The Squad Leader’s Bargain
Last weekend when I first met Tim Payne, I was taken not with the fact that this double amputee sat upright in his wheel chair while cheerfully greeting so many civilians. Rather I was taken that he had an infectious smile of contentment about him and that he had a happy twinkle in his eyes.
In this brief encounter, I knew I was in the presence of a special warrior and listened attentively as he boldly shared his faith with me in an unusually charming way. He barely mentioned he had published a book about his faith, so upon my return to our home, I went on Amazon and immediately order it. The Squad Leader’s Bargain arrived this afternoon and I read it through without leaving my chair.
Surprisingly, for this traditional Roman Catholic, Tim Payne’s incredible book touched me in many positive and important ways. Here are a few:
In one brief chapter, NEAR Ambushed, the author give you a very realistic view of today’s asymmetrical combat in Afghanistan that it took Karl Marlantes, Matterhorn 600 pages to explain combat in the View Nam war.
Tim’s semi autobiographical book breezes through in a Joycean fashion… an explanation of his combat injury, enduring over 150 surgeries, dealing with addiction to his meds, long war of rehabilitation at Walter Reed, his transition from military to civilian life, to simply stating his new mission in life… he wishes to share his experiences so that he can be used as a crutch to lift up others. In brief, Tim’s faith journey is the positive response to Ron Kovic’s book, Born on the Fourth of July.
Tim’s juxtaposition of scripture in general and the Psalms in particular, remind me of St. Ambrose teaching the Manichean young Augustine the necessity of understanding the allegorical sense of scripture.
The bargain Tim made with God is slightly reminiscent of Pascal’s wager in terms of the rationale for the belief in God.
Tim’s visions and dreams weaved through combat scenes are very much like The Divine Comedy where Dante imagines himself taken on a guided pilgrimage through the three realms of the dead: Hell, Purgatory and Paradise.
Finally, Tim use of guardian angels is in part like Frank Capra’s Clarence in It’s a Wonderful Life.
Few biblical based books connect me to James Joyce, Dante Alighieri, Saints Ambrose and Augustine, Pascal, Frank Capra and Karl Marlantes in one reading.
Both believers and non-believers can read the Squad Leader’s Bargain on many levels. It is an uplifting true story. I promise it is the best $14 purchase a reader might make whether you care about wounded warriors or not.
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