For John Cass, the link between serving in the military and becoming a Christian is uncanny. An Army veteran, Cass accepted Christ into his life on Veterans Day.
“The military had a profound impact on my life,” Cass explained. “It helped organize a young man’s life while there was a lot of trial and just flat out disappointments.
“What the military taught me—going to war, and being able to connect with God on a personal level—it was life changing,” he added.
This Veterans Day, Cass will take the stage to speak to former military service members at the first Veterans Breakfast and Tour at the Billy Graham Library.
Recently, the Library has been more active in honoring those who serve, including special events during Military Appreciation Month. A military exhibit displayed during that time drew numerous younger veterans.
“We saw a huge need in this community,” Library Promotions Manager Sonya Johnson said. “We don’t want to overlook them. We want to honor our veterans and extend the love of Christ to them.”
Because Cass is director of Internet Evangelism at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, it’s no surprise he will use the event to reach those in the crowd who may be struggling spiritually.
“We have a responsibility of sharing the hope that changes us,” he said.
And for Cass, the realization of that hope is still vivid in his mind.
The War Within
Cass described his life as “falling apart” when he got the news he’d be deployed for Desert Storm.
“I was a good churchgoer,” but really didn’t have a relationship with Christ, he admits.
Unsure of his future and even his faith, Cass opened the Bible his friends had given him along with a book of Scriptures before heading overseas the next day.
Psalm 118:17-18 lay before him.
I shall not die, but I shall live,
and recount the deeds of the Lord.
The Lord has disciplined me severely,
but He has not given me over to death.
“It was at that moment I said to God, ‘If You get me out of this, I’ll go to work for You,’” Cass recalled.
He had no idea how much God would hold him to it.
On his first day at war, Cass shot and killed two people to protect his troop. The next day, they’d battle bigger tanks and more forces. In the middle of it all, Cass found himself in the line of fire of white phosphorous grenades his tank commander had accidentally launched.
“Three grenades shot out from each side of the front of the tank. Two missed me, but the third one caught me in my forearm,” Cass recalled the scene where he was surrounded by flames. “I thought I was on fire.”
“But I can tell people today I can associate with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (who were thrown into a furnace and survived, as recorded in the book of Daniel in the Bible) because I was untouched. I didn’t even have a bruise from where that round had hit me in the forearm,” he said.
Cass explained that in practice he’d seen even the smallest amounts of white phosphorous make contact with skin and begin to bubble.
“I didn’t even have a singe on my uniform,” he said.
Still Serving
For Cass, that day marked a turning point. In the back of his prayer book, he wrote a reminder of how God had spared him.
Cass’ time in the Army was up not long after. On Nov. 8 of that year, he went to a Christian concert with a friend. Three days later on Nov. 11, 1991, Cass made a personal decision to follow Christ.
Now 23 years later on Nov. 11, he will take those experiences and his go-to Scripture, Hebrews 12:1, before the group of veterans at the Billy Graham Library in hopes of offering encouragement and pointing people in need to Christ.
“We carry burdens,” he said, referring to those who serve in the military. “You’re beat down [so the question becomes], how do you process this? What’s your outlet?
“If you know Jesus, if you love Jesus, your outlet is, ‘I’m going to show up in heaven thoroughly worn out and used up because He’s going to recycle me,’” Cass continued.
“If I don’t know Jesus, I’m trying to carry a whole bunch of weight that He says you don’t have to carry.”
Cass noted the importance of thanking veterans and not just on Veterans Day.
“To me, when someone says, ‘Thank you for your service,’ it means they understood that they get to accomplish a lot in this world because of what people have done before them,” he said.
It’s also important to listen.
“If they’re sharing their stories, really take time to listen, not fix,” he said. “What is their hurt? What is their need?”
Ultimately, Cass wants those in attendance at next month’s event to understand man’s call to serve Christ.
“We’ve done our time. We’ve served. But until the King says it’s over, we’re still serving,” he said.
“That’s what it boils down to. Jesus in me changes everything.”
The Veterans Breakfast & Tour is free, but advance reservations are required.
Please call 704-401-3263 or email LibraryEvents@bgea.org to learn more or make reservations.
