God Takes On Biological Weapons
Just prior to President Bill Clinton taking office, Tom had been stationed in Okinawa, Japan. Getting ready for work one day, he noticed that his hair was falling out. Rashes covered his arms and legs. Worse, his bones ached. He also suffered debilitating fatigue.
Doctors at the VA hospital always asked the same questions: “Were you exposed to a nerve agent in combat? Were you ever exposed to weapons of mass destruction?”
“No,” Tom answered, “but when we were deployed for Desert Storm, our superiors were concerned that we would be hit with biological weapons. Someone got the bright idea to give us small doses of nerve agents to make us immune to them. When we were in the desert, they came to us once a week giving us packets of pills. They also gave us each a shot of anthrax. We had to sign a document agreeing never to give blood again. We were also warned not to have any more children.”
Doctors didn’t believe what he said.
By the time Tom was out of the Marines and trying to start a new life in Indiana, his symptoms had worsened. The exhaustion was so pervasive that some days he had trouble getting out of bed. Circles the size of a silver dollar appeared on his legs. Hair didn’t grow inside them. Worse, his right arm had lost all feeling.
One day, Garland Pemberton, the same minister who laid hands on Tom’s mother years before, came to Tom’s church to preach. Responding to an altar call, Tom went forward and raised his hands. When Pemberton touched Tom’s forehead, feeling began to creep into his shoulder. It traveled all the way to the tip of his fingers.
“I’ve never had a symptom of Desert Storm syndrome again,” Tom explains. “I don’t give blood because I signed a document saying that I wouldn’t. I hadn’t signed anything about not having more children. Although there were stories about vets from Desert Storm having children with deformities, I knew I was healed. I’ve had two perfectly healthy daughters since then, Alyssa is 23 and Hannah is now 16. In the mid-2000s, the government admitted that we’d been given nerve agents. There are benefits available for vets with the syndrome. I’m thrilled that I don’t qualify.”
Building a New Life
True to His Word, God helped Tom rebuild his life following the economic collapse. Tom’s son, Robert, returned home after a short while. In May 2009, Tom married for a third time to Kim, a wonderful woman who was a great help raising Hannah. That same year, he fasted and prayed for God’s direction.
BVOV : 19
