“I’ll take point tonight,” I told the acting squad leader, a young corporal who had recently been assigned to the company. Walking point was not my job. I was an artillery Forward Observer assigned to “G” (Golf) Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines. The entire company was broken down into individual Marine squads assigned to villages along Highway One. I was the senior Marine by rank, but the corporal was the squad leader.

To say everyone was nervous was an understatement. Our previous squad leader had been wounded by a booby trap as we entered a village during a sweep. Following a brief firefight, the Battalion Operations Office and the Echo Company commander landed in an open field and began walking to our position. Another booby trap killed both of them. Several days later, while on patrol, the young Marine walking point was killed by a booby-trapped 105mm howitzer round. Nobody wanted to arm wrestle me to walk point.

We set out under low clouds, but behind the clouds was a full moon. I love a full moon when I’m sitting in a foxhole on the perimeter, but on patrol, a full moon is not your friend. Several days earlier we had found a magazine for an AK-47 along the trail, evidence of Viet Cong activity, so we set out after dark to set an ambush. Although we had been on this trail two days earlier, I had a sense of uneasiness. By the grace of God, there was a brief break in the clouds and a full moon bathed the trail in light. We all stopped and took a knee to avoid detection. In that brief moment, I caught a glimpse of a reflection of metal on the trail. When the moon disappeared, I slowly began to feel my way forward on my hands and knees. As I moved my arm forward, I felt a trip wire against my forearm. I carefully followed the wire to a tree and found a booby-trapped artillery round. The tripwire was tied to a Chinese Communist grenade, placed next to explosives on the shell. One false move would have taken out the entire squad. We retraced our steps and returned to the village.

Walking point is not an exact science. At some point, your luck runs out — just ask my twin brother Roger. He was walking point when his whole world turned upside down. I’m not ruining the story — you’ll have to read his book, A Time to Kill, A Time to Heal. Fortunately, as a Christian, I have a “point man” — someone Who perfectly knows the trail I am going down because He ordained my path from the foundation of the world.

You may question whether Jesus is our point man, but from the beginning of the New Testament, He called on people to “follow” Him. “While walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And He said to them, 'Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.‘” (Matthew 4:18-19, ESV)

Does following Jesus ensure the trail will be peaceful? Not a chance! There will be enemy ambushes and other hazards, but my point man is also training me for the path ahead — and nothing will catch Him by surprise. That presupposes I am following Him at all times. God told Amos, “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?” (Amos 3:3) He was highlighting His people’s failure to “walk with Him.” Walking with Jesus means I agree to meet with Him every morning and agree to follow Him throughout the day. He is leading me on the path He has prepared for me. I intend to “agree to meet” with my point man every day.

What say ye, Man of Valor?
Semper Fidelis!