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Being on a Plane Heading to the Bay of Pigs Was Frightening

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Military news…

Turns out, the reason the Army fired its head of Installation Management in 2019 had nothing to do with Army housing being plagued by mold and insects.

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An investigation into an Air Force colonel found that he failed to promote a culture of safety and failed to maintain a healthy command climate, according to leaked investigation results.

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For the first time in nearly 15 years, Marines can have “sleeve tattoos” that cover most of their arms and legs under the latest revisions to the Marine Corps.

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If you’re going to jump out of a plane, you might as well do it with the best of the best. Woman shares about her experience jumping with the Golden Knights, the Army’s performance parachute team.

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An Air Force lieutenant general warned airmen to get vaccinated against COVID-19 after she contracted a ‘breakthrough’ case of the virus herself.

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The Marine Corps is investigating how several artillery projectiles at Camp Pendleton wound up closer to the barracks than a live-fire range.

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Another excerpt from the upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

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Sitting on a Military Plane Ready to Fly to the Bay of Pigs

I know of some of the fears you face or have faced as a soldier. I have had my share of scary times while in uniform for my country.

I had put in three years of active duty, and was very near to my discharge date while at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. As a matter of fact the discharge date was just days away.

It seemed like a normal day of “putting in your time,” but then there came a sound that I never want to hear again. It was the intercom in our section of the company I was stationed with saying, “This is an alert.” This is not a drill, all personnel report to headquarters for a briefing right away.”

I couldn’t think of why there would be any problems that serious happening, and still thought it was a drill as I ran towards the headquarters building.

When we all assembled, the commander went to the podium and spoke.

“I am here to inform you that all leaves and weekend passes are concealed. We have received a message from the commanding General of the Army to stand by for a possible mission to the Bay of Pigs. This is a very serious mission, which will put you in combat and in harm’s way. Our unit is being deployed, to help monitor the security of the communications while there. We will serve in the field headquarters of the mission. You have about two hours to go home to pack your full field clothes and equipment. Dismissed!”

That was it. No more explanations or chances to ask questions.

I drove home quickly, packed all my gear in a duffel bag.

I got back to the headquarters, and it looked like pandemonium and chaos had sat in, with soldiers running everywhere.  

A few minutes later everyone had made it there and we were all in formation. The commander then told us to come to attention.

We all headed to buses that were waiting to take us to the military airport on base. When we got there, we unloaded and marched to the area of several planes. They had us board the planes with full gear and field uniforms on. The pilot came on to tell us that we will be in a combat area when we land at the Bay of Pigs.

I sat down in my area, and was holding my weapon (M-1 rifle) between my legs. I was numb with fear and anxiety. I had never thought I would actually be in a conflict where I could die.

The plane started its engines. The plane shook as the engines roared to get up to the speed they needed to get off the ground. It taxied to the runway and stopped.

Then we waited for the pilot to push the throttle. We sat there for what seemed like hours. I could see the fear, in the eyes in the soldiers around me. I was only about twenty years old then, and began to see my life unfold before me. I had thoughts of not coming back. I had thoughts of my loved ones I would never see again.

The plane was shaking from the vibrations of the motors. I said a prayer because it looked like we were going to take off. The plane was moving. However, it was not going done the runway. It was heading back to the area where we boarded.

The pilot came on the intercom and said that the mission had been aborted, and we were going back to our companies.

I felt such relief along with men and women around me who were yelling for joy. We were safe and heading back to our homes.

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I only shared this story because I know some of you have gone through the same thing. You also have been sent into combat, and faced the fear of not coming back. I was very lucky, but many of you actually left the ground in your plane, and headed into harm’s way.

Fear is something that is hard to control. Even the most-brave face it. We all have been there in some capacity.

It could be the doctor’s appointment that has information on your health. It also could be the times when you have to leave your loved ones for any mission. It may be the crises of your marriage when your spouse is tired of going through the pain of wondering if you will come back alive.

Did you know that Jesus faced fear? He even asked God to take away the fear by relieving Him of the cup of the responsibility God had placed on Him. He sweated blood during that prayer. God heard the prayer, but let Jesus go through the fear, pain and agony of going to the cross and dying for you and me. 

I am not making it sound like we shouldn’t be afraid. I know we are quite often. I am not saying you are a bad person if you are afraid of something. We all have our spots where we fear the unknown.

I think that is the key. It is the “unknown.” It’s not knowing what will happen next.

What I have learned from so many times of facing fear that 99% of what we fear never happens. We just need to give the other 01% over to God.

Is it that simple? I can honestly tell you that it is. God has big shoulders. He wants to take the burdens of our day away from us. We just need to depend on Him to keep His promises and know that He will never put us in a situation that we can’t handle with His help.

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There are many other chapters in this book. It will be full of my time in the military, plus reaching out to help soldiers with PTSD, TBI, war wounds, and much more.

Keep coming back to see more excerpts. Better yet! Go to the top of this page and click on “subscribe.” When you do all future posts will directly to your inbox. Do it now, and you will also receive up to date news from the military.

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Bed check… How are you doing today? Too many dark storms coming your way? Having a hard time sleeping?

FEAR NOT!!

There are over 13,290 fellow veterans subscribed to this site who have your back.

If you are just too overwhelmed, GET HELP!

Here is a toll free number to 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.

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The Marine Corp is Getting Very Tough on Soldiers to Get their COVID-19 Shots

+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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Militray news…

“‘Please be in focus, please be in focus, please be in focus.’” That’s what was going through Army Master Sgt. Alex Burnett’s head when he took the photo of the last U.S. soldier to leave Afghanistan on Aug. 31

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The Marine Corps’ list of consequences for Marines who fail to get vaccinated for COVID-19 is a reminder that USMC stands for “You Signed the Motherf—king Contract!” 

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The Army has kicked off a study of the service’s current height and weight requirements, which could eventually end in a change to the standards for the first time in decades.

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A TikTok video shows a big difference in how Air Force and Navy aircraft land on the runway, and a lot of it has to do with how their pilots are trained.

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​The Marine Corps is considering changes to its current tattoo policy.

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A junior enlisted airman is donating his uniform top to a museum after a famous photo showed an Afghan child using it as a blanket while sleeping on the floor of a C-17 Globemaster III transport jet.

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I read an article that states that our current president is being used as a scapegoat. It says, he makes all the mistakes, and takes all the blame. No other democrats are at fault then. That was an opinion article, but I am not sure if that is not in place as we speak.

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It is getting very dicy between China/Russia, and the rest of the world. They have joined forces with Russia and are doing joint military exercises.

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I just reupped with the American Legion today. I think they are a fine organization that helps veterans everyday. I suggest you check them out.

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I am not sharing another excerpt today, from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life. I’m a little under the weather today, and will keep it shorter today.

But to see excerpts in the future 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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Bed check…How are you doing? Has the world thrown you a curve? Do you feel like you are being pulled down by a magnate?

FEAR NOT!!

There are over 13,280 fellow veterans here who have your back.

If it is just too overwhelming for you right now, GET HELP!

Here is a toll free number to call 24/7. There are highly qualified councelors 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!

_______________________________________________________

+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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Not Everything Has to be Serious in the Military

+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…

“The Marine Corps taught me not to [mess] around.” That’s from Marine veteran James Kilcer, who grabbed a would-be thief’s pistol during a robbery attempt in Yuma, Arizona earlier this month.

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“A blank can actually do you a huge amount of damage. If it was pressed right up against your head, it could probably kill you.” That’s from Paul Biddiss, a former British Army paratrooper who told James Clark all about how firearms are handled on movie sets. This is after Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on film set in New Mexico last week, killing one person on set and injuring another.

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“I don’t really like to talk about how many times I [deployed] here or there … because even if you go once, you did more than most.” That’s from Senior Master Sgt. Robert Gutierrez Jr., a legendary Air Force combat controller whose humility shined in a recent video posted to the Air Force Special Tactics Facebook page.

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Pentagon Mandates COVID-19 Vaccine for Civilian Workers

All civilians working for the Defense Department and the military services must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by Nov. 22, under new guidelines released earlier this month.

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Navy Recovers Helicopter, 5 Sailors Killed in Crash That Prompted Pause in Flight Operations

The Navy has recovered the five crewmembers and MH-60S helicopter that crashed
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3 Brothers Reunited After 50 Years Include an Army General and An Army Colonel

Maj. Gen. Edmonson was reunited with his younger half-brothers, Brian and Army Col. Eric Jackson, at Fort Knox. Edmonson’s father was stationed in Germany when he learned his child had been given up for adoption.

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As Afghanistan Sinks Into Destitution, Some Sell Children to Survive

A housecleaner in Herat, Afghanistan, said she may have to hand her three-year-old daughter over to a man to settle an insurmountable debt of $550, illuminating the starvation crisis in the Taliban-controlled country.

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Another excerpt from my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: This shows that not everything is serious in the military.

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I Hope I Can Swim!

There weren’t always serious times in the military.

One day after we were done with shooting at the range in basic training. The regular platoon leader had to go to headquarters, and he asked a Warrant Officer to march us back to the buses.

The Warrant Officer had never led a march before and it was very clear that he was not in control. The men whispered to each other that we needed to follow his commands completely, but only if they were Army regulated.

Well, the Warrant Officer had no idea what the Army regulations were for marching troops, so he just told us to start marching. We didn’t move. He shouted, “Let’s go!” We still didn’t move. Then a passer-by soldier told him the wording was “Forward march!” 

He said “Forward march!” We started marching. He wanted us to do a turn at a street corner, and said “Turn right!” We kept going straight. He was heading us toward a boat ramp leading down to the ocean. He saw what was happening, and yelled, “Stop!” We didn’t stop! He shouted “You’re going into the water, stop!”

By this time the front of the platoon was in the edge of the ramp and had water over their boots. He was again getting desperate. He ran over to some other soldier watching “the show,” and begged them to tell him what he is supposed to say. He said yell, “Platoon halt!” He did, but by that time there were some men swimming, and laughing I might add.

The platoon leader didn’t get mad when he heard what happened. He even chuckled to himself, and then he called the Warrant Officer to apologize.

Have you ever gotten confused with some orders you have received in the military? Were they in such a way that you had to question them? Let me tell you that it is OK to question a command or orders if you stay with the guidelines of the Army manual.

If an officer asks you to do something you aren’t comfortable with you could say, “No disrespect sir, but could you explain that order to me?” You could also say, “I would like to say “Respectively sir that I will do what you say, but I am not comfortable doing it.”

Any good officer will not chew you out for statements like that. My son, who was a colonel, had times when he had to give soldiers commands, and I am sure if they questioned him, he didn’t punish them or he didn’t become angry. I met many of his soldiers when I visited him on base, and every soldier I met said that my son was a soldier’s soldier. Meaning, they knew he was in charge, but they also knew that he would listen to them if they had a disagreement.

In your life it is wise to be open to others who may disagree with you. It may make you uncomfortable, but in the long run, the other person will respect you for listening to them even if you stick to what you first advocated.

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There is more to this chapter, but I am cahllenging ypou to buy the book to read the rest of it. 🙂

If you want to see more excerpts, keep coming back. Better Yet, go to the top of this page and slick on “Subscribe.” When you do all future posts will come directly to your inbox.

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Hey, how’s it going my friend? Has the world sent you lemons? Do you dread going to sleep?

FEAR NOT!

There are 13,270 fellow veterans subscibed to this site who have your back.

BUT! If the going is just too rough for you right now, GET HELP!

Here is a toll free number to 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…texting838255.

____________________________________________

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.