Chasing God Until He Caught Me: Chapter Five - The Turning Tide

The Compelling Story of God's Relentless Pursuit To Rescue One Lost Soul

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Photo by Kurt Liebhaeuser on Unsplash

An incident that put the need to change on my radar screen was when I took a shipmate, Gary, out to eat for his birthday. After having “one too many”, we were involved in an accident on the way back to the base.

Gary wound up in the hospital with a broken collarbone. I ended up in a German jail for drunk driving.

Our Commanding Officer, who wanted to crack down on the almost out-of-control partying, decided to make an example out of me.

I faced a Captain's Mast, one step below a court-martial. He levied a fine of several hundred dollars, which was a lot of money in those days, and a six-month “suspended bust” meaning that if I went before him for any reason during that time, I would be reduced to the next lower pay grade.

I stayed low-key and tried not to hang around those I knew would pull me off course again. Thankfully, I made it through the end of that tour of duty without getting into more trouble.

I even quit a twelve-year smoking habit during this time, which I never picked up again.

By the time I left Augsburg, I had less than two years left in my enlistment, which I spent at Skaggs Island Naval Communication Station at the Northern end of the San Francisco Bay area near Vallejo, CA.

Though I had grown weary of the constant partying, out of sheer habit I continued. Thankfully, I managed to stay under the radar screen of base authorities as well as the local cops.

About a month before my enlistment ended, the Navy offered me a three=year flight crew assignment with VQ-2, a P-3 Orion Reconnaissance Squadron in Rota, Spain. They offered a $10,000 reenlistment bonus, which required a six-year commitment.

Though based in Spain, these crews flew out of bases all over the Mediterranean. These were my dream orders.

But, it also meant that I would more than likely have become a “lifer” and fallen further into the trap of alcohol. By this time, I had begun to have some serious questions about what life was all about. I knew if I continued living this way, I could well end up dead or in serious trouble.

So, this was it. Crunch time. Stay in or get out? One of the hardest decisions of my life.

Now I can look back and see God’s providential hand on the choice I made.

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