Before I chose the Army as a career, I had a great job as a deckhand on a riverboat that ran the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. Growing up in a river town on the Ohio banks, working on the boats was almost a rite of passage, so at 19, I got my chance.
My boat, the motor vessel Peace, was 160 feet long, 50 feet wide, and 4 stories tall, and was equipped with two train engines. With a crew of 12, we would work for 45 days, then two weeks off.
In February of 1986, an incident occurred making me re-evaluate my maritime career choice. We were on the Mississippi River going southbound near Vicksburg, Mississippi when I had a ‘Star Trek’ moment while I was stationed in the engine room. The captain called down to the engine room asking for “more power.” After removing the safety governor, which limits the top speed of the engine, it started to race out of control, and within moments the engine exploded sending shrapnel in every direction – except mine. I believe this was a time that God protected me, as I was in a glass booth with no other protection.
Within moments, it was obvious the ship was going down so the captain called to “abandon ship.” The whole crew crawled up onto one of the barges, which was very scary because 5 of the 30 barges were empty, highly explosive, chemical containers. Before we knew it, the boat broke the connecting wires and sank to the bottom of the river.
By the grace of God, there was a Coast Guard boat about 4 miles away that rescued me and all of the rest of the crew from the barge we were on. Two commercial tugboats raced to the scene and rounded up the barges.
Now I have an opportunity to thank God by serving His people at the Marian House, with other like-minded individuals. It’s been over seven years since I’ve been serving here and it’s such a joy. With the addition of the Marketplace pantry, we reach so many people in need, and I pray that I can continue for many more years.
Leave a Reply