One Dangerous Marine
by Melanie Hemry
Tom Westberry stepped out of a million-dollar custom home he’d just built. Looking up into the wide, blue Texas sky, he felt joy bubble up from deep within. There had been a time when he couldn’t imagine living a joyous, fulfilled life outside the U.S. Marine Corps.
Some guys washed out of the Marines. Tom received honors. Spending a year in ordnance training, he became an explosives specialist. When Iraq invaded Kuwait, Tom went to his master sergeant, and told him: “This is what I was born to do. I want to be on the first bird out of here.” He and one other Marine were the first to deploy to Saudi Arabia—a month before the rest of their unit.
Whether aboard an amphibious carrier making and loading ordnance, or on the ground in combat, God had protected him. Tom couldn’t imagine a more fulfilling life.
That changed overnight when President Clinton took office. One of the first things he did was to cut the military. Soon, Tom’s military career had ended. Life as he knew it was over.
The Lord directed him to learn to build homes.
Some years later, after his marriage imploded, God told Tom to take his son, move to Texas and connect with Kenneth Copeland Ministries.
It was there that life began to get better for Tom.
His building business had thrived. He’d remarried and now had a 4-year-old daughter. Tom had also learned to fly and had ventured into doing some flying for various ministries, including KCM.
After arriving home one evening, Tom picked up 4-year-old Hannah and spun her in the air. He then hugged his wife and fist-bumped his 18-year-old son, Robert, before switching on the television in time to catch some breaking national news.
The real estate bubble had burst, the news announcer said. Banks were no longer giving loans or honoring some they had already made.
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