Life in the Private Sector May be Difficult After Your Time in the Military

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Military news…

US soldiers just showed Russia how a competent army performs a bridge crossing

This is exactly what we would be doing in a combat environment.”

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Inside the US military’s modern ‘island hopping’ campaign to take on China

History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.

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The Navy is firing a lot of officers and saying almost nothing about it

Since May 31, six commanding officers and one command master chief have lost their jobs.

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Why Ukraine’s wins against Russian aircraft should worry the US Air Force

“Penetrating contested airspace is only part of the challenge — and it may not even be the most important one.”

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Iran is once again playing chicken with the US Navy

Three fast inshore attack craft from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy were recently caught on video harassing the US Navy. 

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No, aircraft carriers will not be useless in a war with China

A lot would have to align before China’s military could successfully hit a carrier at sea with a ballistic missile under wartime conditions.

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2 soldiers who just wanted to go home early wound up pulling a man from a burning truck

Two classmates found themselves putting out a vehicle fire and saving the driver together on an Oklahoma highway.

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I am trying a different size of font. Let me know if you like this size better. _______________________________________________________________

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

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Are You Trying to Finish the Race With a Broken Leg?

You have spent several years of your life serving your country. You have had many months of stress, and pain. You may be still in the trenches, or you may be already out in the private sector.

As the time gets near to facing the outside world, separate from the military, are you ready? Do you have a plan? If you are already in the private sector, have you attempted to fit in, or are you hiding from others?

What I have said here doesn’t fit most of you, but there are some who are having difficult times thinking about the future. You worry about the new approach to living. You were used to the strictness, and regimented type atmosphere, and fear that this approach will not be too acceptable in your new environment. Then you are facing a world where you make all the decisions. Some of us do not do well with no one in authority over us.

In the private sector, we have to find a new normal. The first goal at this time is to release the past. The second goal is to plan for the present. The third goal is to look to the future.

Treat each new day, in the private sector, as if there was just a new fallen snow and it has provided a white blanket for you to walk on to form a path that only you take and others follow.  

After we join the private sector, we expect our lives to suddenly be happy, trouble free, and victorious. We forget that victories come only after we fight battles and win. 

There shouldn’t be this barrier between you and what you are trying to accomplish. It is tough enough to survive in this world without other factors digging into your thinking process.

Having stress about facing the new world is like having a broken leg and trying to finish a race. It can be done, but the pain, and agony is almost unbearable.

Help yourself by taking time before you leave the military to study the ways of cooperation’s. Learn how to adjust to the new status quo. Don’t go into a new situation cold turkey.

Read up on life after the military. There are books that can guide you to walk the right path to help ease you into the new world.

Go to night school and get some college credits. There are also online courses you can take no matter where you are in the world. My son was able to get two Masters Degrees while in the military, and this helped him get a very nice job when he retired.

My first few months after I got out of the military were pretty stressful because I had a family. I had to provide, and there weren’t too many jobs to be had. I had to work at jobs I didn’t really like. Some were down right degrading, like the story I told you about working on the “chain gang,” railroad crew.

But I slowly adjusted and eventually found a job in teaching that was very good for not only providing for my family, but was rewarding as well.

Take on this world with vigor, and courage. It is almost as daunting in the private sector as it is in the deserts of Afghanistan. You are a brave soldier for facing that challenge, and I am sure you will be just as brave in the private sector. You will achieve your goals and be a very productive citizen, who has a big feather in their cap. The feather of valor, and commitment, because of your time you served your country.

IWILL

Don’t think that people will look down on you for being a soldier. It may happen from time to time. I went through that when I was a teacher, and invited my son Colonial K.C. Bolton to come and speak to my class. He was honored to come, and the principal even had him speak to the school.

However, there were a couple of the teachers who were anti-war, and wasn’t happy that a soldier was coming to speak. They let me know about it, and I stood my ground. I said I was very proud of my son, and since I was a veteran as well, I felt they were also attacking me.  That quieted them down a little, and they even recanted their thinking after hearing my son share the need for bravery in each of the children’s lives. It was a wonderful talk and the children loved him.

I once said in a talk during a book signing,” Let people feel the weight of who you are, and let them deal with it.”

Think on this

Isn’t it funny how people want to be protected and yet frown on those who do the protecting?

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I would like to put in a plea to you today. I would love it if you would subscribe to my site. I work very hard to provide with the best information on what is happening in the military world. I also share excerpts from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life. This book is written for you, the veteran. It shares my own military stories, and thoughts on how to survive with PTSD, TBI, and many other things. If you will help me, I would again love if you go to the top of this page and click on subscribe. When you do all future posts will come directly to your in box, and I will be a happy man.

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Checking in on you. How are you doing? Is everything going OK, or are you fighting back memories?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 15,219 Veterans on this site who have your back.

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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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+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.

When a Soldier Losses a Friend in Battle it can Cause PTSD

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Military news…

US approves sale of $120 million in warship parts to Taiwan, irking China

The sale comes as tensions between the U.S. and China over Taiwan simmer.

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US Army officer who witnessed horrific German train derailment recalls helping at ‘scariest scene’ of his life

Army Col. Charles Bergman happened upon one of Germany’s worst train crashes in years on Friday. He and others stopped traffic, called rescuers, helped people out of the creek, checked airways and wounds, laid injured people near the side of the road and tried to calm hysterical victims.

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Sailor rescues pregnant soldier from flooded Okinawa underpass
Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Tottingham had just finished his last watch and had two days left in the Navy, but intuition told him to check the tunnel for flooding, he said.

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North Korea slams Seoul’s part in massive US-led RIMPAC naval exercise

North Korea frequently criticizes the joint military exercises between the U.S. and the South and claims they are a rehearsal for the invasion.

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Austin calls out China for increasingly aggressive policy toward Taiwan

America’s policy toward Taiwan remains unchanged, but China’s relations toward that island have grown ever more aggressive and coercive.

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Seoul: North Korea fires suspected artillery pieces into sea

The suspected artillery launches were the latest in a spate of weapons tests by North Korea this year.

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Russia likely to seize control of eastern Ukrainian region within weeks, US official says

The Ukrainian cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, in Luhansk, are increasingly under duress and could fall to Russian forces within a week, the official said.

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I going to share a partial interview for my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life. This interview is with Staff Sergeant Michael Thorten. He was an Afghanistan veteran.

I have a lengthy interview with him, and this is just one segment of it.

What was the worst thing you had to face?

I was the head NCO for a unit that protected the convoys as they moved from one spot to another.

We were traveling alongside a convoy, when suddenly the vehicle ahead of me caught on fire. It was fully ingulfed by the time I jumped out and ran to it. Two of my soldiers were inside and couldn’t get out. They burned to death in front of our eyes.

I have relived that scene many times in my life. It doesn’t go away.

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This lead to PTSD for Michael. He has now recovered, and living a good life with his family.

This is just a partial interview with Michael. There is much more in the book. Keep coming back to see more interviews and stories. Better yet…go to the top of this page an 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? Is everything going OK, or are you fighting back memories?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 15,0105 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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+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.

A Very Important Book For Veterans, About PTSD is Available at Amazon

+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.

________________________________________________________________

Military news…

Army Gen. Cavoli tells senators that NATO expansion could force Russia to move troops in the Baltic region
Gen. Christopher Cavoli, the nominee to be the next commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Europe, said adding Finland and Sweden would give NATO a footprint over almost the entire Baltic Sea coastline.

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Air Force squadron throws itself birthday bash in German skies

It was a sight rarely seen over Ramstein: Nine C-130J Super Hercules airplanes flying in formation and dropping 90 paratroopers onto a grassy landing zone between two runways.

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Marine Corps now has 2 fully operational F-35B stealth fighter squadrons in Japan

A second squadron of F-35B Lightning IIs is fully operational at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, bringing the total number of stealth fighters there to 32.

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Alabama Army base may be renamed to decorated veteran Michael Novosel Sr

An Alabama military base, one of many in the South named for Confederate leaders, is slated to be renamed for a Medal of Honor winner from Etna who served as a fearless combat pilot in three wars spanning 30 years.

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Russia test-fires its latest hypersonic Zircon missile

The Russian navy on Saturday conducted another test of a prospective hypersonic missile, a demonstration of the military’s long-range strike capability amid the fighting in Ukraine.

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Korean War vets group dwindling but still active and proud of service in the ‘forgotten war’

On Memorial Day 31 years ago, Korean War veteran Ed Stevens of Kennedy saw a Washington politician on TV giving a speech and invoking World War I, World War II and Vietnam. “But he never said a word about Korea,” Mr. Stevens recalled.

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Russia claims capture of key transport hub, as Zelensky remains defiant

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Saturday its forces now control Lyman, a key transport hub providing access to bridges over the Siversky Donets river, and the British Defense Ministry said most of the town has probably fallen into Russian hands. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sounded a defiant note on Friday, saying: “If the occupiers think that Lyman or Severodonetsk will be theirs, they are wrong.”


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I know a good friend who has written a book just for those who have veterans who are fighting PTSD. It is a wonderful book and I highly recommend you check it out. Here is her closing poem in the book. Get your hankys out:

I Loved Someone With PTSD BY Welby O’brien

I loved someone with PTSD…

Had no clue how hard it would be.

Was I the only one who knew

What PTSD could put you through?

If only just what to say,

or just tried harder to make his day.

Was it me or was it him/

What was the darkness that stole him away?

I cry alone. It hurts so much.

He cannot seem to feel my touch.

Where does he go behind that wall,

or in that cave so dark and small?

His pain is abysmal, locked deep inside.

All he knows is how to hide.

The horrors of war forever torment

This man I love, and won’t relent.

i’m all alone, afraid and torn,

Feel so tired, weary worn.

Please, God, show me what to do

To help us both make it through!

I’m NOT alone, it came to me.

Faith and love can set me free.

Prayers of help, and people who know,

My lifelines of hope to help me grow.

It isn’t him. It isn’t me

It’s only the cruel PTSD.

Though always there, we don’t have to numb,

It just take one day at a time.

I love someone with PTSD,

And I am sure that he loves me.

The pain and struggles we’ll fight each day,

My love for him is here to stay.

I love someone with PTSD,

And I’m so glad he is here with me.

Although it is not always fun

It’s the best thing I have ever done.

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Her book is called, Love Our Vets: Restoring Hope for Families of Veterans with PTSD. You should be able to find it on Amazon. I did.

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Keep coming back to see more excerpts from my own upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life. Better yet…go to the top of this page and click on subscribe. When you do all future posts will come directly to you inbox.

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Reminder that today is Memorial Day. Honor all those who gave their all for our country, and the millions of veterans who could be your neighbors.

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Checking in on you. How are you doing? Is everything going OK, or are you struggling?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 14,941 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.

______________________________________________________________

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.

_______________________________________________________________

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

_______________________________________________________________

+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.