A Marine's Promise to God

Book excerpt: Life-threatening, near-death experiences are common subjects for books or television; usually these focus on a single experience in one persons life. A Marines Promise to God, by David L. Ray, follows the author on his tour of Vietnam in 1970, through more than ten near-death experiencesduring which he never even received a wound. He was the squad point man, notorious for being the most dangerous combat role. The marines around him were wounded and killed, but Ray survived by the power of prayer and the promise he made to God, which he has done his best to keep. As Ray chronicles his path to joining the Marines and discovering the chaos of the life of a Marine grunt in Vietnam, he introduces readers to his experiences of life with his company and in the bush. The narrative follows Ray as he works day and nighttime missions and patrols, finds his place, and sees moments of extreme violence and sadness. David L. Ray is a living example of the power of prayer, divine protection, and overworked guardian angels. Time after time, when the shooting and explosions had stopped, Ray realized that not only was he still alive, but he hadnt even been hit. To this day, he has never forgotten what God did for himand he has never forgotten his friends who fell while serving their country.