I can remember back when I was in Greece about to sign papers to reenlist for four more
years, but before I could sign the papers the career counselor was called out of the office,
with the pen in hand I set it down on the paper to sign, when I heard some one call me, I 
turned around and saw no one, thinking someone is playing with me, so I turned back to 
sign the papers again and I heard the voice call me again, I turned and still no one was 
there, I turned back to the papers to sign again when I heard the voice call me again and 
said "If you want to see your grandmother again you must not sign up". 

While in Greece I was a weekend drinker, at times I was very lonely, there was no family 
and was a long way from home. Stationed there were very few of my color, so this made it 
even more lonely. One day while drinking, I decided to go to a friends house but while 
going up the mountain, I had to down shift so my car would pull the mountain better, when 
I heard a loud noise like a gun shot, my car jerked to the left slamming into the side of the 
mountain. I didn't have a seat belt on and I was slung to the right, my head hitting the 
passenger door with such impact the window broke and shuddered. I may have been 
knocked out, not sure, but when I realized what happen, I tried to put the car in reverse 
but nothing happened. I then got out of the car, and looked around to see where I was when
I felt something warm running down my face. I suddenly put both hands up to my head to 
stop the bleeding. Being dark I could not see how much blood I was losing. Then a car 
came and stop to help. I could not speak much Greek but I did know how to say base in 
Greek. They took me there to the dispensary and there I was told I had to go to the 
hospital. This was my first time in an ambulance and boy do they ride ruff. I was admitted 
to the Greek hospital for five days , the only person that spoke English was the doctor and 
He told me I was being looked over by some one because I should have been dead. 
I promised to stop drinking. 

I left Greece later and came to the states, I started to drink again on the weekends, and then 
one day in a bar I decided to have just one drink, after while leaving the bar headed home 
driving the speed limit I notice the light was green and a car was waiting to turn left, I heard 
a voice say to me "he is going to wait until you get there and turn, so I slow down even more 
hoping he would turn before I got there but he didn't and sure enough when I got there he hit 
me at the front and if I hadn't had on my seat belt I would have been thrown through the from 
window because he kelp pushing me into a concert light pole, the seat belt pulled me back 
and my head hit the window and busted it, not in my right mind, I backed the car up thinking 
I must get out of the street, I drove up the wrong side of the street half a block to Hardee's 
parking lot, trying to get out of the car, when I realized I had been in a wreck a police man 
was asking me my name over and over again. Thank God for witness. I stop drinking for a 
while and then one day I realize I hated the stuff and quit for good, I thought. 

About a year pass and I was discharge from the military and was on my way home. As I was 
enjoyed visiting my grandmother I decided to drink wine cooler. Then one day my grandmother 
had a stroke and a year later she died and my life was so miserable I became really angry; angry
with everyone and gave no one a good word. I had started back to church, and was singing in 
the choir. One night coming from choir practice with my mother, we got into a discussion and I 
got angry, my mother told me to shut up and I refused, I realized my life was about to end when 
she stop that car, so I hit the ground running. When I go to my house I realized I was ill, and 
called my aunt and told her what happen, we prayed and I felt some relief so when I got of the 
phone I prayed more and that night for the first time I sleep the whole night through. 

The next morning I decided I was going to give my life to God and live correctly. I got on my 
knees and prayed asking the Lord to come into my life and save me, I did a lot of confessing. 
When I got off my knees, I felt so light and good, so I put a album on the record player, but 
another song was humming in my mind and it kept growing louder until I heard a voice say go 
change the record, I did and still the song that was in my mind seemed so familiar but I could 
figure out what it was until the third song came on, it was "He dropped the Charges, Jesus 
dropped the charges" I felt something hot hit my feet and I came up shouting, I felt so good and 
full, I felt my cup fill up and run over for at least half an hour I shouted for joy. I had ask Him to 
come in my life and never let me turn back again. I was free of the anger and more. 

B.J. 
Tennessee