The Soul of a Warrior: Spiritual Reflections from the Battlefields of Vietnam

By Tim Rezac

There is an intriguing correlation between the physical warfare of an infantryman and the spiritual warfare of a follower of Jesus Christ. Both of these combat situations are challenging, intense, and life-altering. Every Christian has been drafted into the army of God and is engaged in battles with spiritual forces. Not very many people, in comparison, have experienced the horrors of earthly combat. The author, Tim Rezac, has experienced both, in a very real and personal sense. As a devoted disciple of Jesus, he had to wrestle with many spiritual and emotional issues during the Vietnam War. This book contains many of those issues, with biblical comparisons and practical applications for victorious Christian living. Some of the chapters may be uncomfortable to read but are necessary for a lucid description of both types of warfare in the real world. This book's primary purpose is twofold: To encourage fellow believers toward spiritual maturity as soldiers in the Lord's army, and to urgently persuade those who have not yet trusted in Jesus Christ as their Savior to do so. May you be eternally blessed as you read and ponder the following pages.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: May 19, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098025038

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Conscript or Volunteer: My Story

Conscript—To be enrolled by compulsion for military service (commonly known as the draft).

Volunteer—To enroll with one’s free will, without compulsion.

In the photo above, after my return from Vietnam, my brother and I posed in front of our house for our parents. Ron volunteered to serve in the navy for four years. I was drafted to serve in the army for two years.

Volunteer or be drafted? In the 1960s, that was the choice every young man faced after he registered with the Selective Service upon reaching his eighteenth birthday.

Beginning during the US Civil War, a draft system for military service has been sporadically used during times of national need. When the latest draft system ended in 1973, the all-volunteer system replaced it. Military salaries were increased as an incentive to attract volunteers.

Interestingly, decisions by Presidents Kennedy and Johnson proposed priorities of draftees based on their situation in life. Married men with children were at the very bottom of the call-up list. Just above them were married men with no children. College students and those studying for religious vocations were exempted.

When I was drafted in 1966, the Vietnam War was at its peak. The number of military personnel in Vietnam was around five hundred thousand. It was costing the US $25 billion a year. Many of those drafted young men were being sent to a war that was confusing and controversial. There were anti-war protests in the streets, mainly among college students who embraced the hippie lifestyle. Young men publicly burned their draft cards. Some escaped the draft by running up to Canada. Politicians and military leaders fiercely debated our continuing involvement in Vietnam. It was chaos.

I did want to serve my country in the military as part of my patriotic duty. But, because of the conflicting perspectives of our involvement in Vietnam, I had no desire to go there. It was not on my personal to-do list. I discovered, once again, that God has his own to-do list for my life. So, in September of 1967, I found myself in a rice paddy, gripping a rifle, with my platoon mates.

My brother, Ron, spent some time on a naval ship off the coast of Vietnam. We both returned safe and sound. Sadly, not every young man did.

Conscript or Volunteer: Biblical Reflections

Here are two brief reflections from Scripture. I find one to be interesting and the other to be quite controversial.

God conscripted men to fight in war, allowing military exemptions.

Prior to entering the promised land, it is recorded in Numbers 26:1–4: The Lord said to Moses….Take a census of all those men twenty years old or more who are able to serve in the army of Israel.

These men were drafted into their military.

As there were certain exemptions to the draft during the Vietnam War, likewise, there were exemptions in God’s draft for the young men of Israel. They are recorded in Deuteronomy 20:5–8:

Has anyone built a new house and not dedicated it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else may dedicate it. Has anyone planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else enjoy it. Has anyone become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else marry her. Is any man afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home, so that his brothers will not become disheartened too. (Emphasis mine)

Those four deferments have this emphasis: Under the extreme stress of warfare situations, a soldier must not be distracted or cowardly. He must stay focused on the battle. If his mind is captured by concerns back home, he will become inattentive to important details. One who is distracted or cowardly may be a dangerous detriment to his comrades.

I have personally witnessed how both bravery and cowardice are contagious. One night on guard duty, one of our men lost it. He began incoherently yelling and crying in a fear-filled panic. A couple of us had to forcefully subdue him before he exposed our position to the Viet Cong. Appropriate military exemptions are very beneficial.

Our salvation through Jesus Christ—Is it conscription (God’s sovereign election) or volunteer (man’s free will)? My answer to that question is yes…to both.

I have become quite comfortable with the tension of those seemingly opposing views. I have observed passages of the Bible that support each position and have concluded that God selects us for salvation and we also make a decision to place our faith in Christ.

Note this: Everyone’s faith in Christ is stimulated by the conscripting influence of God, the Holy Spirit. A good summary verse is found in Acts 13:48b: "And all who were appointed for eternal life believed."

It is very clear that, according to the writings of Scripture, God will occasionally conscript/draft certain people for a special kingdom assignment. These men and women are uniquely called by God.

Here are a few of the most notable draftees of God: Noah, build an ark; Abraham, be the father of many nations; Moses, pressure Pharaoh to release the Israelite slaves; Job. suffer horribly as a Godly example to follow; Esther, go before the king for such a time as this; Isaiah, when God asks, Who shall I send? he answered, Here I am. Send me!; the twelve apostles, drop everything and be apprentices of Jesus for three years.

On the other hand, there is Jonah, God drafted him to preach to the dangerous people of Nineveh. His free will decided to say I’m not going! Even Judas Iscariot was drafted into Christ’s band of brothers. He was conscripted, but he refused to volunteer his soul, so he went AWOL.

Bottom line: Whether we are drafted or conscripted, it is always best to obey the Lord and follow his directions. It is a joyful blessing to please the Lord. To choose otherwise is foolish and perilous. Just ask Jonah and Judas.

Conscript or Volunteer: Life Application

Two points of application:

Submission to authority—That is one of the critical life lessons we must learn. This lesson must be vigorously taught (and modeled) by parents to their children. When my government mailed my military draft notice, it was my obligation as a citizen to submit and serve, even though I was conscripted. Romans 13:1 makes it clear and simple: Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.

All those in leadership positions, and all the laws of the land, must be obeyed. Unless they conflict with God’s principles as recorded in the Bible, then God’s principles take precedence over unbiblical instructions (Daniel, Shadrach/Meshach/Abednego, the apostles, etc.).

A disciple of Christ must volunteer to serve him, primarily motivated by delight rather than duty. (Yes, there are occasions when we must serve out of duty in order to fulfill a needed task.) A devoted disciple doesn’t wait to be drafted for serving Christ in a ministry. They eagerly volunteer. Their motivation is an intense love for God. In John 14, Jesus stated the following: If you love me, you will obey what I command (15); Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me (21). Also, regarding his relationship with his Father, he said, I love the Father and I do exactly what my Father has commanded me (31).

Love is the supreme motivation for volunteering. When we serve God in that way, our service becomes a delight. Or, to state it another way, if we live FHP, our giving and serving will be saturated with joy and gladness. FHP is my life acronym—for his (God’s) pleasure. It is succinctly written in Ephesians 5:10: "Find out what pleases the