God saved me from death three times, says Army chief
Pastor Dale Morgan
God saved me from death three times, says Army chief*
By Ben Quinn
Last Updated: 1:44am GMT 30/10/2006
The head of the British Army has spoken of his belief that God saved his
life three times, prompting him to become a Christian.
Two of General Sir Richard Dannatt's near-death encounters took place in
Northern Ireland, where his efforts to save the life of one of his men
earned the Military Cross. The third occurred in Germany.
General Sir Richard Dannatt has talked openly about his deep faith
It is the second time this month that the Chief of the General Staff has
talked openly about his deep faith and comes less than three weeks after
he sparked a political storm by saying that the presence of British
troops in Iraq was making the situation worse.
His latest comments are contained in Candles in the Darkness, a
compilation of recollections from Christians serving in the RAF and Army.
He said that it was his belief that God first intervened to spare his
life in 1973, amid rioting in Belfast, when he found himself stranded
with two of his men in a Loyalist paramilitary area.
A hail of gunfire cut down the other soldiers, fatally injuring one,
while Sir Richard emerged unscathed.
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The second incident took place during a mine-clearing operation in South
Armagh in 1975, when an explosion killed his company commander, Major
Peter Willis. Sir Richard had been walking alongside him moments before
but had stopped to study an aerial photograph.
The general's third brush with death came a few months later in Germany
when he fell asleep at the wheel of a car but was fortunate to veer off
into a field rather than into a steep bank and wood which bordered the
route 200 yards further on.
"On three occasions, God had shown me his love and his protection and
had challenged me to make a complete commitment to him, but on each
occasion I had failed to make the response that he wanted from me," said
Sir Richard, who is vice-president of the Officers' Christian Union.
"Finally, I had to be stopped so that the lesson could be learned. . .
God had no choice but to take a stick and beat me over the head."