Tag: Signs of Hope

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It is Very Hard to Exist After Losing a Buddy During Your Time in The Military

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Military news…

VA Offers $3 Million Prize for Ideas to Stop Veteran Suicides

The goal is to get thousands of new ideas on how to better help and support veterans over the next six weeks and award cash prizes for the best 40 ideas in the coming months.

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Senators From Rural States Trying to Stop Wave of VA Hospital Closures Before They Start

The medical centers slated for closure include areas where the veteran population is expected to decline, while new facilities would be built in regions where veterans are relocating, largely in the South and West.

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US Marines Train for a Possible Future Chinese Invasion of Taiwan As the war of words ramps up between the Biden administration and Chinese government over the status of Taiwan, U.S. forces in Japan are gearing up for a possible conflict.

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Marine Corps Considers Abandoning Parris Island Amid Rising Extreme Weather Threats

A string of recent reports has predicted that Parris Island will face increasingly frequent and ferocious hurricanes, floods, and extreme heat. Those escalating temperatures are already a growing risk to trainees on the island.

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5 missiles hit Iraqi base hosting US troops; no casualties

Iraqi security officials said the missiles hit only a few yards from where U.S. forces are stationed.

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Ukraine war volunteers are coming home, reckoning with difficult fight

Foreign fighters from the United States and elsewhere have described glaring disparities between what they expected the war in Ukraine to be like and what they experienced. 

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Ukraine suffers on battlefield while pleading for US arms

Gloominess descends on Ukraine as the war tide turns. “They’re just raining down metal on us,” said a soldier fresh from the front line where Russia is advancing.

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I can’t help but think back to Memorial Day. While in the service I lost two buddies. The first one was a high school buddy that signed up with me the same day. We went through basic training together. I have a funny story about him from basic training in my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

We also were also sent to Korea together. He was sent to another camp. I heard the horrible news about six months later that he had died. Not in combat, but from a rare disease he caught. I was devastated.

The second buddy I lost was also in Korea. Again this was not in combat. He liked going to the near village a lot and have parties. One night he partied too much and on the way back to our camp, he fell into a honey bucket and suffocated. (A honey bucket is what the Koreans used to put all of their human waste, for fertilizer from their rice fields.) It was a horrible way to die.

Have you lost a buddy? I know you anger and hurt feeling. I interviewed many veterans who lost buddies. All of the interviews are in my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for The Military: IN and Out of the Trenches of Life.

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

FEAR NOT!

There are over 14,968 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.

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In Civilian Life, There is Never a Time Where We Do Not Have a Choice.

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Military news…

Air Force wing nixes drag queen reading event for children at Ramstein library, drawing LGBTQ supporters’ ire

“Drag Queen Storytime,” organized to celebrate Pride Month, was slated for Thursday.

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US is preparing to send long-range rocket systems to Ukraine

The Biden administration is preparing to send advanced long-range rocket systems to Ukraine as the country suffers losses in the east from advancing Russian forces, said U.S. administration and congressional staffers.

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National Guard needs stable funding from Congress to execute program to train Ukrainian troops, top general says

Congress’ inability to pass timely spending bills is hindering a National Guard program that trains Ukrainian forces, the chief of the National Guard Bureau told House lawmakers.

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Iran seizes 2 Greek tankers in Persian Gulf as tensions rise

The U.S. Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet said it was investigating reports that Iran seized two Greek tankers. Iran had threatened to take “punitive action” over Athens being involved in the U.S. seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in Greek waters.

Here is another excerpt from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the military: In and Out of the trenches of Life.

There is Not a Time That You Don’t Have a Choice

In the military you are faced with many orders. Go here. Do this. You expect that in the military, and since you decided to enlist, you should live the life that is given to you while you are there. 

However, out in civilian life it is a different story. People will also be barking at you do this and that.

I have heard people say, “I had to do it because I didn’t have a choice.” They felt trapped and thought they had no way out.

There is always a choice!! We never have to accept our fate because we feel there is no choice.

We need to acknowledge that we have the same rights as others around us.

Have you had a boss threaten you if you didn’t do what he said? It is OK to give out directions, but never OK to threaten.  The people in the private sector need to realize that they are all working together just like a unit in the military. They need to respect each employee, and have their back when they need it.

Jobs are important for the soldier, but they shouldn’t be degraded at any time just so they can keep the job.

When I came out I was treated pretty badly by a boss who didn’t like any
“youngsters,” trying to infiltrate his group of workers he loved working with. He did whatever he could to make my day miserable.

When there was a job that was somewhat dangerous, he would make me do it. When it was time for a break, he will tell me to sit somewhere else than with the men. I allowed it to happen by my own choice, because I didn’t have any way to find another job quickly enough to provide for my family that was with me at the college I was going to.

So I fell for the trap, “I didn’t have a choice.”

In this day and age that type of leadership is not allowed anymore. Back in the 50’s there weren’t too many discrimination laws. There weren’t too many places to go for help. 

Today, you have choices. You have your rights. You can respectfully disagree and not fear of losing you job.

Going out into the civilian life can be daunting, but you don’t have to let it overcome you. Stay strong, and have courage, just like you had to do when you served your country.

IWILL

You may be asking what on earth this chapter is all about. It is about learning to be able to withstand the forces that try to overcome you and cause you to want to give up. It is about giving you thoughts and ideas on how to cope in a sometimes unfriendly world. You have equal rights as much as anyone else on this planet. Do not let anyone tell you that you have no choices.

Think about this

Isn’t it sad how some people get into a power struggle, just to proof they are tough?

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There will be other excerpts in the future. Keep coming back to check them out. 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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Checking in on you. How are you doing? Is everything going OK, or are you struggling?

FEAR NOT!

There are over 14,955 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.

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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.

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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.