[…]Our neighborhood bully, Jimmy C., would never stop throwing dirt clods and using strong-arm tactics to terrorize smaller children. Yes, we complained. In fact, we begged. But time after time “negotiation” failed. Nothing seemed to work. Until one day one of us gathered the courage to stand up to him. Lying flat on his back Jimmy experienced an amazing change of perspective. He suddenly saw the logic in leaving the little people alone. Bullies never seem to quit until someone takes the initiative to stand between them and their victims. Recall Goliath, or Hitler, or Saddam, or the devil himself. […]
[…]him as from any other drill sergeant, we got along fine. I know of one other drill sergeant who reacted to my statement. He was not a Christian, and he decided to watch me to see if I lived up to my words. That’s the scary part of identifying yourself as a Christian-you put yourself on display. This was one of our best NCOs. We eventually sent him to be an instructor at the drill sergeant academy, a reward for and testimony to his character and performance. Three years later we had both moved on to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. […]
[…]Academy for 10 years, and currently lives in Carlisle, PA, where he and his wife, Sandra, are active in OCF and the U.S. Army War College chapel. He has been active in OCF since coming to Christ as a West Point Plebe in 1960. Address by Colonel Alexander Shine, United States Army, Retired, at the USMA OCF spiritual commissioning ceremony, USMA, 29 May 2005. Adapted from the August 2006 COMMAND magazine […]
