The Pastor of my church, who was an Army Ranger, (and he never tires of letting you know) - when he first moved to Seattle back in the mid 1990s was riding a Seattle bus through the city. A belligerent man was going up and down the aisle harassing passengers. When he approached my Pastor, he told the man to sit down and shut up. The man asked my Pastor, “Who the hell are you?”. My Pastor responded, “I am the Army Ranger that is going to make you sit down, or I am a Pastor. Which one do you want me to be?” The man sat down and behaved himself for the rest of the trip, getting off at the next stop.
I heard him tale that story in several sermons, and I never tire of it.
Back around 1980 when the guardian angel movement was big we got the idea to patrol our college ghetto. We would walk around with baseball bats and the crime dropped to zero very quickly. The cops never gave us any trouble. I doubt you can do this today.
This is a great story. Thank goodness for folks with creativity, imagination, bravado, and playfulness.
Thought I might mention that I have been conducting a sort of life-long, informal, private study regarding military accomplishments, combat history, etc.
I have simply found that the folks who talk the most about their rank and affiliation have the most to hide, or have hidden or exaggerated the most.
If your Pastor talks too much about, or overcites his military record, I would bet you a hundred bucks right now that there is “something wrong with the story.”
Oh this is sooo good...never wise to tangle with either let alone two in one!