Thank a Veteran

Allsup’s Convenience Store is a hopping place in our small town of 1,500 most hours, but especially just before the 8 a.m. commute to work and school. Located on a major highway that runs north toward the Texas Panhandle or south toward Austin, it is a quick stop for travelers looking to refuel their vehicles and occasionally their bodies (have you heard of their famous fried burritos?) can make quick stops. Locals drop in for gasoline, to buy milk, bread, and other essentials. It’s not a place where many take time to chat with strangers. It’s in-and-out—with a credit card at the pump.

But this morning, in late August, I had made a mental note the night before to stop for gas before driving the 10 miles to my office. The pumps were filled with autos, but I circled around and found an empty one. I was busy at the pump when I noticed a man leaning over to look at my car’s grill. He came back to speak with me and asked what kind of car I was driving. “A Toyota Avalon - Hybrid.” I replied, “It gets 41 miles per gallon.” And so, the conversation began. 
We had something in common. He was a ‘Toyota man’, having driven Toyotas most of his life, starting when he stayed over after the Vietnam War. Pointing to his Toyota SUV that he was driving that morning, he informed me that was what most people there drove back then. 

I noticed his right leg was not moving as easily as the left. I continued on with our casual talk, “Thank you for your service in the Military.” He quietly replied, “Thank you” in return. The noise and busyness around us seemed to dissipate, as if he and I were alone at the pump. “Hey, do you like to read? I am in a ministry that sends books all over, but especially into the military.” Opening my trunk, I was happy to be freshly stocked with a variety of Psalm 91 books. “Yes,” he replied, “I have a lot of time to read and I read a lot.” 

I pulled out a pocket-sized ‘Military-Edition Psalm 91 God’s Shield of Protection’ book for my new friend. He liked that. Prompted to give another, I fished out the ‘Psalm 91, Real-Life Stories of God’s Shield of Protection’ book. I showed him how it was filled with testimonies in the back, which included military stories from people who have served our country as well as civilian stories. I mentioned that this was a book that the author’s husband would have said could be read from the back first. Then, judging by his approximate age, I knew he would enjoy the full Jimmy Stewart story now included in the original revised book, ‘Psalm 91 God’s Umbrella of Protection’. He already knew about Jimmy Stewart being a pilot, but this story includes the personal side of his life. Both in the war and back home, Psalm 91 had been woven into his life. I opened to that page to show him the picture of Jimmy Stewart in his Military Uniform.

He gladly received these books. Patting his right leg, he told me he’d moved from Del Rio to be near his son and the three area VA facilities within an hour of him. In fact, on this very morning, he had an appointment at the VA about his leg. The doctor hadn’t been able to do the MRI since it was found that James had splinter-sized pieces of metal in the front and back of his leg, left over from his time in the Vietnam War. I was shocked, “It went into your skin?” He told me how the metal would rip through their clothing during combat. When he asked his VA doctor to guess how that metal had gotten there. James demonstrated how the doctor had pondered the question for a moment with his hand resting on his chin. The doctor’s reply made James laugh. “I think you were running this way, and then determined it was the wrong way, and turned to run back the other way,” responded the doctor. James laughed and said, “That’s exactly right.” The shrapnel had penetrated his leg, both coming and going!!

He told of a time when bullets were flying and he dove into a hole on top of his friend, Savage. He said he reached up and, not really thinking about it, pulled something out of his friend’s head. I held my breath waiting for the rest of the story. He said, “Savage, are you alright?” Out from underneath him, he heard, “Yes, but get off of me, you’re killing me!” Savage was unable to walk; however, James somehow managed to get him to the area where medical help could be administered. I had to ask, “Did he live?” “Well, this is the part of the story that’s hard to tell. I hadn’t heard from Savage for a long time. He, like I am now, didn’t have a wife. So, I decided to drive out to see him. When I got there, he’d been in that bed a long time.” Perhaps in his loneliness with the memories of war not fading, and no one to talk to, Savage had sadly taken his own life.  

We both cried. James said he didn’t like that he showed his emotion with tears. I assured him that our emotions are from God. I gave him an out to use for the next time, repeating what my mother would have said, “We don’t cry, we leak!” He laughed and said, “I’m going to remember that and use it.”

The Bible says in Mark 16:18 that believers will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. Following the Scripture, I asked if I could pray for him. I think he welcomed it. I said, “Let’s see what Jesus does.” Laying my hand on his shoulder, I prayed a simple, short but heartfelt prayer for God to watch over my new friend, take away discomfort and pain, give his doctors wisdom, and for Jesus to touch his leg with His miraculous healing power. Thank You, Lord, for continuing Your work in James’ life.
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Inviting him to stop by the ministry and sharing with him where the office phone number could be found in the books, I urged him to call if we could help him in any way. God bless you, James. Thank you for touching my life with your stories. I’m thinking of you this Veterans’ Day and actually many other days. And to the reader, I invite you to ‘Thank a Veteran’ today.

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