When Brad reached Kamaki Base Headquarters, prepared to get his orders to Korea, he was met by the First Sergeant. “Scott, you sure are one lucky dog, getting to go down to Itami Air Base.
Brad replied, “Oh, I’m not staying in Japan. I’m going to Korea.”
The sergeant burst out laughing, “You aren’t going to Korea – we just made up that story so everyone down in Supply wouldn’t fight to get this plum assignment. Itami is the country club of the Far East – a huge base – and there you will get promotions fast.”
Once again Brad is speechless, seemingly the prevailing emotion of the day. Life is just happening faster than he can comprehend the details.
“Go see the old man (the usual reference to commanding officers) and get your orders.”
Brad went into the CO’s office, picked up the orders, and still in a daze, walked back to the main Supply office, where the lieutenant and all the clerks again froze when he entered.
This time Brad wasn’t speechless. “You guys must have made a mistake. I’m not going to Korea. I’m going to Itami.”
The lieutenant started laughing, “Scott, did you even think about becoming a stand-up comedian?”
Brad waved his orders in the air, “Here, you read the orders yourself. They have so many abbreviations in them that maybe I made a mistake.”
The lieutenant grabbed the papers, stared at them for a few seconds, and then starting cussing. He passed them to the sergeant, who looked them over, and then he started cussing. All the clerks were shaking their heads. They knew they all had been had!
Brad retrieved the much-cursed papers and slowly and silently walked out the door. Revenge is sweet and is to be slowly savored as he walked to his barracks. But when he got there, on his bunk was a letter from his mother. The revenge drained out of his body as he read, being refilled with a powerful surge of gratefulness. She wrote that, with hearing news of mounting casualties in Korea, she and her whole church had been praying for him, that he would be kept safe.
There may be nothing stronger in this world than a mother’s love and prayers.
I read this story today and can see in it the joy of prayer. Our son is presently in Afghanistan and is in the air force. So we are keeping him in prayer as well and our church is doing the same thing that Brad’s mom and her church was doing for him. Asking the Lord to keep him safe. Thanks for another great chapter.