What you say, write, and even think about ends up as public information, more often than you think.

Faces, hands, posture, and presences. The four things people notice about you when you have direct contact. Fold your arms with a frown, and people can tell you’re upset about something. Fold your arms with a smile, and people can tell you’re excited, but restrained, or even hopeful. Smile with unfolded arms, posing as-if for a catalog, and people can tell you’re confident, if not cheesy.

There are a thousand tells that can let people know exactly how you feel, how you think, and sometimes, what you think. These tells can give you away, faster than gossip.

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Washington Redskins Cheerleaders Welcome Home Iraq Troops from AASP1111 on Vimeo.

Adopt A Soldier Platoon and the Redskins Cheerleaders partner up and pay a visit to the troops on their way home in Kuwait. They put on an impressive show for the warriors, hoping to raise spirits and welcome in the New Year 2012 with high morale. Take a look at their video and say hello!

How many wars have we won, apparently lost, but came back from? How many times have we been threatened, and responded with unparalleled force? How many times have we faced certain doom, only to bring ourselves back from the brink, and prove ourselves once again, the victors in a once-thought un-winnable war.

We, as Americans, will overcome whatever is brought before us. Governments change, people change, and so must we. We must prepare ourselves to sacrifice unneeded luxuries, to make way for necessities. We must prevent vain indulgence, and replace it with much needed improvement. We are tough, we are strong, and we will never give up without a fight.

There isn’t a budget, a plan, a policy, a law, a bill, a declaration, or any words of any kind that can change once simple fact. We need to change.

We can. We will. This is the state of things.

Those of you who know what I am talking about, I tip my hat to you. Those of you who don’t, I wish you a Happy New Year, a pleasant Holiday season, and may you be safe, and enjoy your time with your families. And when it’s time to go back to work, I hope you put everything you’ve got into it. We can’t afford to be lazy anymore.

My New Year’s resolution is to stop taking my life for granted; stop wasting time with childish things, start spending the time with my daughter that she deserves, and to start making way for her future, by correcting mine.

To the troops overseas, and at home training and such, God bless you all, and Happy New Year.

“Everybody Fights, Nobody Quits!”

The whole thing is just over 12 miles from what I understand. On a hand-bike, it’s not horrible, but it’s still a workout.

If you’re going to the marathons, wave! If not, I’m sure there will be plenty of gossip and posts online so check them out and be sure and leave a shout out.

I want to thank the awesome guys and gals at Achilles for making this possible, and we look forward to the awesome time we’re going to have at Disney.

Many times people take time to organize or streamline their environment instead of taking that time to relieve stress. This can prove to be less fruitful. Make sure to minimize excessive organization. Too much micro management can add extra steps to even the simplest situations. Barring legal protocol, the least amount of steps to resolve any situation is best. You can save time, increase productivity, and avoid stress by minimizing your processes.

Many people use their spare time to exercise, meditate, or even play video games. I recommend Command & Conquer 3 to improve your strategy and logic skills.

I spent the day with Congressman Womack and had a chance to address some open ears concerning my experiences, and my recovery from my injury. It was the first real chance I had to speak in front of such a large gathering, and I dare say I enjoyed it. I hope I have the chance to express my gratitude for the opportunity in the days to come. I look forward to telling my friends at Walter Reed in Bethesda all about the events and make sure they know about the support that’s here for them.

If you would like to know about ways to support the troops, and would like to contribute, feel free to comment, email, tweet, or post on facebook. Someone will help you out. You can also check out the list of links on the right of the page. I recommend the USO for sure. They really helped me get through 3 deployments and they continue to send love and support to the warriors all over the world.

Staffing Problems

More than any other military action, the number and severity of injuries has been unprecedented. Also, with advances in medical care, more and more soldiers are surviving their injuries, however they continue to need care far beyond their immediate injury. Given the high numbers of injuries, it is hardly surprising the medical staffing is a problem throughout the entire Veterans Administration health care system.

Long-term care requires specialists in pain management, rehabilitation management, vision specialists, prosthetic rehabilitation and mental health providers. Unfortunately, even with heavy recruiting efforts, the VA has been unable to maintain the level of staffing necessary to fully meet the needs of the large numbers of military personnel who need medical care services.

Restructuring to Better Meet Demands

One of the recommendations to the Veterans Administration has been to significantly restructure their delivery of care. Older veterans’ memories of VA health care are often associated with large, unwieldy bureaucratic medical care that was poor in quality and was the option of last resort.

In recent years, the VA has made tremendous efforts to change that perception and recruit quality medical providers. Additionally, the VA has gained the reputation as being at the leading edge of providing care for poly-traumatic injuries and traumatic brain injury. Several VA treatment centers that specialize in traumatic brain injuries and limb replacement are considered top medical centers in the nation.

Additionally, the VA has made an effort to increase public awareness of the services they offer to returning veterans. While today’s injuries are different from older soldiers who suffered the long term results from things like asbestos exposure when working in naval ship yards in the past, even illnesses like asbestos cancer and mesothelioma can be addressed and treated by the VA.

Today’s Veterans Administration health center is much more modernized than in the past. Many medical facilities provide the best care for a wide range of emergent and chronic long-term health issues and are considered top rated medical facilities.

I was laid up the hospital for some time, and I got contacted by all sorts of people and organizations whose sole goal was to show their support for myself and my comrades. One of the most committed people I’ve met is a man by the name of Alan Krutchkoff, representing AdoptaSoldierPlatoon.org

I had finally been set free to go on leave after over 5 months of being unable to travel, and I needed something to put all of my gadgets, tools, wheelchair parts and such. I made a brief mention of a need for some luggage and a few other items that soldiers such as myself would greatly enjoy. Mr. Krutchkoff sent me everything I mentioned!

Understand, when people come to you and say they want to help, they often get carried away with their own lives and forget (for a little while at least) about us soldiers. It’s not a fault, just a fact of life. This is where people like Alan Krutchkoff and organizations like Adopt a Soldier Platoon come in.

Since I received the items I requested, Alan has gone out of his way to continue to show support for my comrades and I. I can only hope to learn from his example, and represent the same spirit and support those in need. Thank you so much Alan!

Alan posted an awesome page on Adopt a Soldier Platoon which represents the true spirit we all need in order to move forward after these times of crisis.

Check it out on Adopt a Soldier Platoon.org

Image via Wikipedia

Two things every man fights for at some point in his life. Recognition for the things he’s done, or at least attempted to accomplish, and the freedom to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

Not very many people accomplish that goal; so I am grateful for the opportunity.

Many people have made great sacrifices in order to enjoy the freedoms we often take for granted. Being American gives many people a sense of “entitlement”. The thought of such misguidance often befuddles my attempts and explaining to people that they have a duty as well.

All of the recognition I have received for my sacrifice, and the things that I have done to ensure the safe return of my friends and family is nothing compared to the ultimate sacrifice that so many have made just to ensure that future generations don’t find it necessary to send our brothers and sisters to other regions of the world far away from home and everything they love and enjoy.

If you take nothing from this, consider one thing:

You are free. If you hate your job, hate your house, hate your lifestyle, change it. You have the ability to do anything in the world you want. Take chances, and regret nothing. In life, there are good decisions, and bad decisions… but ultimately, if you don’t make a decision, it’s just as bad as  making the wrong decision. If you don’t know what the right thing to do is, ask someone who might have the answer.

There are dozens of organizations and specialists specifically directed to take care of soldiers in need. There are THOUSANDS of people whose sole interest is YOUR welfare. If you don’t know who to go to, here’s a few suggestions.

Army Community Services. Nearly, if not every post has a ACS building. Medical centers typically have a Soldier Family Assistance Center (SFAC) and their sole purpose is to help soldiers get from point A to point B. If you have a family emergency, contact them FIRST! They may even pay for your travel expenses and help you with a place to stay!

There are PLENTY of resources even if you’re not a wounded warrior. Don’t give up!

-CPL David Bixler

Related articles

• Personal problems, should be personal… (asoldier.net)
• Dear Soliders, I’ll Honor Your Sacrifices When You Actually Defend Our Freedom (bothwell.typepad.com)
• United States Army Operation Tribute to Freedom

I need everyone to understand one simple fact, and you can take it any way you want:

If you target anyone in my family, including my in-laws, with any sort of scandal, fraud, without physical proof or evidence of their misbehavior, I will ensure that karma turns on you.

I will be taking some very drastic steps to protect my family, and extended family for my foreseeable future. If you really want to fight me, or my family, you need to be aware of just how persistent I am. When I feel true conviction for another, especially of my family, I will do anything it takes to protect them.

Beware, if you are guilty of what I speak. The law is on my side, and I will win. If you want a testimony of how persistent I am, you should read the story of how I lost my legs, and my recovery.

No retreat, no surrender.

Everybody Fights, Nobody Quits!