I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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I want to spend my life
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Removing pain
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Lord, let my words
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Heal a heart that hurts
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I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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Hello, and welcome
so much to 3ABN Today.
00:01:07.20\00:01:10.73
We are so glad
that you are with us
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as so many of you do,
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each and every day
tuning in and taking this hour.
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I think that you'll be
blessed by the testimony
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that you're going to hear today
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because it shows
God's faithfulness,
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and it's an
exciting thing when someone
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can take a stand for the Lord.
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But before we begin
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and I do want to also
thank you for your prayers
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and your
financial support to 3ABN.
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Before we begin and
before I introduce our guest,
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let me read a scripture to you,
because I think this kind of,
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will help each
and everyone of us
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but it also applies
to today's testimony.
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This comes from
1 Corinthians 10,
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I'll read verses
12 and 13 and it says,
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"Therefore let him
who thinks he stands
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take heed lest he fall."
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In other words, we each should
examine ourselves day by day
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and make certain
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that we really are
standing for the Lord.
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And then he says
this remarkable thing,
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this is Paul
writing to the Corinthians,
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"No temptation
has overtaken you,
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except such as is common to man,
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but God is faithful,
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God is faithful who
will not allow you be tempted
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beyond what you are
able but with the temptation
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will also make the way of escape
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that you may be
able to bear it."
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So many times we think,
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something's happening
in our life and it's like,
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"I don't know how
to get around this."
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But if we're faithful to God,
He is always faithful to us.
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He is a covenant making,
covenant keeping God of love.
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And so I just
want to encourage you
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with that
scripture and you'll see
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how that ties in
to today's testimony.
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Well, our special guest,
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I'm so excited to introduce
him is Pastor Melvin Matthews.
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And, Pastor Mel, I
guess I'll call you if I may.
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Yes, Pastor Mel is
good. All right, Pastor Mel.
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You are also a
retired lieutenant colonel
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from the air force.
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Army. Uh, from
the army, of course.
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Retired lieutenant
colonel from the army.
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Yes.
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And how long have
you been pastoring
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and where do you pastor?
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I pastor in Southern Illinois,
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I'm sorry I'm in
Southern Illinois,
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Southern Indiana.
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I grew up in Southern
Illinois, I grew up near 3ABN.
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Really?
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Yeah, over in Du Quoin
about 30 miles away and...
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We're gonna look
forward to that testimony.
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Now, how many churches do
you pastor now in Indiana?
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I pastor a small
churches of three.
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Okay.
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Over in Southern
Indiana, Tell City,
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Huntingburg and Paoli.
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And that keeps you
very busy, does it not?
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Yeah, it can and it does,
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because there is a lot going
on even in the small churches.
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Most certainly.
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Yeah,
absolutely, trying to grow.
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And that's wonderful
but that is your, you know,
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some small
churches seem to be content,
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it's kind of like a
little country club circle
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so it's wonderful that
you focuses on evangelism
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and bringing others in.
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Before we get
into your testimony,
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I know you like music
and I like music and we know
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that you our audience
love the Burchfield Brothers.
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We hear from them so comments
whenever they are playing.
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This is an instrumental
that they are going to do for us
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called "Wayfaring Stranger".
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Well, that was the
Burchfield Brothers
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on the guitar and
the xylophone there
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and wayfaring stranger,
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we are all just
wayfaring strangers
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passing through,
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because our
citizenship is really in heaven.
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If you are joining
us just a moment late,
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our special guest
today is Pastor Mel Matthews
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and he is also a
retired lieutenant colonel
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from the army
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and we're going to hear
an amazing testimony today
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of God's faithfulness.
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Now, Pastor Mel, let us
go back just a little bit
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because you took a
great stand for the Lord,
00:09:28.36\00:09:32.47
but let's get your background
so people will understand
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how and why you could.
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Were you born into
a Christian family?
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I was, my mom and dad
were farmers at a small farm
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here in Southern Illinois.
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I went to my first
six grades of school were
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in a Christian grade school,
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I went to public
school for three years.
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And were they
Adventist Christians or what?
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They were
Adventist Christians, yes.
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They were Adventist Christians.
Yes, faithful Adventist.
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Actually I'm a fourth generation
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Seventh-day Adventist.
00:10:02.30\00:10:03.63
Okay, all right.
00:10:03.67\00:10:05.00
So long background of that but,
00:10:05.03\00:10:10.41
yes, we, I grew up near 3ABN,
00:10:10.44\00:10:13.04
30 miles away,
00:10:13.07\00:10:14.58
so I'm very familiar
with what goes on here
00:10:14.61\00:10:17.58
and number of
interesting things.
00:10:17.61\00:10:18.95
So you understand
the cornfield concept?
00:10:18.98\00:10:20.32
Oh, yes, and I would say,
00:10:20.35\00:10:22.12
"Do you all go,
I'm living in Indiana,
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maybe three
cornfields over from here.
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Yes, right, right.
00:10:26.35\00:10:28.32
Now growing up and being a
fourth generation Adventist
00:10:28.36\00:10:33.23
really means nothing
00:10:33.26\00:10:34.60
because God
doesn't have grandchildren,
00:10:34.63\00:10:38.13
He's only got children.
00:10:38.17\00:10:39.60
Amen. So He's...
00:10:39.63\00:10:41.34
Your parents
were children of God.
00:10:41.37\00:10:43.41
When did it become real for you
00:10:43.44\00:10:45.87
more than just
training or Bible knowledge?
00:10:45.91\00:10:49.11
When did your
relationship with the Lord
00:10:49.14\00:10:52.05
really take that
intimate connection,
00:10:52.08\00:10:54.72
where you knew He was your God?
00:10:54.75\00:10:56.99
Well, of course most
children that are growing up
00:10:57.02\00:11:00.79
in a Christian home, you
know, are taught to love Jesus
00:11:00.82\00:11:04.23
and I was
baptized when I was 12,
00:11:04.26\00:11:06.86
but then as you
become a teenager
00:11:06.90\00:11:08.66
and things happen
in your life, you know,
00:11:08.70\00:11:10.67
it really is
more like the training
00:11:10.70\00:11:12.80
that you just mentioned
in how your family reacts
00:11:12.83\00:11:16.44
and chooses things
and I really don't think
00:11:16.47\00:11:19.81
that I had that relationship
00:11:19.84\00:11:23.55
until I was going
to Andrews University
00:11:23.58\00:11:26.55
and one summer I went to
Alaska with a friend of mine,
00:11:26.58\00:11:32.72
and at that particular time
I had met several individuals
00:11:32.75\00:11:38.39
and they weren't
Christians and I...
00:11:38.43\00:11:42.93
There was a
contrast between my choices
00:11:42.96\00:11:45.73
and how they were living
00:11:45.77\00:11:47.34
and I ended up
sharing my faith with them,
00:11:47.37\00:11:51.51
and I think that
was the first step
00:11:51.54\00:11:54.71
in beginning to
understand who I was
00:11:54.74\00:11:58.31
and my personal
choices about these things
00:11:58.35\00:12:02.58
and not just at being
00:12:02.62\00:12:06.19
a family choice
or my background.
00:12:06.22\00:12:09.96
Now what were you
studying at Andrews at the time?
00:12:09.99\00:12:12.13
I was studying business.
00:12:12.16\00:12:14.33
Business, okay,
00:12:14.36\00:12:15.70
and you are
there then in Alaska,
00:12:15.73\00:12:20.04
what happened?
00:12:20.07\00:12:21.70
You had told me
in the green room
00:12:21.74\00:12:23.34
there was an event
that happened in Alaska
00:12:23.37\00:12:25.47
that kept you away
00:12:25.51\00:12:27.24
from the post
office for a little while,
00:12:27.28\00:12:28.61
you were what,
about 20 years old?
00:12:28.64\00:12:30.21
I was, I had just
turned 21. Just turned 21.
00:12:30.25\00:12:33.72
But this was a
summer of 67' in Fairbanks.
00:12:33.75\00:12:37.09
Our listeners I'm
sure up there think
00:12:37.12\00:12:39.62
that's a specific
date, we had a flood,
00:12:39.65\00:12:43.19
ten foot of water
in downtown Fairbanks.
00:12:43.22\00:12:46.16
Everybody really
evacuated from town up
00:12:46.19\00:12:48.80
either to the university
campus or north of town
00:12:48.83\00:12:53.07
into the higher ground
00:12:53.10\00:12:55.04
and I was evacuated
00:12:55.07\00:13:00.58
to the college campus,
00:13:00.61\00:13:03.41
but of course after
the water went down,
00:13:03.45\00:13:05.61
went down to the
post office to get my mail
00:13:05.65\00:13:08.62
and there was my draft notice.
00:13:08.65\00:13:11.55
So this is draft
for the Vietnam War?
00:13:11.59\00:13:14.16
Yes, it was.
00:13:14.19\00:13:15.52
And of course I
traveled back to Perry County,
00:13:15.56\00:13:17.76
the next county
over from where we are
00:13:17.79\00:13:20.20
and on the 13th of
September I was taken by train
00:13:20.23\00:13:24.90
to St. Louis and sworn
in to the army as a solider.
00:13:24.93\00:13:29.27
All right, so let's fast forward
00:13:29.30\00:13:30.91
and tell us what story
you are here to share today?
00:13:30.94\00:13:35.41
I want to give a
little background to it,
00:13:35.44\00:13:37.18
in the sense of, we
don't have a draft now.
00:13:37.21\00:13:41.22
And of course Word War
II and Vietnam and Korea
00:13:41.25\00:13:46.72
there was the draft,
00:13:46.76\00:13:48.69
and the reason
that I'm here today
00:13:48.72\00:13:53.09
is because there is a
lot of special interest
00:13:53.13\00:13:55.93
in the
conscientious objector status
00:13:55.96\00:13:59.33
simply because of
the movie Hacksaw Ridge.
00:13:59.37\00:14:02.24
Yes.
00:14:02.27\00:14:03.61
Many, many people
have seen that movie,
00:14:03.64\00:14:05.67
it may win the Academy award
for best picture of the year
00:14:05.71\00:14:09.98
and so more people if it wins
00:14:10.01\00:14:12.01
that I'm sure will see it later,
00:14:12.05\00:14:14.12
but in that movie
there is a soldier,
00:14:14.15\00:14:15.98
name of Desmond Doss,
who takes a stand for God
00:14:16.02\00:14:20.49
from the very
beginning of the movie,
00:14:20.52\00:14:23.02
not to carry a
weapon, not to kill,
00:14:23.06\00:14:28.63
and as you watch the movie
it's like it's his decisions
00:14:28.66\00:14:32.97
based on the Ten Commandments,
that commandment that says,
00:14:33.00\00:14:37.04
thou shalt not
kill, and he is ridiculed
00:14:37.07\00:14:42.94
by everyone that he
meets in the military for that,
00:14:42.98\00:14:49.28
because of
course it's World War II
00:14:49.32\00:14:51.25
and people are saying, you
need to defend our country.
00:14:51.29\00:14:53.89
Yes.
00:14:53.92\00:14:55.26
But you're not awarded a
conscientious objector status
00:14:55.29\00:14:59.66
for a political
reason or for any reason
00:14:59.69\00:15:03.40
other than your personal
belief that you serve God,
00:15:03.43\00:15:08.60
and because you serve Him
and obey what He has commanded
00:15:08.64\00:15:13.51
that you will not
take another person's life.
00:15:13.54\00:15:16.11
So in other words,
God as your commander,
00:15:16.14\00:15:21.15
you take your direct
orders from Him first
00:15:21.18\00:15:23.55
and anything that might be
at odds with His commandments,
00:15:23.59\00:15:29.26
then you would not
take the commandments
00:15:29.29\00:15:32.63
of your officers in the army.
00:15:32.66\00:15:35.36
In the army, and
it's interesting too,
00:15:35.40\00:15:37.90
because of that status
during the Vietnam War,
00:15:37.93\00:15:42.50
people who declared themselves
when they are registering
00:15:42.54\00:15:45.34
for the army for the draft
00:15:45.37\00:15:48.64
because you can be
at that time drafted
00:15:48.68\00:15:50.45
into Marine Corp or the army.
00:15:50.48\00:15:53.05
We are given the option
of a different training,
00:15:53.08\00:15:56.92
it was instead of the
eight week basic training,
00:15:56.95\00:16:00.09
you only receive six weeks,
00:16:00.12\00:16:01.69
you didn't receive
the rightful training.
00:16:01.72\00:16:03.53
Okay.
00:16:03.56\00:16:04.89
So you...
00:16:04.93\00:16:06.26
a little bit different
00:16:06.29\00:16:07.63
than what Desmond
Doss' situation was,
00:16:07.66\00:16:10.00
but basically every
conscientious objector
00:16:10.03\00:16:15.64
did not have to
receive that rightful training.
00:16:15.67\00:16:17.67
Now, there is two levels
of conscientious objector.
00:16:17.71\00:16:20.84
There is religious organizations
00:16:20.88\00:16:23.88
in the United
States and worldwide
00:16:23.91\00:16:26.01
that do not believe
in saluting the flag
00:16:26.05\00:16:29.48
or wearing the uniform.
00:16:29.52\00:16:31.69
And then there is
another level where,
00:16:31.72\00:16:34.86
yes, you are like
Desmond Doss said,
00:16:34.89\00:16:37.46
a conscientious cooperator,
00:16:37.49\00:16:39.76
where you do not
mind serving your country
00:16:39.79\00:16:42.46
and doing the best that
you can for your country,
00:16:42.50\00:16:45.77
but not taking a
weapon and killing someone.
00:16:45.80\00:16:50.61
All right, so you are obviously
00:16:50.64\00:16:52.54
one of those
conscientious cooperators.
00:16:52.57\00:16:55.08
Yes, indeed.
00:16:55.11\00:16:56.44
You wore the
uniform, you saluted the flag,
00:16:56.48\00:16:57.81
but you did chose not to
00:16:57.85\00:16:59.95
because of your
religious beliefs,
00:16:59.98\00:17:01.92
not to carry a rifle,
00:17:01.95\00:17:04.55
so what unit
where you assigned to?
00:17:04.59\00:17:06.42
I was, I went to
Vietnam, you weren't assigned
00:17:06.45\00:17:09.92
until you
actually arrived in Vietnam
00:17:09.96\00:17:11.93
to a reception station
00:17:11.96\00:17:13.76
and then you were
assigned from there.
00:17:13.80\00:17:15.56
I went to the
first infantry division.
00:17:15.60\00:17:19.00
People know it
is the big red one
00:17:19.03\00:17:21.34
and infantry unit
within that 2nd 18th inventory.
00:17:21.37\00:17:25.97
I remember arriving at
that particular station
00:17:26.01\00:17:32.25
for the 2nd
Brigade in Zeon Vietnam
00:17:32.28\00:17:35.42
and walking in the
gate area and over it,
00:17:35.45\00:17:39.25
it had a banner and
it said "No mission",
00:17:39.29\00:17:42.52
this was the
first division motto,
00:17:42.56\00:17:44.79
"No mission too difficult,
00:17:44.83\00:17:46.63
no sacrifice too
great, duty first."
00:17:46.66\00:17:50.90
I have also remembered
that because it seems like that,
00:17:50.93\00:17:54.30
that is not just a
motto for an army unit,
00:17:54.34\00:17:59.21
that is a motto for one's life.
00:17:59.24\00:18:01.51
No mission too difficult,
00:18:01.54\00:18:03.28
no sacrifice too
great, duty first.
00:18:03.31\00:18:05.45
That's a great one
for Christians, isn't it?
00:18:05.48\00:18:07.32
Absolutely.
00:18:07.35\00:18:08.68
So now, as a
conscientious objector
00:18:08.72\00:18:12.45
you were assigned to this unit,
and what was your position?
00:18:12.49\00:18:15.49
I was a combat medic.
00:18:15.52\00:18:17.23
Combat medic, very much...
00:18:17.26\00:18:18.96
If you were a
conscientious objector,
00:18:18.99\00:18:22.26
basically in a unit like
that you were either a radio man
00:18:22.30\00:18:26.50
or a rifle man
00:18:26.53\00:18:27.87
which you had a lot of infantry,
00:18:27.90\00:18:32.34
people who trained
as infantry soldiers
00:18:32.37\00:18:34.81
are a medic, and
conscientious objectors
00:18:34.84\00:18:39.28
were assigned to
that medic position
00:18:39.31\00:18:41.15
if you were a non
weapon carrying soldier.
00:18:41.18\00:18:45.45
Did you receive a lot of
ridicule for your decision?
00:18:45.49\00:18:50.46
Quite a bit, you
know, just like today
00:18:50.49\00:18:54.73
even then many people
don't, didn't understand
00:18:54.76\00:18:59.23
why you would be
in the army at all
00:18:59.27\00:19:01.74
and not carrying a weapon
00:19:01.77\00:19:03.10
and that you were a
fool to be out there
00:19:03.14\00:19:04.71
in the field without a weapon
00:19:04.74\00:19:06.84
and, but, I
remember one specific officer
00:19:06.88\00:19:12.01
who was a very caring
understanding individual too,
00:19:12.05\00:19:15.72
because it was like,
00:19:15.75\00:19:18.55
I was assigned to
two different platoons,
00:19:18.59\00:19:20.62
one at the first part
and one at the second part.
00:19:20.66\00:19:23.63
And this officer
when I was assigned
00:19:23.66\00:19:26.19
to his platoon
came to me and said,
00:19:26.23\00:19:28.60
Mel, you know, I don't
have a problem with you
00:19:28.63\00:19:30.87
not wanting to carry
a weapon and I give you,
00:19:30.90\00:19:34.00
no matter what your status
is if you want to carry a rifle
00:19:34.04\00:19:38.14
or a 45 pistol, you
know, just protect yourself.
00:19:38.17\00:19:42.51
He said, what would you do
if you're on ambush with this
00:19:42.54\00:19:47.75
and that was
basically their main function
00:19:47.78\00:19:50.89
were ambushes where we
would helicopter out at night
00:19:50.92\00:19:54.26
travel to the country
side, rice paddy, you know,
00:19:54.29\00:19:58.79
rubber plantation or
whatever area we were in
00:19:58.83\00:20:01.90
and basically set
up for up an ambush
00:20:01.93\00:20:04.67
with mines and machine guns.
00:20:04.70\00:20:07.54
He said what would
you do if you were overrun
00:20:07.57\00:20:10.57
and a soldier jumped
into the holes where you were,
00:20:10.61\00:20:14.91
he said this
happened to me last night,
00:20:14.94\00:20:17.65
this happened to him that night
before we had this conversation
00:20:17.68\00:20:21.32
and he said, I got up
00:20:21.35\00:20:22.88
and put a whole clip
of ammunition into him,
00:20:22.92\00:20:24.72
what would you do?
00:20:24.75\00:20:26.12
So you hear the
theoretical situations...
00:20:26.15\00:20:29.42
But that necessary, it
weren't theoretical for him.
00:20:29.46\00:20:32.06
No, it wasn't theoretical,
00:20:32.09\00:20:33.43
it was just real
as could possibly be
00:20:33.46\00:20:38.13
and when it comes to
theoretical explanations,
00:20:38.17\00:20:43.91
there isn't really
an answer for those
00:20:43.94\00:20:46.64
except that I depend
upon God to protect me.
00:20:46.68\00:20:49.68
I depend upon God to
not put me in that situation
00:20:49.71\00:20:52.88
if I can't take care of it.
00:20:52.91\00:20:55.28
Right, but now let me
ask you another question.
00:20:55.32\00:20:57.25
Sure. One of the...
00:20:57.29\00:20:58.95
your decision to be a
conscientious objector,
00:20:58.99\00:21:03.02
cooperator was
because of your belief
00:21:03.06\00:21:07.66
in the Ten Commandments
of God, and God Jesus said,
00:21:07.70\00:21:11.33
"If you love Me,
keep My commandments."
00:21:11.37\00:21:14.14
But one of those commandments
also is that we should,
00:21:14.17\00:21:18.87
that God has given
us the Sabbath day,
00:21:18.91\00:21:21.41
the seventh day
as a day of rest,
00:21:21.44\00:21:24.35
a day of as He
says in Exodus 31:13
00:21:24.38\00:21:28.22
that it is a day to,
00:21:28.25\00:21:30.49
that's a memorial to
show us that He is the one
00:21:30.52\00:21:34.12
that is sanctifying us.
00:21:34.16\00:21:35.49
It's a sign between
a covenant keeping God
00:21:35.52\00:21:39.29
and us,
00:21:39.33\00:21:40.66
as well as it's a day
to remember Him as creator,
00:21:40.70\00:21:43.13
a memorial of creation.
00:21:43.16\00:21:44.73
What did you do,
did you just say,
00:21:44.77\00:21:48.44
hey, I don't
wanna work Saturdays
00:21:48.47\00:21:50.11
and how did that go?
00:21:50.14\00:21:52.14
It's interesting because
00:21:52.17\00:21:55.58
I had been in the combat area
00:21:55.61\00:22:00.98
and because of what went
on, I had been in the hospital
00:22:01.02\00:22:05.35
for about a week
00:22:05.39\00:22:06.96
and the army
would call it a profile,
00:22:06.99\00:22:12.26
I was given a profile
00:22:12.29\00:22:13.63
I wouldn't have to go
back out to the field.
00:22:13.66\00:22:15.60
So you were wounded,
you were in the hospital?
00:22:15.63\00:22:17.37
Yes. Okay.
00:22:17.40\00:22:18.73
And so in that sense
00:22:18.77\00:22:20.74
I went back to
the headquarters unit
00:22:20.77\00:22:24.61
where we ran a
battalion aid station
00:22:24.64\00:22:27.38
and of course
00:22:27.41\00:22:28.74
soldiers that were
sick or wounded came in,
00:22:28.78\00:22:31.18
we would send them
out to the hospital
00:22:31.21\00:22:33.08
or different transportation
functions that we did.
00:22:33.11\00:22:36.18
We had all
their medical records,
00:22:36.22\00:22:39.45
but the medic platoon there
00:22:39.49\00:22:42.32
had a officer
was assigned to it,
00:22:42.36\00:22:44.93
and when I got there
we had a new officer.
00:22:44.96\00:22:50.43
Captain Smith, who I just met
00:22:50.47\00:22:56.10
when I got out of the hospital
00:22:56.14\00:22:57.87
and so that first week
I was out, I said to him,
00:22:57.91\00:23:01.88
"Captain, I am a
Seventh-day Adventist
00:23:01.91\00:23:04.61
and I would do
anything that's necessary
00:23:04.65\00:23:07.38
when I'm in combat, whatever,
00:23:07.42\00:23:09.28
no matter what day
of the week it is,"
00:23:09.32\00:23:11.85
but if I am back here working
and I was assigned to work
00:23:11.89\00:23:15.76
in the office to
keep the medical records
00:23:15.79\00:23:19.13
to login people that came in
and basically be his secretary,
00:23:19.16\00:23:23.87
because he had the cubby-hole
in right next to my position
00:23:23.90\00:23:27.64
and it ended up, I was
the only that was back there
00:23:27.67\00:23:31.17
that can type so I was
typing all of his reports,
00:23:31.21\00:23:34.34
but I said to him on the Sabbath
00:23:34.38\00:23:38.28
because of being
Seventh-day Adventist
00:23:38.31\00:23:41.18
and believing that I
should not work on the Sabbath,
00:23:41.22\00:23:44.32
other than if it's an emergency
that I was doing in the field,
00:23:44.35\00:23:48.69
that I would
appreciate and want and request
00:23:48.72\00:23:52.19
to have my Sabbath off.
00:23:52.23\00:23:54.30
And he said that's
not a problem, he said,
00:23:54.33\00:23:57.03
I dealt with a couple of
Seventh-day Adventist soldiers
00:23:57.07\00:24:00.00
in Germany where I came from,
00:24:00.04\00:24:01.47
but first of all I want
you to go talk to our chaplain,
00:24:01.50\00:24:04.64
we had a battalion chaplain.
00:24:04.67\00:24:07.41
So on Friday
before that first Sabbath,
00:24:07.44\00:24:10.48
I met with the
chaplain, he was a very young
00:24:10.51\00:24:15.28
just out of seminary
with no army experience,
00:24:15.32\00:24:19.95
first
assignment being that unit,
00:24:19.99\00:24:22.89
and I told him
about what I believed
00:24:22.92\00:24:27.36
and who I was
and what I believed,
00:24:27.40\00:24:30.87
and the chaplain said to me,
00:24:30.90\00:24:33.03
"Well, if that's
how you feel about it,
00:24:33.07\00:24:36.27
you'll just have to
disobey a direct order
00:24:36.30\00:24:40.14
and take the consequences."
00:24:40.18\00:24:44.11
That's as close the quote
00:24:44.15\00:24:45.85
as I can remember
from 49 years ago.
00:24:45.88\00:24:50.29
And it was like well,
I'm sure that he talked
00:24:50.32\00:24:54.32
to the Captain Smith,
00:24:54.36\00:24:58.59
that was Friday
on Sabbath morning
00:24:58.63\00:25:01.66
we had a formation of
all the soldiers in that unit
00:25:01.70\00:25:06.74
right after
breakfast, 8 o'clock.
00:25:06.77\00:25:10.94
As soon as formation was over,
00:25:10.97\00:25:13.07
the senior NCO of
that medic platoon
00:25:13.11\00:25:16.34
came up to me and he said,
00:25:16.38\00:25:18.21
"Captain Smith
wants to talk to you."
00:25:18.25\00:25:20.82
He walked me into
Captain Smith's office
00:25:20.85\00:25:23.45
and Captain Smith said,
00:25:23.49\00:25:24.85
"Here is a sanitation
report that needs to be redone,
00:25:24.89\00:25:28.66
there has been some changes,
I need you to type it up."
00:25:28.69\00:25:31.66
And I simply said,
00:25:31.69\00:25:33.19
"I cannot do it,
sir, it's my Sabbath."
00:25:33.23\00:25:35.70
He had the NCO
standing there as a witness
00:25:35.73\00:25:39.33
so that he could use
this as what went on.
00:25:39.37\00:25:43.44
He became very angry
00:25:43.47\00:25:45.64
and he told me to
go sit in the bunker,
00:25:45.67\00:25:47.94
we had a bunker
near the aid station,
00:25:47.98\00:25:53.05
because we would at
times receive mortar fire
00:25:53.08\00:25:55.65
in to that particular area
00:25:55.68\00:25:58.09
and he told me to go
down there and sit there
00:25:58.12\00:26:00.09
and basically I was in
the bunker all day long.
00:26:00.12\00:26:03.02
All day Sabbath I sat
in the bunker by myself
00:26:03.06\00:26:05.96
and believe me I was praying,
I didn't know what to do,
00:26:05.99\00:26:11.40
I did do one thing,
00:26:11.43\00:26:12.77
I wrote a letter home to
my mother, and, you know,
00:26:12.80\00:26:15.67
I say I was praying, I wasn't
praying for the missionaries,
00:26:15.70\00:26:17.97
I was praying for myself.
00:26:18.01\00:26:19.51
All right. What am
I going to do, Lord?
00:26:19.54\00:26:22.21
And so I...
00:26:22.24\00:26:24.48
The mail service
was very good there.
00:26:24.51\00:26:28.85
I wrote that letter
and I believe I got it
00:26:28.88\00:26:31.62
into the mail slot before
that Sabbath day was over,
00:26:31.65\00:26:35.66
telling my mother
about the situation.
00:26:35.69\00:26:38.53
She was a member
over here at Du Quoin.
00:26:38.56\00:26:41.50
She received that
letter the following Friday
00:26:41.53\00:26:45.07
and took it to
church with her on Sabbath
00:26:45.10\00:26:48.30
to show to the pastor.
00:26:48.34\00:26:50.54
The pastor's name
was Elder Weinberg,
00:26:50.57\00:26:52.91
who had I believed
married in West Frankfurt,
00:26:52.94\00:26:55.61
Du Quoin at that time.
00:26:55.64\00:26:57.28
And Elder
Weinberg had a associate,
00:26:57.31\00:27:03.08
I don't know his name,
who was currently assigned
00:27:03.12\00:27:06.76
to our North
American division headquarters
00:27:06.79\00:27:09.82
at Takoma Park
in Washington, D.C.
00:27:09.86\00:27:13.56
I am told that this individual
00:27:13.60\00:27:18.33
was at the chief
of chaplain's office
00:27:18.37\00:27:20.20
at the Pentagon at 7 o'clock
00:27:20.24\00:27:23.04
in the morning the
next Monday morning.
00:27:23.07\00:27:25.21
Praise God.
00:27:25.24\00:27:27.58
And to have support like that
00:27:27.61\00:27:30.28
even though I didn't seem
to have any support in Vietnam,
00:27:30.31\00:27:33.21
there were
Adventist chaplains there,
00:27:33.25\00:27:35.62
but I had no idea
of how to reach them
00:27:35.65\00:27:38.12
or how to make
contact with them,
00:27:38.15\00:27:41.19
and so to have that
network here in North America,
00:27:41.22\00:27:46.46
where someone who is well,
00:27:46.49\00:27:51.07
that following week
I know the individuals
00:27:51.10\00:27:53.84
in the personnel office,
00:27:53.87\00:27:55.20
they were actually typing up
the court-martial papers for me
00:27:55.24\00:27:58.97
to be court-martialled.
00:27:59.01\00:28:00.64
What they didn't know is that
00:28:00.68\00:28:02.01
God was already had
the religious liberty folk
00:28:02.04\00:28:04.05
in the States
00:28:04.08\00:28:05.41
that are getting ready
to come to your defense.
00:28:05.45\00:28:08.58
So they tried to
court-martialled you?
00:28:08.62\00:28:12.99
Yes, the
intervention happened this way.
00:28:13.02\00:28:17.66
The word came down from
the chief of chaplain's office
00:28:17.69\00:28:20.90
to the brigade, 2nd Brigade,
00:28:20.93\00:28:23.87
1st Infantry
Division headquarters
00:28:23.90\00:28:26.67
that was just across the
field from where my office was.
00:28:26.70\00:28:31.04
And before the next Sabbath
00:28:31.07\00:28:34.11
there was a
lieutenant colonel chaplain
00:28:34.14\00:28:36.64
who walked from that
headquarters to my office,
00:28:36.68\00:28:41.22
introduced himself and said,
00:28:41.25\00:28:43.18
"I want to see you and
Captain Smith together."
00:28:43.22\00:28:47.12
So this is within two weeks?
00:28:47.16\00:28:48.69
Absolutely. Wow!
00:28:48.72\00:28:50.06
It happened
miraculously and he sat down
00:28:50.09\00:28:54.20
and explained to Captain Smith
00:28:54.23\00:28:56.26
what liberties that I
should have been given
00:28:56.30\00:29:01.57
as for as the Sabbath.
00:29:01.60\00:29:03.91
And he did some things that
00:29:03.94\00:29:06.78
I believe made
Captain Smith very angry.
00:29:06.81\00:29:09.88
In front of me,
he put his finger
00:29:09.91\00:29:12.51
in Captain Smith's face
00:29:12.55\00:29:14.22
and he said you
will never do this again.
00:29:14.25\00:29:18.49
Well, that started
another scenario of things
00:29:18.52\00:29:21.96
of Captain
Smith trying to put me
00:29:21.99\00:29:27.53
out of the unit
or out of the army.
00:29:27.56\00:29:29.93
So you were not very
well liked by Captain Smith,
00:29:29.96\00:29:33.67
because you were kind
of what he is looking at
00:29:33.70\00:29:36.54
as the catalyst for all
this trouble he is now in.
00:29:36.57\00:29:39.37
And, the next step was
00:29:39.41\00:29:46.01
probably two to
three days later,
00:29:46.05\00:29:48.32
the first sergeant
of the unit walked into
00:29:48.35\00:29:50.99
where I was at my desk,
00:29:51.02\00:29:53.76
laid some paper down and
he said this is a transfer,
00:29:53.79\00:29:57.63
I need you to sign this
particular line right here.
00:29:57.66\00:30:01.43
And by then I was
getting a little more educated
00:30:01.46\00:30:03.70
about what was going on,
00:30:03.73\00:30:05.10
because until you're
put into a situation,
00:30:05.13\00:30:08.10
you really don't
know how to react to
00:30:08.14\00:30:10.41
some of the
situations presented to you.
00:30:10.44\00:30:12.91
And I said, "First
sergeant, is this a request
00:30:12.94\00:30:16.81
that I am making
to leave the unit?"
00:30:16.85\00:30:18.88
He said, "Yes."
00:30:18.91\00:30:20.25
And I said, "I am not making
a request to leave the unit.
00:30:20.28\00:30:23.42
I don't want to sign that."
00:30:23.45\00:30:25.15
And he basically
picked up the paperwork,
00:30:25.19\00:30:28.76
I believe his name
was first sergeant Barnes
00:30:28.79\00:30:31.29
and stormed out the door.
00:30:31.33\00:30:35.73
So you're not
making any brownie points.
00:30:35.76\00:30:38.13
I have offended everybody
that's in supervision above me
00:30:38.17\00:30:42.27
at this time,
00:30:42.30\00:30:43.64
because the first
sergeant of the company deals
00:30:43.67\00:30:46.11
with the enlisted man
and that's what I was.
00:30:46.14\00:30:48.94
And so I really didn't
know what was happening next
00:30:48.98\00:30:54.25
or if anything
was happening next.
00:30:54.28\00:30:56.72
And about two weeks
later I am, like say,
00:30:56.75\00:31:01.79
I'm working for Captain
Smith, I'm doing his paperwork,
00:31:01.82\00:31:04.89
I'm in the next
office and I'm taking stuff
00:31:04.93\00:31:08.16
around the corner
00:31:08.20\00:31:09.53
and putting in his in basket
00:31:09.56\00:31:10.90
and I see a
letter laying on his desk
00:31:10.93\00:31:13.67
that he has typed up
00:31:13.70\00:31:15.50
and written to the
battalion commander,
00:31:15.54\00:31:17.74
the lieutenant
colonel of this combat unit,
00:31:17.77\00:31:20.48
requesting that I
receive a general discharge.
00:31:20.51\00:31:25.75
And down at the
bottom of the letter
00:31:25.78\00:31:29.45
it has a signature
00:31:29.48\00:31:30.82
of the
lieutenant colonel commander
00:31:30.85\00:31:32.45
and it says denied.
00:31:32.49\00:31:36.29
And it's like, oh my goodness,
00:31:36.32\00:31:38.16
I didn't even know
this had been going on.
00:31:38.19\00:31:40.26
Wow.
00:31:40.30\00:31:41.63
And now, and see
00:31:41.66\00:31:43.83
as I read later on the book
00:31:43.87\00:31:48.44
that was written
about Desmond Doss,
00:31:48.47\00:31:50.71
basically he went through
00:31:50.74\00:31:52.07
a couple of
these exact same steps,
00:31:52.11\00:31:55.34
trying to get him
out of the military,
00:31:55.38\00:31:58.21
trying to get him
coursed into cooperating
00:31:58.25\00:32:03.02
with everybody else
despite his moral decisions.
00:32:03.05\00:32:08.16
But you know, you can at least,
00:32:08.19\00:32:11.19
you can step back
from the situation
00:32:11.23\00:32:13.13
and I can see that this captain
00:32:13.16\00:32:15.33
who did not share this
relation with the Lord,
00:32:15.36\00:32:19.47
did not share these
beliefs who is feeling like,
00:32:19.50\00:32:22.90
you're asking to
be something special.
00:32:22.94\00:32:25.27
He wasn't seeing it
as you being loyal to God
00:32:25.31\00:32:29.44
and being obedient so
much as it was like, you know,
00:32:29.48\00:32:33.25
they could
think, well, you know,
00:32:33.28\00:32:34.72
why did they think
they should get special.
00:32:34.75\00:32:36.85
It's not just him
in those situations,
00:32:36.89\00:32:39.29
it's most of the other
soldiers that you shoulder,
00:32:39.32\00:32:43.46
shoulder within the unit,
00:32:43.49\00:32:44.83
it's like this guy is
trying to get something,
00:32:44.86\00:32:47.36
a leg up on what the
rest of us have to do.
00:32:47.40\00:32:49.33
Sure.
00:32:49.36\00:32:50.70
When in fact is,
you know, I would do,
00:32:50.73\00:32:53.23
did do in so many
ways everything else
00:32:53.27\00:32:56.34
that they would do,
00:32:56.37\00:32:57.71
but I would not
violate God's law.
00:32:57.74\00:32:59.74
Okay, so the long
and the short of it,
00:32:59.77\00:33:02.24
'cause I kind of
wanna fast forward here is
00:33:02.28\00:33:05.28
you had some rough
time with this captain,
00:33:05.31\00:33:08.58
but in the end what happened?
00:33:08.62\00:33:13.05
You know, one of the things
that we were allowed back then
00:33:13.09\00:33:15.76
is that even though we
were assigned for 12 months,
00:33:15.79\00:33:19.49
if you were a draftee,
00:33:19.53\00:33:20.90
you are really in for
two years time period.
00:33:20.93\00:33:24.57
But they would allow
you to extend in Vietnam
00:33:24.60\00:33:30.87
to be able so that
when you left Vietnam,
00:33:30.91\00:33:33.51
that you only had 150 days left
00:33:33.54\00:33:35.88
and so when you got
back to the United States,
00:33:35.91\00:33:38.31
they would discharge you
rather than assigning you
00:33:38.35\00:33:40.82
to another
place, so I extended to
00:33:40.85\00:33:43.35
where I ended up staying
14 plus months in Vietnam.
00:33:43.39\00:33:47.96
So I had several
months that I ended up working
00:33:47.99\00:33:52.09
for Captain Smith, day after day
00:33:52.13\00:33:54.83
and he did not have an
easy situation to deal with.
00:33:54.86\00:33:58.37
He was dealing with young men
00:33:58.40\00:34:01.10
who had been in combat in
some really tough situations
00:34:01.14\00:34:04.91
that were coming
back out of the field,
00:34:04.94\00:34:07.38
and of course
there is a lot of drug
00:34:07.41\00:34:09.54
and alcohol abuse.
00:34:09.58\00:34:10.91
I mean, once you
are out of the field,
00:34:10.95\00:34:12.81
it was like you
had escaped death.
00:34:12.85\00:34:17.29
And now, you know,
any other assignment was
00:34:17.32\00:34:24.26
not really very realistic
00:34:24.29\00:34:26.13
and so anyone that
came out of the field was
00:34:26.16\00:34:29.16
tough to control and he
was the main supervisor.
00:34:29.20\00:34:32.03
And I'm sure that
anyone coming out of the field
00:34:32.07\00:34:35.14
had such mental images
that they are trying to escape,
00:34:35.17\00:34:40.14
I mean, it was, they
saw some gruesome things.
00:34:40.18\00:34:42.74
Sure, and I had gotten out
of the field somewhat early.
00:34:42.78\00:34:47.15
I had spent about
six months in combat.
00:34:47.18\00:34:51.09
But most many and most
of the others had to spend,
00:34:51.12\00:34:55.62
you know, seven,
eight, nine months in combat
00:34:55.66\00:34:57.86
before they were
rotated out of the field
00:34:57.89\00:35:00.26
back to the back
and so, you know,
00:35:00.30\00:35:05.47
but he was dealing with this,
00:35:05.50\00:35:07.27
but on my very
last day in Vietnam
00:35:07.30\00:35:11.24
I was in the
bricks, we had bricks
00:35:11.27\00:35:17.18
that had
sandbags all around them
00:35:17.21\00:35:19.01
to keep from getting
killed with the motors
00:35:19.05\00:35:21.25
that might come in.
00:35:21.28\00:35:22.62
I was down there
packing up and the very same NCO
00:35:22.65\00:35:26.42
that had got me out of formation
00:35:26.45\00:35:29.66
to be the witness
for Captain Smith,
00:35:29.69\00:35:33.06
giving me the direct order
came walking down the side walk
00:35:33.09\00:35:37.00
into the building
and said Matthews,
00:35:37.03\00:35:40.84
Captain Smith
wants to talk to you
00:35:40.87\00:35:42.70
and I was like, oh, no.
00:35:42.74\00:35:46.07
You know, I had no idea
of what was about to occur
00:35:46.11\00:35:51.28
and so he and I walked
back to the medic station
00:35:51.31\00:35:55.12
to Captain Smith's
office and standing there,
00:35:55.15\00:35:59.39
you know, I mean,
00:35:59.42\00:36:00.76
when you're reporting
lieutenant, and it's not a,
00:36:00.79\00:36:04.39
you know, when
you're told to report
00:36:04.43\00:36:05.89
you don't just walk, you report.
00:36:05.93\00:36:09.30
And Captain Smith stood
there after I reported him
00:36:09.33\00:36:13.54
and he said, "Matthews,
I know all about you."
00:36:13.57\00:36:18.41
He said, "I know
what you did in combat,
00:36:18.44\00:36:20.58
I know the
experiences you went through,
00:36:20.61\00:36:22.41
I have learned
00:36:22.44\00:36:23.78
what you are like as a soldier."
00:36:23.81\00:36:26.08
He said, "You know, when
you disobey the direct order
00:36:26.11\00:36:29.25
that was really a
significant thing"
00:36:29.28\00:36:33.05
and he said,
"Matthews 'cause of what you did
00:36:33.09\00:36:37.43
and what you reacted to,
00:36:37.46\00:36:39.19
to the situation
you have been in,
00:36:39.23\00:36:41.33
I believe that the
Seventh-day Adventist church
00:36:41.36\00:36:45.30
is the true church."
00:36:45.33\00:36:46.90
Now, I would have expected
00:36:46.94\00:36:48.27
maybe him to say
something about...
00:36:48.30\00:36:49.80
Glory to God.
00:36:49.84\00:36:51.17
You know, the spiritual
things or the, you know,
00:36:51.21\00:36:54.74
my decisions but he
related it to my church
00:36:54.78\00:36:58.41
and you could have
knocked me over with a feather.
00:36:58.45\00:37:01.25
Yes, yes.
00:37:01.28\00:37:02.62
I was...
00:37:02.65\00:37:03.99
So you are a
walking memorial to God
00:37:04.02\00:37:05.59
and to the biblical doctrines
00:37:05.62\00:37:08.52
of the Seventh-day
Adventist church, hallelujah.
00:37:08.56\00:37:10.96
And so, you know, I really
didn't have a lot to say to him
00:37:10.99\00:37:13.96
other than
thanking him for his words
00:37:14.00\00:37:15.50
and within an hour I
was on the bus headed
00:37:15.53\00:37:17.87
for the airplane to come
back to the United States,
00:37:17.90\00:37:19.93
and I've never known
00:37:19.97\00:37:21.64
where he has been
or contacted him since.
00:37:21.67\00:37:23.91
I don't know if
he is still alive,
00:37:23.94\00:37:25.67
of course he was probably
00:37:25.71\00:37:28.01
six or eight, ten
years older than I,
00:37:28.04\00:37:30.98
so maybe he's
passed away this time,
00:37:31.01\00:37:32.98
I did see on Facebook,
00:37:33.01\00:37:35.85
the picture a
memorial to that NCO,
00:37:35.88\00:37:39.59
I just found it last year,
00:37:39.62\00:37:42.02
he looks like he's
passed away this time too.
00:37:42.06\00:37:44.16
Okay.
00:37:44.19\00:37:45.53
Now, what I want,
obviously you had,
00:37:45.56\00:37:48.50
how many years where you
in the army all together?
00:37:48.53\00:37:51.83
If you counted my
active duty time at Vietnam,
00:37:51.87\00:37:55.47
my inactive duty
00:37:55.50\00:37:57.77
and then I got back in the
army about seven years later,
00:37:57.81\00:38:01.71
eight years later
00:38:01.74\00:38:03.21
and received a commission,
00:38:03.24\00:38:05.98
I was in the national guard,
I was back on active duty,
00:38:06.01\00:38:09.98
I got out of the active duty
00:38:10.02\00:38:13.76
in the early in
'94 based on a program
00:38:13.79\00:38:18.46
where they wanted to
reduce the size of the military
00:38:18.49\00:38:21.73
especially the senior type
00:38:21.76\00:38:23.13
during the
Clinton administration,
00:38:23.16\00:38:26.47
and then I
stayed in the reserves
00:38:26.50\00:38:28.97
as a active reserve member
and was mobilized back in,
00:38:29.00\00:38:32.51
in '03 and '04 for
another 14 years, 14 months
00:38:32.54\00:38:37.18
when the Iraq war started.
00:38:37.21\00:38:39.71
Okay.
00:38:39.75\00:38:41.08
So I really spent about
30 years of total active,
00:38:41.12\00:38:45.65
a total service
not active duty service
00:38:45.69\00:38:48.32
but different services.
00:38:48.36\00:38:49.69
And you also said,
you were commissioned
00:38:49.72\00:38:51.09
and you were a lieutenant,
00:38:51.13\00:38:52.46
you are retired
lieutenant colonel.
00:38:52.49\00:38:53.83
Okay. Here is where
I would like to go now.
00:38:53.86\00:38:57.17
Sure.
00:38:57.20\00:38:58.77
You took a stand for God.
00:38:58.80\00:39:01.54
He seems like He moved
heaven and earth to support you,
00:39:01.57\00:39:05.34
He was, God was
very faithful to you,
00:39:05.37\00:39:08.14
but because you've got
this personal relationship,
00:39:08.18\00:39:11.75
because you took
this stand, does that mean
00:39:11.78\00:39:16.28
that you've just walked
faithfully with your Lord
00:39:16.32\00:39:18.79
day by day
00:39:18.82\00:39:20.16
and now you're a
pastor, tell us about that?
00:39:20.19\00:39:22.89
You know, as most
of us old soldiers know
00:39:22.92\00:39:26.93
Vietnam was a tough thing.
00:39:26.96\00:39:28.33
Yes.
00:39:28.36\00:39:30.00
Whether you were in combat
or whether you were, you know,
00:39:30.03\00:39:33.17
just in during that time period
there was so much going on
00:39:33.20\00:39:35.97
in the late '60s,
society wise, culture wise
00:39:36.00\00:39:40.18
and other wise that we
look at, things changing now
00:39:40.21\00:39:45.61
but it seems like for us
00:39:45.65\00:39:47.22
that really vividly
remember the '60s things
00:39:47.25\00:39:49.92
were really crazy.
00:39:49.95\00:39:52.52
After Vietnam, because
of I would say bad decisions
00:39:52.55\00:39:59.23
that I made, I fell
away from any activity,
00:39:59.26\00:40:05.53
even going to church
for a number of years,
00:40:05.57\00:40:09.57
fell into alcoholism,
00:40:09.60\00:40:12.14
fell into
living very rotten life
00:40:12.17\00:40:17.78
even though I was, you know,
00:40:17.81\00:40:20.12
I mean, I was a army officer
00:40:20.15\00:40:22.95
and I am doing my duty every day
00:40:22.98\00:40:26.76
as far as any
connection with the Lord,
00:40:26.79\00:40:31.03
it just became my, the history
00:40:31.06\00:40:35.83
and minimalized
in my life completely
00:40:35.86\00:40:39.53
until really the
late '80s and it seem like
00:40:39.57\00:40:42.70
in the late '80s that people...
00:40:42.74\00:40:47.24
Things that
people would say to me,
00:40:47.28\00:40:49.34
things that would happen to me,
00:40:49.38\00:40:50.91
it was just like
the Lord was asking me
00:40:50.95\00:40:53.92
to change my
life and it was like,
00:40:53.95\00:40:56.65
like I can remember in a
number of occasions it's like,
00:40:56.69\00:41:00.09
you know, people wherever
I was in the wrong place
00:41:00.12\00:41:03.83
somebody would say,
you don't belong here, Mel.
00:41:03.86\00:41:06.36
Praise God.
00:41:06.39\00:41:07.93
And it's like, maybe I,
and I'm not talking about
00:41:07.96\00:41:10.63
somebody trying to
straighten my life out,
00:41:10.67\00:41:12.50
I'm talking about another person
00:41:12.53\00:41:13.97
that was doing the same
type of stuff that I was doing.
00:41:14.00\00:41:16.60
But they just recognized
God had His hand on you,
00:41:16.64\00:41:19.97
He was chasing you down.
00:41:20.01\00:41:21.34
And then the Lord sent a
really special lady along to me,
00:41:21.38\00:41:24.15
who had also been a
Seventh-day Adventist,
00:41:24.18\00:41:28.42
who would been
away from the church
00:41:28.45\00:41:29.78
for a number of years
herself and it's so interesting,
00:41:29.82\00:41:35.32
the first time I
ever went out with her,
00:41:35.36\00:41:37.99
my brother and sister-in-law
were together and we were,
00:41:38.03\00:41:41.00
she had been a friend
of the family for a year.
00:41:41.03\00:41:45.83
She was working
at Hinsdale Hospital,
00:41:45.87\00:41:48.67
and so we went out,
00:41:48.70\00:41:54.78
we were sitting in a night club
00:41:54.81\00:41:56.71
in the night
club area of Chicago
00:41:56.75\00:41:59.45
in a Blues Club.
00:41:59.48\00:42:01.32
And I said to her,
00:42:01.35\00:42:02.68
she remembers it a
little bit different,
00:42:02.72\00:42:04.19
but the way I
remember I said it to her,
00:42:04.22\00:42:06.35
and I believe it was
maybe the Holy Spirit
00:42:06.39\00:42:08.22
speaking through me.
00:42:08.26\00:42:10.16
I said, I'm tired
of living like this
00:42:10.19\00:42:13.83
and we kind of made an agreement
00:42:13.86\00:42:15.93
on this long distance
relationship right there
00:42:15.96\00:42:19.07
that we wanted
to change our lives.
00:42:19.10\00:42:20.84
Praise God.
00:42:20.87\00:42:22.20
And that letter to, I
was stationed in Nome, Alaska
00:42:22.24\00:42:27.81
that particular time
as operations officer
00:42:27.84\00:42:30.71
for national guard battalion,
00:42:30.75\00:42:32.08
I was on active duty doing that,
00:42:32.11\00:42:34.22
and she applied at the hospital
00:42:34.25\00:42:38.85
and got hired over
the telephone to come up
00:42:38.89\00:42:41.12
and we got re-baptized
00:42:41.16\00:42:46.56
and made decisions
00:42:46.59\00:42:48.46
not to live the
way that we had before,
00:42:48.50\00:42:51.80
and we got married
about six months later
00:42:51.83\00:42:55.40
and we had two little
girls within the next two years.
00:42:55.44\00:42:58.81
Wow.
00:42:58.84\00:43:00.18
You know, when I was telling you
00:43:00.21\00:43:02.08
little bit about this
00:43:02.11\00:43:03.45
before that it seemed like
00:43:03.48\00:43:04.81
even before all
those things happened,
00:43:04.85\00:43:06.92
God was saying to me,
Mel, if you just follow Me,
00:43:06.95\00:43:09.65
I will give you
everything in your life
00:43:09.68\00:43:11.85
that you ever wanted
00:43:11.89\00:43:13.49
and that is certainly
the way that it's happened.
00:43:13.52\00:43:16.29
You know what I
love about your story is
00:43:16.32\00:43:20.40
it's just as I read
in 1 Corinthians 10:12,
00:43:20.43\00:43:25.17
"Take heed lest he
think he stand you fall."
00:43:25.20\00:43:27.74
Here Mel you
took a stand for God,
00:43:27.77\00:43:30.64
you would not
violate His commandments,
00:43:30.67\00:43:33.41
you would not carry the rifle,
00:43:33.44\00:43:35.04
you would not break His Sabbath,
00:43:35.08\00:43:40.02
but things happen and you know,
00:43:40.05\00:43:43.99
when there are so many people
00:43:44.02\00:43:45.35
who have returned
from the Vietnam war
00:43:45.39\00:43:47.19
and not only the Vietnam
war but there is so many wars
00:43:47.22\00:43:50.36
who they come
home and they have seen
00:43:50.39\00:43:53.53
and experienced
such a horrific thing is
00:43:53.56\00:43:57.73
that they will self medicate
with alcohol or with drugs,
00:43:57.77\00:44:00.54
you see that so often.
00:44:00.57\00:44:03.10
So God gave you a
way of escape, He,
00:44:03.14\00:44:06.01
I'm sure he had offered
you another way of escape
00:44:06.04\00:44:08.08
but you were just
in that frame of mind
00:44:08.11\00:44:10.81
that you kind of turned your
back on the Lord for a while,
00:44:10.85\00:44:13.88
but isn't it amazing.
00:44:13.92\00:44:15.78
I went through the same thing.
00:44:15.82\00:44:17.59
I grew up in and
for, it's not my testimony
00:44:17.62\00:44:22.32
so I won't share it
all but there was something
00:44:22.36\00:44:24.69
that happened in my life
00:44:24.73\00:44:26.06
that made me turn from the Lord.
00:44:26.09\00:44:27.43
Sure.
00:44:27.46\00:44:28.80
And I was kind of living away
from Him for a couple of years
00:44:28.83\00:44:32.17
and He just chased me down.
00:44:32.20\00:44:34.17
And that's what He did with you
00:44:34.20\00:44:35.64
and then bring you
and Carol together.
00:44:35.67\00:44:37.01
It's like the prodigal son. Yes.
00:44:37.04\00:44:38.41
That story
resonates so much with me.
00:44:38.44\00:44:40.88
Yeah, but it's so...
00:44:40.91\00:44:42.91
I'm glad that you
have got that testimony
00:44:42.94\00:44:44.91
'cause I just want to
tell you there at home,
00:44:44.95\00:44:47.72
God will do the same for you,
00:44:47.75\00:44:50.05
it doesn't matter if you
have walked away from Him,
00:44:50.09\00:44:54.19
all you have to do is turn back
in His direction, take a step.
00:44:54.22\00:44:58.76
He says, "Draw near to Me
and I will draw near to you."
00:44:58.79\00:45:02.73
And as you said
that prodigal son,
00:45:02.76\00:45:04.73
He doesn't just
stand there with open arms,
00:45:04.77\00:45:07.70
He will run towards you,
because God loves you so much.
00:45:07.74\00:45:11.41
Mel, I'm sure I want to be sure
00:45:11.44\00:45:13.98
and get your
address up right now,
00:45:14.01\00:45:16.34
because I just believe
that there are gonna be people
00:45:16.38\00:45:18.91
who want to call
you to either come
00:45:18.95\00:45:21.78
and speak at their church
00:45:21.82\00:45:23.15
or just call you and
share some of their testimony
00:45:23.18\00:45:26.05
and how you can minister to.
00:45:26.09\00:45:29.62
Maybe someone out
there who is a vet,
00:45:29.66\00:45:32.19
who feels like
life is not the same
00:45:32.23\00:45:36.60
and you don't know if
it will ever be the same
00:45:36.63\00:45:39.03
or maybe your
relationship with the Lord
00:45:39.07\00:45:41.10
is being fractured in some
way and God wants you back,
00:45:41.14\00:45:45.07
so what we want to do is put
up Pastor Mel Matthews address
00:45:45.11\00:45:51.21
and a telephone number
00:45:51.25\00:45:52.58
so that you can
get in touch with him.
00:45:52.61\00:45:57.05
If you would like to
contact Melvin Matthews,
00:45:57.09\00:45:59.29
you can do so by writing to
8721 North Hickory Grove Road,
00:45:59.32\00:46:04.86
Dubois, Indiana 47527.
00:46:04.89\00:46:08.26
That's 8721 North
Hickory Grove Road,
00:46:08.30\00:46:11.60
Dubois, Indiana 47527.
00:46:11.63\00:46:14.70
You can call
him at 812-631-5130.
00:46:14.74\00:46:19.11
That's 812-631-5130.
00:46:19.14\00:46:22.88
You can also email him
at MelvinMatthews@gmail.com.
00:46:22.91\00:46:28.12
That's MelvinMatthews@gmail.com.
00:46:28.15\00:46:32.85
Contact him today, he
would love to hear from you.
00:46:32.89\00:46:35.46
I'm sure he would
like to hear from you.
00:46:43.06\00:46:45.30
Now Mel, Pastor Mel,
00:46:45.33\00:46:47.84
what is it like in today's army,
00:46:47.87\00:46:50.67
as you said it is no
longer a draft to dissolve
00:46:50.71\00:46:53.81
and listed and
they have been listed,
00:46:53.84\00:46:56.18
have things
changed for today's army?
00:46:56.21\00:46:58.88
Our volunteer army
has completely changed,
00:46:58.91\00:47:01.55
and even though abide the laws
00:47:01.58\00:47:07.06
and regulations in Vietnam
or in Korea, at World War II,
00:47:07.09\00:47:12.79
I had the right at that time
00:47:12.83\00:47:15.40
based on those regulations
to ask for my Sabbath off.
00:47:15.43\00:47:21.07
To ask that I
specifically deny wearing,
00:47:21.10\00:47:26.57
carrying a weapon.
00:47:26.61\00:47:28.14
Now in the our volunteer army
00:47:28.18\00:47:30.91
it's like you
are under the command
00:47:30.95\00:47:33.35
of your commanding officer
00:47:33.38\00:47:35.02
and if you want
your Sabbath off,
00:47:35.05\00:47:37.39
it will only be at the liberty
00:47:37.42\00:47:43.66
that your commander gives you.
00:47:43.69\00:47:45.33
Wow.
00:47:45.36\00:47:46.70
There is no more army regulation
00:47:46.73\00:47:48.70
that says that you have
the right to have a conscience
00:47:48.73\00:47:53.87
in regard to those things.
00:47:53.90\00:47:56.30
Now of course the army does have
00:47:56.34\00:47:58.44
a conscience in the sense of,
00:47:58.47\00:48:00.28
it has specific
regulations statues
00:48:00.31\00:48:06.28
that you have to live by.
00:48:06.31\00:48:10.79
So I salute the
moral integrity of
00:48:10.82\00:48:15.56
how the army controls itself
00:48:15.59\00:48:19.69
and its soldiers,
and sailors, and marines,
00:48:19.73\00:48:22.76
and air force personnel.
00:48:22.80\00:48:24.83
But as a Seventh-day Adventist
00:48:24.87\00:48:27.44
and we do have quite a
number of Seventh-day Adventists
00:48:27.47\00:48:31.97
men and women in the military
00:48:32.01\00:48:35.48
they are at the mercy...
00:48:35.51\00:48:39.65
Mercy.
00:48:39.68\00:48:41.02
Yes, I appreciate
for the word there,
00:48:41.05\00:48:42.62
I was missing it.
00:48:42.65\00:48:43.99
Of their commander, you know,
00:48:44.02\00:48:45.45
and the people
that are in charge,
00:48:45.49\00:48:49.02
the commanders in most cases are
00:48:49.06\00:48:50.76
very intelligent
caring human beings
00:48:50.79\00:48:53.63
that are caring for
their soldiers or the sailors,
00:48:53.66\00:48:56.03
but it doesn't always
mean that you have that right.
00:48:56.06\00:48:59.43
I was not aware
that our armed services
00:48:59.47\00:49:02.80
today did not
offer that same right,
00:49:02.84\00:49:05.74
that religious
liberty right as we think of,
00:49:05.77\00:49:09.51
for those who are enlisted,
so we do definitely need to be
00:49:09.54\00:49:13.35
praying for
those who are serving
00:49:13.38\00:49:15.32
in this all
volunteer arm services,
00:49:15.35\00:49:17.75
no matter what
department, right?
00:49:17.79\00:49:19.12
That's right.
00:49:19.15\00:49:20.49
Well, we are going
to have another song
00:49:20.52\00:49:23.36
and then we will come
back for a closing thought
00:49:23.39\00:49:25.76
from Pastor Mel Matthews,
00:49:25.79\00:49:27.13
but right now we have
the Burchfield Brothers
00:49:27.16\00:49:29.63
who are going to play for us,
00:49:29.66\00:49:31.67
"When I Survey
the Wondrous Cross".
00:49:31.70\00:49:34.44