“Shortly after the war was over in Europe, I was inducted into the army, took my infantry basic training, and was shipped off to Germany where I was finally assigned to a permanent unit. I was awakened one night and was volunteered to help with a fire in one of the stalls in a nearby warehouse. Next to the fire was a stall stacked four-high with upwards of fifty 55 gallon drums of gasoline, separated only by a cement-block wall. I had to help remove the drums from the stall. I ended up working on top of the stack where the heat was intense. Drums were snapping and hissing as they expanded. About the time we had removed most of the drums from next to the partition, the fire was under control on the other side.

I did a lot of praying but didn’t have time to think of much else. We were concentrating on the partition for signs of fire breaking through. However, I did identify with the man who survives the fiery furnace in the book of Daniel–they were probably a bit anxious also.”

I am grateful to him, my father, my uncle, my brother, and all who have served in the military. Do you have a story to tell?