Post Script
A couple of years after leaving the Army, I had an opportunity to hear two special speakers at a church event.
They were both men who had served in Vietnam—but in a very different way than I had.
One was an American missionary who had spent years reaching out to small villages, sharing the message of Jesus Christ with people who had never heard of Him.
The other was a Vietnamese pastor, a man who had been born and raised in Vietnam, faithfully ministering to his people until the fall of Saigon forced him to flee.
As they told their stories, I sat there thinking about my own time in Vietnam.
Different Battles
I had been fighting, or at least thought I was, to help free the Vietnamese people from communism. That seemed like a noble cause at the time, but as I listened to these men, I realized they had been fighting a far more important battle—the battle for souls.
They faced real danger. They risked imprisonment, torture, even death, all to share the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ.
And when they had to leave Veitnam—when their mission fields collapsed around them—they didn’t come home to any of the benefits that I came home to as a soldier in the war.
Unequal Rewards
They didn’t get a G.I. Bill to help pay for college.
They didn’t get a VA loan to buy a house.
They didn’t get medical care or job assistance because of their service.
I remember one job I applied for shortly after coming home—it was with the Department of Water and Power in Los Angeles.
Applicants had to take an exam, and your score determined your position on the hiring list. I ended up ranked number one.
I didn’t have the highest score. Another man had earned a perfect score which, trust me, was higher than my score. But I received veterans’ preference points which gave me the top score on that exam
He was not a veteran.
I was.
And because of that, I got the best job.
I felt sorry for him—but I can’t deny I was thankful for the job.
Years later, I also received full medical benefits through the Veterans Administration. Those benefits covered serious health issues I faced later in life—including knee replacements and even heart surgery.
But those two men I listened to that day—men who risked their lives for the sake of telling others about Jesus—didn’t receive any of those earthly rewards.
Heaven’s Benefits
But they did receive something infinitely better.
They received eternal rewards that far outweigh anything this world could ever give.
And sitting there that day, I realized something:
While I had fought in a war for freedom, they had fought in a war for the eternal souls of the people they came into contact with each day.
A Blessing
Before I go, I’d like to share a blessing with you from the Old Testament.
“May the Lord bless and protect you; may the Lord’s face radiate with joy because of you; may he be gracious to you, show you his favor, and give you his peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26 (The Living Bible)
Until next time … be the reason someone smiles today
