In February of 1991 I found myself in Saudi Arabia just south of the Iraqi border as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. I was assigned as an executive officer of a tank and infantry company team comprised of approximately 130 soldiers. Our mission was to break open the Iraqi lines in order to make a hole for follow on forces of the United States First Infantry Division and the British First Armoured Division. The night before our attack, the task force commander called all of the officers to the tactical operations center to update us on the latest situation. All I remember of that meeting is when he said, “Gentlemen, look around. By the end of the day tomorrow, 50 percent of you won’t be here.” It was a long night.
The next morning just before sunrise, we began our move north toward the Iraqi obstacle belts and dug in trenches. Around 10:00AM we watched for 30 minutes as 10,000 rounds of artillery were dropped onto the positions we were about to attack. As I stood in the hatch of my M1 Abrams tank and watched the battle begin to unfold in front of me, I could feel the anxiety in me begin to rise as I now truly began to realize what it was we were about to do. I thought I should pray, but I wasn’t sure what to pray for. To kill didn’t seem quite right even though at its essence that is what we were about to do. So, I prayed this simple prayer, “Lord, just let me do what I was trained to do.”
I immediately felt a presence, that to this day I cannot fully explain. It started at the top of my head and flowed down my entire body. I immediately felt calm and a peace beyond any understanding (Philippians 4:7). Shortly thereafter we began our assault through the mines, the wire, and the defending Iraqis. It was quite intense for next 100 hours of Desert Storm while we continued to attack into Iraq. Through it all, I remained calm and had no fear at any time when I should have felt the exact opposite. I truly believe it was the Holy Spirit that came upon me that day and gifted me with the ability to stay calm through the strongest storms. (Joshua 1:9) Through this and other experiences in my 22 years on active duty, I trusted the Lord to be with me as I went forward into the unknown. He is always with us!