have to agree to do is to accept just about any job you can at first. There are many low-level jobs that can lead to much better jobs in the same company if you stay with them and prove you are capable of much more. Yes, having to wear a nametag and taking hamburger orders may be a little degrading for a short time, but it is putting food on the table.
With the minimum wage increasing on a regular basis, a person can now almost make it on a fast-food type job.
You’re probably saying to yourself, Are you kidding me? I will not stoop so low as to take hamburger orders!”
I hear you loud and clear, but there are times when we just need to fight through the storms of life and take on things you may not want to take on. One is working wherever you can to support yourself and your family.
When I got out of the military I was very nervous. I had a family. (My first son was born four months after I got out.) I realized I had to support my family. I was still only about 22 years old, and this was the first time I knew I had to produce quickly on this planet called earth. I was going to college at the time and playing football for George Fox College. We were allowed to live on campus in some apartments. There was tuition to pay and food to put on the table. I knew I had to find a job fast.
The job I found was on a railroad “chain” gang. I call it a chain gang, because I was treated pretty roughly.
When I went to the administration office to ask about job openings, they said they only knew of one, but nobody wanted it. It was a job working on the railroad crew at the local pulp and paper company. I didn’t know why nobody wanted the job, but I grabbed it anyway. I started to work the next Monday.
When I got there, I was told to go out to the railroad tracks and the crew boss would be there. I went there and saw about six guys working on the tracks. It looked interesting since they were replacing old rails with new ones.
I walked up to who I thought was the boss and introduced myself. He said, “Boy, I’m glad to see you. My men have had to do some tough work because there weren’t enough men.”
The shift boss was a person who didn’t like the college kids coming in and taking jobs away from others, so he let us know about it by pouring on the hard labor.
He told me to get a sledgehammer. I had no idea what he meant, but one of the guys quickly pointed it out to me. It looked very heavy and I was right. It took some effort to even pick it up.
This type of sledgehammer was made specifically for driving rail spikes. They often weigh 20 pounds and have curved heads with the peak only being about one inch across. The length of the handle can vary and be more than three feet long. The target sweet spot was not much bigger than a dime. So you had to be accurate or you would be hitting the rails themselves, which damages them.
I slowly got the hang of it and was driving spikes into the ground. On my first break. I took my gloves off and saw the blisters starting to form. One of the crewmen saw the blisters and said, “Welcome to the chain gang.” I asked him what that meant. He told me that prisoners, who were chained together, had to do the same job at many of the prisons around the country. That didn’t make me feel any better.
So I went to work every day and was a grunt along with another college student. We did all the dirty work because the rest of the crew were full-time workers who had been there for years. We were the ones who had to pound the spikes in the track. We were the ones who had to carry replacement rails to the right spot.
The other guy quit after a couple of weeks, but I was determined to slug it out with the chain boss and not let him force me to quit as well. He kept piling heavy work on me. I went home with bloody blisters on my hands even though I wore gloves. I made it through that summer with a smile and messed-up hands, but I didn’t allow anyone to take that job away from me, because of the need to provide for my family.
Later the boss ended up liking me for my toughness. He even started giving me some not-so-tough jobs and asked me to come back the next summer. I didn’t make it because I had a car accident and couldn’t drive to school. I had to drop out.
If you are already out in the private sector, find yourself a job that will provide for your family and love that job. It isn’t your lifelong job, but it is a job.
If you’re still in the military, start taking any and all classes you can at night through the online colleges. The more education you have when you get out, the better job you will get. Your training in the military should help you a great deal as well.
Stay strong and know that you will find work. You will provide for yourself and your family. It just takes time and perseverance.
IWILL
I can tell you many stories where I was tested, like during basic training, where I had to dig a hole and bury a cigarette butt, only to have the sergeant yell at me to dig it up again. He did this three times. I did it all three times without a complaint. (I didn’t even smoke!)
After I was done the sergeant told me, “Good job, soldier!” It was just a test. He later recommended me for soldier of the month and placed me on the honors marching team for Ft. Ord. All because I stood my ground and wouldn’t let him break me down.
One of the worst things we can do as new people in the private sector is to get angry and depressed because we don’t find that dream job right away. Search the appendix in the back of this book. Many sites have job opportunities, schooling, and training.
You also need to remember that God has plans for you that are higher than you ever dreamed you could achieve. Just stay with Him and let Him guide you down the right path.
Think about this
Isn’t it funny we often find that perfect job the day after we were about to give up?
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There will be more excerpts in the future, so keep coming back. 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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Checking in on you. How are you doing? Did you have problems with some of the duties forced on you in the military?
FEAR NOT!
There are over 14,140 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 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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+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.