For the next few games, we went undefeated. Our wins became conversation off the lips of the young and old. Of course, it made the coach identifiable among the local newspaper and sometimes the state paper.

Our guys were getting the deserved attention, which caused many backseat love affairs. Before school turned out for the year, a certain boy I knew was summoned to a shotgun wedding.
Oh, lucky me, I thought, but really?

Mother was aware of the situation and knew her son was no angel, and traveling down the same trail that boy was taken.

One weekend before school was to start for another year, four of us guys drove to a nearby town, saw a beer truck parked in an empty lot, and decided to break off the padlock and explore. We took a case of quart beer and drove behind the school, devouring every drop. I was never sicker than I was that day.

My mother never said a word when arriving home, but I suspected she knew what happened but never said it.

The following week as school enrollment began, I turned 17, just old enough to join the Army. The newspaper had mentioned our thievery, but the police had arrested some colored guys for picking up where we left off. They had seen us and later were caught stealing every case in the truck.

We fellows talked about the happening, and it placed such a scare in me that I joined the Army and finished my education with them. Oh, and what an education It was. Within a few weeks, I learned to kill my fellow man and defend myself from those who wished me harm.

I would often recall my mother's words when she signed the papers to join. "Son, always remember, you can run, but there is no place to hide."

God spoke it clear the night he gave me a vision. He was calling me into His ministry at the time, I wanted no part of it, and He knew it. I needed to learn by stinking deep in sin to relate with the everyday sinner. Oh, how deep He let me sink. Much like the Apostle Peter, who was quick to deny the Lord, I too had my moments of rebellion. I think I committed every sin known to man and Him.

To me, life meant wine, women, songs, and of course, fast cars. To top it off, Marlon Brando and his movie, The Wild One was like a cherry on top. The devil was having a ball, and I was his bat.
It meant motorcycles, and before the Army, it was wild girls and all-night parties. Did God leave me alone? Not hardly.

In October of 56, our troopships arrived in Germany, one month before Russia invaded Hungary. Of course, it placed us on an alert and combat-ready. My thoughts were, now what has God let me get myself into. The last thing I wanted was to get involved in a shooting war. However, I was there, so I needed to make the best of it.

My training had come from experienced Korean vets. They had fought well against the Chinese and Koreans and many were given battlefield commissions,

My Captain was one of them and a well-seasoned fighter. All of us respected him and were ready to follow his leadership into battle.

Russia was making threats to Nuke New York, and other places sending me behind a 50 cal, machinegun locked and loaded.

I must admit, several times I was repenting and hoping for God's mercy. Everyone was ready and prayerfully hoping some trigger-happy idiot would have a second thought before firing the first shot.

Days later, the Red Cross came to where my command was. I was summoned to the C P tent to listen to them request my presence to be sent home. My Grandmother had died and my mother wanted me home.

The decision was mine, and though I loved my grandmother, I could not leave my buddies, it would be like running out on them in time of need so I declined to go home.
My Captain never said anything but I could tell he thought I made the right decision.

Days later, Russia had made a wise decision, They withdrew from the idea of war with us. The results sent us to the garrison, and for the next year or more we worked at doing whatever our hands found to do.