I served in the United States Army for ten years, five of which were spent as an Army Special Forces operator. During my military service, I deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan four times. Each time I deployed, I saw God’s magnificent power protect me from harm as I faithfully stood for Him and believed to be victorious. I have driven over improvised explosive devices (IED) and they did not go off; I’ve had rockets land near me and not go off; I have had ammunition rounds land within an arm’s reach and not touch me; and I’ve been in situations where we were outnumbered and outgunned and everyone on my team walked away without a scratch.
One of the most tremendous incidents I experienced happened during my third deployment overseas. My team went on a mission that took place over the course of three days. Problems arose during the first two days that extended our timeline and put us in an area that we were not supposed to be operating in. On the second night, we found a nice hilltop overlooking a village, and our explosive ordnance disposal technicians (EOD) began to clear the hilltop to make sure there were no booby traps, mines, or any improvised explosives. After our EOD gave us the green light to occupy the hill, we set up our security perimeter, set up a guard roster, and stayed for the night.
When daylight hit, my team began to form a course of action to get us back to our base. It was then decided that one of our Afghan trucks would drive back the way we came to determine if there were any passable routes out of the valley we found ourselves in. When the truck took off down the hill, the rear tire popped. What was thought to be a possible flat tire turned out to be the detonation of a blasting cap on an enemy improvised explosive device (IED). This blasting cap was connected to 120 pounds of homemade explosives and was rigged in a way that was undetectable by our mine-detecting equipment. After analyzing the explosive, our EOD technicians reported that the chemicals in the device had gone bad, which is why it didn’t go off. Had the IED gone off properly, I and six other teammates (who happened to be standing ten meters away) would have been killed instantly. Out of twenty-three Americans on this mission, everyone would have been killed or wounded except for three. Talk about God protecting His own!
What an honor it is to be able to claim this victory! What a privilege it is to be able to know that our Father is always protecting us and is ready to answer our prayers! And what a great pleasure it is to share such an experience with the household so that I get the opportunity to build the believing of those around me! To God be the glory!