Dean Black
11-28-2003, 03:26 PM
Sgt Duffy, when I posted my thread I realize that I didn't share a lot of information about myself except who I served with. I lived for the Devil until I was 59 years old . I went into the Army as a kid and when I left home I left the Church behind too. I spent 22years in the military and thirty five months of combat time. I worked CIA Covert OPS. in (SOG) I saw a lot of death and I was responsible for a lot of killing. I did time as a Sniper, and Platoon sgt of a Hatchet Forrce and Team Leader of a Spike Team (heavy recon. When I retired I came home and tried to put it behind me. I worked at a number of good jobs but I was bored. Everything came too easy and I excelleed. But i quit and got a job as a Security Guard, you guessed it exactly 31 days later I was promoted to Field Captain and started training and inspecting others. Then I started getting boredd so I volunteered for all the high risk jobs. Body guard assignments, answering Burglary calls. Anything to get an adrenline rush. When the Disco clubs became popular in the early 80's I went to South Carolina to work because in SC you have to be a member of SC Law Enforcement to work in Security, also we had the arrest power of the Sheriffs office for a five mile radius of the job. I was at home because theree was allways violence with a club full of rednecks. I was working Security when I was rushed to the Hospital with Pneumonia. It took 17 hours to stabilize me and on the 8th day the Doctor came in and told me that my life as I knew it, was over annd for what time I had left I would be on oxygen 24/7. That was May 12, 1995. Everyone started telling me I needed too get in Church and mmake my peace with God. I told everyone who approached me, to save it for Sunday School, that I didn't serve God when I wasn't healthy and I wasn't going to go to him when i got sick. That God knew where I was at and I knew where He was and we didn't need any middle man. You see Sgt Duffy I felt that with all the killing I had done that I couldn't get for giveness. January 2, 1997 I was in my kitchen by myself. My wife had asked me that if she would buy me a Bible, would I read it, as I love to read, I told her yes that I was not an Athesist. I reached for the bible when a loud voice behind and above me said don't you think it is time for you to thank me for Saving you. I dropped the bible on the table When God spoke; the bible was open to John 3:16 and I began to pray. I joined the church that Sunday was Baptised the next. June4th I attended my first of many Promise Keeper Conferences. One month later I went to Tucson, AZ to a reunion of the Society of the 173d ABN Brigade. This is where I met Chuck Dean who tried to tell me about PMIM and PTSD. I denied PTSD and wanted no part of Point Man Ministry. I came back to NC with an Armload of Chucks book's. I put the book's in my bookcase and I didn't tell any one about PMIM. Jan 1998, my Pastor called me and asked me to meet with him. When I went to see him, he asked me what I knew about Point Man Ministry. This completely floored me, how could he know about PMIM. I replied that I knew very little and I told him about the trip. He said a Minister friiend had e-mailed him about Point Man and he wanted to start an Outpoost with the Church as sponser. I tolld him that he had at least seven others who had been believers a lot longer than me. And I didn't feel led to run an outpost. He said he was going to interview aa but he still wanted me to pray about. Three months later he called me in again annd told me he had talkedto all the others, but God told him I was the outpost leader. we did pray and this time I told the Lord if this was what He had for me I was willing. Pastor Raymond asked me to walk out front with him. As we walked across the lawn out front, and we have a pretty big church. Pator Raymond Johns told me that God had given him a vision that we would one day have the Moving Wall on that lawn with Veterans coming from all over. We hosted The Annual PMIM Conference MAY8th-11th with the Moving Wall & Norm Bergsma's Viet Nam Art Display. God had me go out to Seattle, Wash. for the Enduring Freedom Conference 2002. And as I write this I have been back to the Doctor for congestion and I have been once again been put on a sterroid & antibiotics treatment plan to burn the fluid out of my lungs, and this alll ways happens when God has something lined up for me. So the Journey doesn't end untill He says so. Who knows I might get to go through that Terminal again.God Bless. Dean :angel_fly