Sasser - God in the foxhole: inspiring true stories of miracles on the battlefield

T hey say that nothing in this universe happens by accident. That includes the writing and creation of this book. How the author got inspired to collect these stories and share them with the world is no more an accident of fate than are the stories inside this book themselves. It was almost as if they had a life of their own and were waiting for the author to gather and harvest them.

When Chuck (author Charles W. Sasser) e-mailed me and then talked to me on the phone about his project, the timing could not have been better. I had a similar project in mind and had gathered dozens of stories for a book about the spiritual experiences of men in combat. I was recovering from a heart attack and it was not certain I would have the time and energy to complete this holy task. My goal was simply to gift these stories to the world so they would inspire others. I soon realized that Chucks goal and mine were forged of the same intentions; thus a spiritual partnership of sorts was formed. I gave him my blessings and all my contacts, and access to any of my own personal experiences he chose to write about. (Some of these accounts appear in Chapters 11 and 14.)

What is inside these pages represents the faith and courage of men whom both of us knew and learned about. Every one of the stories presents evidence that Gods amazing grace exists in great abundance in those who are open to His loving and protective arms. A simple battlefield prayer, the cry of a wounded or dying soldier is heard and honored more than most realize. I hope that when you read the personal accounts and experiences of these men you will find inspiration in your own life battles and know that miracles continue to happen to those who have faith.

I know many of the men mentioned in this book on some personal level and believe that each of their stories is sacred and holy. They share them for the same reason that Chuck wrote this bookto inspire each of you on your own spiritual journey through life.

Reverend Bill McDonald
Author, A Spiritual Warriors Journey

T here are, according to an old saying, no atheists in foxholes. Even atheists and freethinkers find compelling reasons to seek spiritual solace whenever bombs start falling and bullets flying. U.S. Marine Sergeant Leland Belknap, who fought in the South Pacific during World War II, didnt believe there were very many of us who didnt do a lot of praying up there. The only atheist that I knew said he would not pray when he got up front. The first night he came crawling over to the man he had said that to and they prayed together.

The presence of faith is exceptionally strong in the armed forces, especially during wartime when soldiers face the prospect of dying. Hardship and horror, fear, loneliness, and rage have driven warriors over the centuries to reach for their spiritual side. The battlefield, as author Stephen Mansfield notes, is as much a test of faith as it is a test of arms.

In 1991, I was a U.S. Army first sergeant for a military police company preparing to ship overseas for Operation Desert Storm, the first Iraq war. The night before my outfit emplaned, a chaplain conducted services and passed out pocket Bibles and little silver crosses. Virtually every MP in the company wore his cross on his dog tag chain until the war ended. I still have mine.

I served twenty-nine years in the military (active and reserve), including thirteen years as a Special Forces (Green Beret) soldier. I heard hundreds of stories of spirituality, conversion, and, yes, miracles from the battlefield. It finally occurred to me that one important aspect of combat has rarely been exploredthat of the spiritual and how soldiers at war turn to it. I began soliciting such tales from warriors old and young. The result is this book, a chronicle about soldiers at war, but a war story with a deeper turn to it.

Many may rationalize or attempt to offer other explanations for spiritual conversions or metaphysical experiences in battle, but to those who lived them they are and will always remain real. Here, then, are the incredible war stories of soldiers whose faith has been born, reborn, tested, sustained, verified, or transformed under fire.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the fine men and women who participated in reliving their personal experiences, filling in the gaps of history, and sharing the stories that appear in these pages. Their help in the monumental task of researching and writing this book made a difficult project an enjoyable experience.

Particular thanks also go to longtime editor and friend Kevin Smith at Pocket Books, and to editor Kathy Sagan, who helped launch this project and see it through fruition; to my literary agent and friend Ethan Ellenberg, who has guided and directed my writing career for over twenty years; and, as always, to my wife, Donna Sue, for her patience and understanding.

Actual names are used throughout except in those rare instances where names were lost due to either memory loss or a lack of documentation, where privacy was requested, or where public identification would serve no useful purpose and might cause embarrassment.

In various instances dialogue and scenes have necessarily been recreated. Time has a tendency to erode memory in some areas and selectively enhance it in others. Where this occurs, and where only limited materials were available, I strive to match personalities with the situation and the action while maintaining factual content, using my own extensive military and combat experience as a guide. The recounting of some events, therefore, may not correspond precisely with the memories of everyone involved. In addition, all data has been filtered through the author. I must therefore apologize to anyone omitted, neglected, or somehow slighted in the preparation of this book. I take responsibility for such errors and ask to be forgiven for them.